Pour Some Scrolling on Me (In the Name of Deadpan)

It got the most vote!

1,088 thoughts on “Pour Some Scrolling on Me (In the Name of Deadpan)

  1. Alien: Covenant… I’m going to expand on Van’s comment about it.

    I think he sighed in his review.

    My review gets a different bodily function sound:

    I thought the ship was a very cool design and had some really cool functions.

    There were a few great tense, anxiety-ridden suspense/action moments. But they last just mere moments.

    Still; it was a crapfest of a movie.

  2. We need to stop making prequels of beloved film franchises. Prometheus wasn’t a terrible movie. . . Covenant is a fucking terrible movie. . .

    That’s all I’ll say, because I’m sure some of you still want to see it (and I get that).

    • Listen I get people do stupid shit when encountering the unknown , but the Crew not knowing the specs of their sim human was just fucking absurd.

    • I highly doubt it’s “fucking terrible”. Terrible films don’t get positive scores on metacritic. It may not be your cup of tea but so it goes. The DC films we actual terrible films due to their scores on most every respected critic site. That being said some people enjoyed those films.

      Now if I can actually see it without Van spoiling it in the next few days it’ll be a win win.

      • I’ll withhold my critiques until it’s been out for awhile, and everyone’s had a chance to see it. If people do enjoy it, then cool. There are a few good scenes and some brief touches on interesting concepts.

  3. Crap joke for the day:

    A couple has been married for 60 years. And to stay together for that long you have to be completely honest with your partner. So the husband and wife were very open, shared everything and didn’t have any secrets from each other. Well, almost… The wife kept a shoe box in the closet, which she had asked her husband not to open or even ask about.

    And the man never thought about the box in 60 years, until the day his wife got very sick. The doctor said she wouldn’t make it. While trying to sort out their affairs, the husband took the shoebox to his wife’s bedside and she agreed it was time for him to see what was inside. The man’s eyes widened as he discovered $95000 and two crocheted dolls in the box.

    “When we were to be married,” the old lady explained, “my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.”

    The husband was deeply touched, two dolls meant she was angry with him only twice in 60 years!

    “Honey,” he said after overcoming the emotions “that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?”

    “Oh, that?” the wife said. “That’s the money I made from selling the dolls.”

  4. Morning Pan

    Had a good visit with the youngest over the weekend. Her birthday is in a couple of days so we spoiled her.
    Now back to regular life.

  5. The Netflix write up: a sweet little boy’s wondrous dreams come to life while he sleeps. Unfortunately, so do his nightmares

  6. In an alternate universe, Kate Bush doesn’t become a crazy cat lady and instead of singing standards decides to take the musical foundation of “The Hounds of Love” and press it forward into the modern age. If she did that, I think she would sound a lot like Chelsea Wolfe. I submit for your consideration “House of Metal”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI5WbKK5wbk I can easily imagine Kate doing the vocals for this. If Justa jOE isn’t listening to Chelsea Wolfe, he should be.

  7. The new Joy Formidable live album – Leave No Trace – is excellent. Not acoustic, but a very toned down subtle performance that still maintains an all out rock and roll atmosphere. Lots of stuff from each of their albums – with lots of deep cuts – and some delightful witty banter.

    Rating – 4 out of 5 Welsh Ritzys

    • I think the line in the article “and this has caused some Trekkies to fret about the lack of white men in charge” should be changed to “and this has caused some racists to fret about the lack of white men in charge”. I think it would put the story in its proper light.

      • I’m going to say it again… STOP WRITING AND POSTING ABOUT THESE PEOPLE. It’s what they want and it’s not going to stop anytime soon. Seriously… as soon as The Last Jedi comes out these people will again be yelling that “women have bled all over our Empire!”. People will be enraged for about a week then forget it happened. Then the next film will come out to get these people riled up. Folks will be enraged for about a week and then it will be forgotten. Wash rinse repeat.

        Here’s a tip – racists are gonna be racist. Bigots gonna bigot. It’s not new. Silence their voice by silencing your own about them.

        • See, you’re 100% right about giving these troglodytes the attn they crave. . . . but I don’t think it’s that simple. Our ignorance of just how deep and dangerous their particular mudpit is has cost us dearly.

          We need to somehow keep up our awareness that these people exist, without feeding their sad lust for atten. Their numbers are small and dwindling, but still apparently enough to mobilize and vote through disasters like Brexit and Trump.

  8. Speaking of systemic racism – – we saw Book of Mormon last night, in spite of me feeling sick-like.

    Holy crap, is it funny. So many great recurring jokes. (Yes, I’m endorsing a musical)

  9. Sometimes it’s fun to go back to the beginning and read some of the comments made some years ago (11??!). Since I avoided the board for so long, it is bringing back memories of all those bumpers and making me realize some people really haven’t changed 🙂

  10. What a week. I’m glad that things are no longer (metaphorically) on fire any more. I hope they stay that way over the weekend.

    • Of the modern books I’ve read, the full Darth Vader series is the best. Highly recommended! Especially the first 2 storylines (although there’s crossover with the main Star Wars series for the ‘Vader Down’ books).

      Otherwise, the Lando series was short and pretty good.

      Anyone else?

    • Oh ma gerd!

      Recent Marvel stuff – The entirety of the Vader series including the Vader Down crossover event, the Princess Leia miniseries, the current Dr. Aphra series (think Star Wars meets Tomb Raider meets Indiana Jones) and you could check out the main Star Wars series if you want. It doesn’t get truly great until issue 5 or 6 and this last arc they just got done with was meh.

      My very favorite SW run though, is the Star Wars: Legacy series from Dark Horse that ran 2006-2010. That is truly great Star Wars stuff. And that Deliah Blue…. vavavavoooom!

      Now get to it, Padawan!

  11. And we celebrated the last day of school by taking the girl and her BFF to see the new Pirates movie.

    There are some seriously creative idea people on Disney’s payroll. . . . Although the movie was still completely bonkers.

  12. Don’t lock the door on me
    You’d kill me, face down, dead
    Another part of you gone to waste
    Please hear me out
    You kill me face down dead
    Another day in the dark

  13. So, Mr. Mangan and I ate dinner at a BBQ place here in town tonight, and it got me thinking about KC-style BBQ. What is it like? Is it smothered in sauce? Cooked in a smoker, on a grill, or in a pit?

    What are we in for in August? My mouth is watering!!!

    • I can attest that this conversation did come up during our fancy dinner at Porkopolis.

      And sure, there’s Google, but I think we’re more interested in hearing from you who’ve experienced KC BBQ.

      • Traditional bbq is a low slow smoker with a brown sugar or molasses based sauce (so sweet). I tend to like the spicier sauces. A specialty if KC is the burnt end. I had to explain to a recent transplant that they aren’t really burnt. This was produced by our local public tv. https://youtu.be/AZgD2pn8CAQ

      • KC, unlike most cities, specializes in all styles of BBQ. You’ll even find Carolina vinegar style if you look. Food doesn’t tend to be smothered in sauce, they leave that to you. Most places have a tomato based sauce; dry rubs are also around. Ribs, brisket, beef, pork, chicken, lamb… you can find pretty much anything and I’m sure you’ll find something you love.

        Burnt ends originated in KC and is delicious. It originated from the trimmed ends of brisket, cut up with sauce, and served either in a sandwich or on their own.

        • Thanks, dude and dudette! Burnt ends are commonly available at places here. I’m a fan, although I think I prefer straight brisket. A couple of my favorite bbq places here also have the “naked meat” style, with a variety of sauce options to suit your tastes.

          I think the Phoenix BBQ scene is sticking to the KC style, as opposed to the Texas or Southern styles.

          • We have a competition society here that often trains judges, so we learn a lot about the different styles (as you can see by our responses)

          • Like Cynful said the traditional KC style is slightly sweet with brown sugar, but as ditto stated all sorts of BBQ are represented locally. From memory, I would rate Gates BBQ as traditional KC style. Arthur Bryant is less sweet with a more mustard base. Watching all the cooking shows, Joe’s BBQ (Formally Oklahoma Joe’s) is the best in town. I’ve never tried Joe’s but in the group of people I associated with back in KC, Jack Stack was generally thought of as best, and it gets my recommendation as well.

          • If you are coming here, you shouldn’t eat at Gates or Arthur Bryant. Gates, while an interesting experience, is very middle-of-the-road as is Arthur Bryant, which is important for historical reasons. There are much better places to eat here. Joe’s KC is excellent, as Rhettro said, as is Jack Stack, and Q39. I quite enjoy Danny Edwards and LC’s, and I’ve also heard great things about Slaps.

            There are so many excellent BBQ places here that you shouldn’t settle for merely good.

  14. One more link/discussion point for the night. . . I know the Captain America-Hydra conversation has been talked up ad nauseum, but this is truly an interesting perspective on it:
    http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/204647/nazi-captain-america

    For the TL;DR: it basically says that making Captain America a fascist was a canny reaction to bouts of white rage that had been directed at a couple of recent storylines that involved black men in the Captain America role, or empowered my the Super serum and acting heroically. . . Basically: giving the loudmouthed racist fanboys exactly what they were asking for.

    Goodnight Hydra.

  15. I hate dentists. May I never see one again. Oh wait, I have to go back next week to get the whole thing properly filled

    Currently at the drug store filling prescriptions for pain killers and antibiotics

  16. Oh and so people don’tbm bwnorry ltd d. Mno much, this is my dental woes

    Went in for a root canal. I’ve one I think he past so thought I knew what to expect
    Apparently, the tooth that should have had only on nerve, had a second one hiding behind it that did not show up in the x-ray, but did not like being drilled into thank you very much. To add to that it also curved under Neath the bone or something like that so they couldn’t just get out it. So it was already open so they had to send me into a specialist in the city to deal with it.
    Done now
    Now I just want to sleep

  17. I’ve been on a kick lately of listening to old Deadpan episodes. One funny comment, when Jack asks Mike T. Nelson if there was a possibility of any future MST3K, Mike said that given the legal hurdles he unfortunately didn’t think there was any chance of future MST3K episodes. LOL

  18. Weaker now, drawing fluid from me
    You kill me
    I’m not afraid of what you have just done
    But of what you’ve just become

  19. Hello Deadpan.
    Life took an unfortunate turn a few months back. A dream and a goal that I had invested my life in for the last 6 years evaporated rather suddenly. Been a bit adrift since then.

    In other news, the eldest of the Deapan Jr. Auxiliary got an Academic AND Athletic scholarship to the Colorado School Of Mines so who knows … I might get to share a pint with some of our Denver Deadpanites in the next 4 years.

    So yeh. That.

    • Good news plus good news plus bad news – – I think you come out slightly ahead there.

      Sorry about the disappointment, but I am glad to see you back.

    • Excellent news about your eldest. Mines is a SERIOUSLY spectacular school that you haev to be seriosuly spectacular smart just to get a sniff at. Well done !

      • Yeah jOE, sorry about the plans going astray but I’m happy for your progeny. If you look up thread I recommended you check out Chelsea Wolfe’s “House of Metal” as a substitute for a modern Kate Bush. I’m curious about your thoughts on this.

      • It’s a pretty cool place but they’d have never let ME in.
        I have threatened to get a job at Coors and move to Golden.
        That has not been well received.

        Since she will be a 20 hour drive from home … if there’s an emergency I might have to call on our Denver area Deadpanites to be her surrogate Aunt’s and Uncles!
        🙂

  20. You guys – – I think I’ve narrowed down the possibilities on the covfefe code! It’s gotta be one of the following:

    Comb-Over Victim Fakes Effectiveness, Fails Extravagantly

    Clutches On Vaginas, Frightening Enticing Females Everywhere

    Creepy Orange Villain Finds Excreted Fluids Erotic

    Crusty Oldie Very Flatulent Every Friday Evening

    Cheeky Oligarch Victimizes Females, Eensy Fingers Encroaching

  21. S5 of The Americans was pretty low key, nice character development, and the finale left me looking forward to the final S6.

  22. Why is it, when I think of bands that really ROCK … I never think of the Foo Fighters … yet every time I hear one of their songs on the radio I think “wow … that really rocks”?

    • I think they suffer from auto-dismissal, due to their popularity, and a handful of tacky poppy singles. But yeah, Grohl gets full marks for sticking around, as he promised.

      • Grohl is a talented musician and I definitely like a few Foo songs. But apprehension is that I’ve heard so much of it on rock radio, that it doesn’t feel unique enough for me to seek out more of the same.

        • So I just did some research and it turns out the Foo Fighters that I like were the FF from the 2007 album “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” .
          I especially like the musical complexity of “The Pretender”.

          • “The Pretender” is an excellent song.

            My favorite will always be the first album, on which Dave Grohl wrote and recorded the parts for every instrument (not at the same time).

  23. There have been two more wrong-way driver incidents here in the Phoenix Metro area in the past few days. It is such a disturbing and confusing phenomenon.

  24. “Ministry is gearing up to release a new album, featuring guest artists DJ Swamp (Beck), Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory), Arabian Prince (NWA), Lord of the Cello…”

    I don’t know if this an interesting or awful idea.

    • Can Al Jourgensen still dedicate himself to a full project? He released a terrible thing last year. The collaboration with Burton is promising.

  25. By almost all accounts WW is a smashing critical success. Unless youre the AV club… then it just gets a ‘eh’ from those hipsters.

    Hopefully this translates to box office success because I can see DC films in their ultimate ‘wisdom’ still relegating her to the background of the Universe in favor of continued awful Batman and Superman films. Time will tell but it’s obvious THIS is the franchise the DC universe should rotate around.

  26. Netflix has canceled Sense8.

    Without having watched Season 2 yet, I am bummed to hear this news. I hope the series has resolved all of its storylines by the end…

  27. Wow. 3 posts about Sense8 being cancelled within a half hour of each other…

    I will say this. As much as I don’t like that show I can empathise because I feel the same way about The Get Down being cancelled. Methinks some of these giant budget Netflix shows just get too big for their britches.

  28. “When cowboys file for divorce
    Where the money go?
    Who gets the kids?

    When cowboys file for divorce
    Who gets the house?
    Who gets the hounds?

    When cowboys pistol-whip the whores
    They build the case for more divorce
    They set the stage for martial wars!

    When Vladamir Putin stops commutin’
    He runs around the Kremlin shootin’
    Everythin’ in sight!”

  29. Sarah Silverman’s new special – A Speck Of Dust is an absolute clinic on how to do stand up. Highest of recommendations.

  30. I’ll add to my FB post…. “God has a plan” are not only the 4 most ignorant words one can say, but also the laziest.

  31. I don’t think I realized how much I am rooting for the Preds. OR I’m that much rooting against the stupid Penguins

    • The Trailer – I . am . so . IN!
      The trailer at least, gives it the look/feel of a pre – Daniel Craig, Bond Film!

      As to your WW comics question. Yes, there was a lot of underlying bondage themes.
      What? That wasn’t your question? Oops.

      • ; ) Mmmmbondage.

        No I have questions about characters in comics vs movie. I started reading the relaunch so something in the movie is making me curious about that character in the past.

  32. The amount of coverage that 5-10 people dying from terror attacks in Western countries gets compared to the utter lack of coverage of what 50-100 people dying in terror attacks in non-western countries is still fucking appalling to me

    • You don’t understand – without the coverage, what good would that kind of attack be?
      These violent extremists have absolutely no hope of killing everyone who doesn’t believe as they do. None. Zero. Zip.
      The only way they can possibly “win” is by doing something tremendously in-humane and then getting as much press coverage, social media coverage and politicians grandstanding about what they did … that the rest of us will FEAR them and change our very lives to stop living as we had been doing and instead, become more like them.

      So you see, If they don’t get all that coverage … what would be the point of committing these acts to begin with?

  33. Reporting in: Today I read a fascinating Rolling Stone interview with Johnny Carson from 1979. His Tonight Show persona was likable and witty, but he seems to have been a very intelligent, cool guy off-camera. His commentary about the state of TV, talk shows, comedy, actors, etc. was very sharp, and fully applicable to today’s world.

  34. Watched the first (2 hrs) of the new Twin Peaks last night.
    It was appropriately weird and messed up. If you were not a fan of (or did not ever see) the original series, I highly doubt you would enjoy this.

    Bonus – got to watch it with 3 of my buddies whom were part of the gang that got together every week, 25 years ago, to watch the original broadcasts.

    • Liberals and sane people are setting themselves up for major disappointment if they expect any real results to come of this.

      Before I could even hit the “Post Comment” button, I spotted right-wingers declaring victory.

      • As I heard one political analyst say, “With both houses controlled by Republicans, you will not see this president impeached until he has done something so heinous, that impeachment won’t be able to remedy the situation.”

    • hehe … (it’s funny cause it’s true)

      @danepps
      Lots of ways in which “I hope” can convey a threat. “Nice store you have here. I hope nobody burns it down.”

  35. I’m baking as well.
    Instructions – take muffin tin and line each compartment with a strip of bacon.
    (2) pour in some egg, add chopped yellow/red/orange peppers and chopped mushrooms. Top with shredded cheese.
    (3) Bake in oven 15 minutes at 350 degrees
    (4) Figure out a way to remove them from pan.
    (5) decide that maybe they needed another two minutes.
    (6) Eat one anyway because you are running late.
    (7) Decide that if I do this again I should slightly pre-cook bacon to get it a little more done.

    • Much the same. Two items I checked off because I never had them and have never had an opportunity to eat them: marmite and Taramasalata. I would if given the chance. The other two I don’t like: licorice and pickled eggs. Overall, I only checked 4 out of 87.

  36. So the charging cord wasn’t staying plugged in, so I took a toothpick to the iPhone charging port. I gotta tell ya, it had more lint than an old guy’s belly button. The cable seems to be staying nicely now.

  37. Currently, PHX is only 7 degrees hotter than Denver. Fuck this shit. I swear there are no seasons here anymore… its rainy and cool for all of April and May and then suddenly OH HAI HEAT!!!!!!!!!!! No middle ground

    I blame the Californians moving here and also Cheeto Hitler

      • For shizz. The rad thing about him is that the farm where he lives is a National Historic Site owned and run by the Park Service. So at any given time if you go visit there just may be an ex-pres hanging out at home. I mean you can’t just go see him but it’s still a very unique situation.

  38. Hey it’s cool to witness the Sidney Crosby era. He’s truly established himself as one of the all time greats. Congrats to the Pens and their fans on yet another Cup victory.

  39. Last night, hubby tells me we need eggs. I ask him what he used them for since there were still a half dozen left when I made cookies on Friday.
    Apparently he was getting something from the fridge and knocked the eggs on the floor. There were no survivors

  40. Today’s movie is Morgan
    The Netflix write up: when scientists in a clandestine lab create a human girl from synthetic DNA, a risk-management consultant is sent in to decide the project’s fate

  41. Why is it, in movies, all gates are weak enough to drive through?
    Seriously. If I had a gate, I would want to make sure it was car proof

  42. Boy am I shocked. You don’t know how surprised I was at that ending. Never saw it coming. Uh uh, no way. When I first saw her I didn’t say, “hey, I bet…”
    Couldn’t have predicted that ending in a million years

    (Are you convinced yet?)

  43. My thoughts
    The movie was ok. Not the best I’ve seen, but not the worse. I think the biggest problem was it’s predictability. The “twist” at the end could be seen from early on in the film

  44. So for those playing along on FB, we did a quick budget jaunt to Disneyland, inTiffany’s old neighborhood. Lots of steps, lots of lines, lots of thrills, lots of fun, lots of memories.

    The new Guardians of the Galaxy ride is a blast.

    • Read, “Oh, yeah yeah that’s exactly what I was trying to do… yeah that’s the ticket! Do you like my movie now? Is it good now?”

  45. I’m at the point in my life that if all future TV series just featured Carrie Coon and Mary Elizabeth Winstead turning the tables on the bad guys I would be happy…

  46. So the week of overstimulation with lifetime memories continued last night, with the Roger Waters Us and Them show in Phoenix. . . If you have the chance, then you really can’t miss this, for a few reasosn, which I’ve helpfully outlined below:

    ~Roger is really getting up there. He only sang on about half of the tunes. He wore his bass and played it, but also has another full-time bassist in the band – – for every song, not just “One of These Days.”
    ~They play “Dogs.” In its entirety!
    ~Amazing visuals.
    ~And this https://dudo6el28sqqp.cloudfront.net/gothamistgallery/2016/10/10/5968bee32roger-waters_desert-trip-day-3_oct-9-2016_annie-lesser-20-jpg-square.jpeg
    ~And this http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-roger-waters-emasculate-trump-with-pigs-at-rehearsal-w483510

  47. For NHL followers… question:

    For the Vegas expansion draft, will players from every current team be aent to Vegas; or is it possible some teams won’t send anyone?

  48. So it appears I am the type of person who will get a hug when a group of young people are offering free hugs.

    So that was a surprise.

  49. Morning Pan
    Another day of nothing to do. I hope I get my reports soon. I hate it when I get everything at once, then I’m harried trying to get it all done in a timely manner

  50. When hubby left for work this morning, I asked if spaghetti worked for him for dinner tonight. His reply, “sure, we can have whatever you want… or we can have spicy chicken”

    Silly hubby :silly:

  51. Hey Lo, I read the first volume of the Big Trouble in Little China series and liked it a lot. Do the other volumes live up to the first?

  52. So, I really think the world of “The Joshua Tree.” It’s truly one of the greatest albums ever released. It’s incredible that U2 are touring and playing it in its entirety. What an incredible opportunity and occasion.

    They’re playing football stadiums, and upper deck tickets are $100 each. Lower bowl are 160. The closer you get to the stage, the more the prices start to sound like predatory scalper rates.

    I was pretty psyched for this, and now I’m seriously disappointed.

    • Wait a bit. Metallica was the same way here and the closer the date got the lower the prices fell. But I’m with you. I’m not paying 100$ to see ants perform on stage

  53. Poor kitty. She’s on some new meds. If they don’t help her then she will have to see a specialist. I’m telling you, whoever had kitty before us, really needs a slap upside the head

      • Way back when, she had ear mites. They seemed to have been ignored until she went to the humane society. Because she had them for an extended period of time, she now has chronic ear issues. The last medicine only helped for about two months at a time. We are trying something else now. If it doesn’t help, she may need to see a specialist with a possible surgery

  54. Crapjoke for the day:

    A man boards a plane with six children.

    After they get settled in their seats, a woman sitting across the aisle leans over to him and asks, “are all these kids yours?”

    He replies, “No. I work for a condom company. These are the customer complaints.”

  55. Crap joke for the day

    Three women go down to Mexico one night to celebrate college graduation.
    They get drunk, and wake up in jail, only to discover that they are to be executed in the morning, though none of them can remember what they did the night before.
    The first one, a redhead, is strapped in the electric chair and is asked if she has any last words. She says: “I just graduated from Trinity Bible Col…love and believe in the almighty power of God to intervene on the behalf of the innocent..” They throw the switch and nothing happens. They all immediately fall to the floor on their knees, beg for forgiveness and release her.
    The second one, a brunette, is strapped in and gives her last words. “I just graduated from the University of Illinois School of Law, and I believe in the power of Justice to intervene on the behalf of the innocent.” They throw the switch and again, nothing happens. Again, they all immediately fall to their knees, beg for forgiveness, and release her.
    The last one, a blonde (you knew it), is strapped in and says: “Well, I’m from Ohio and just graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and I’ll tell ya right now, y’all ain’t gonna electrocute nobody if you don’t plug this thing in.”

  56. Whilst on vacation and kept indoors by Tropical Storm Cindy … watched BTiLC with the Dead Pan Jr. Auxiliary. Glad to see the next generation enjoy the film as well.

  57. … Also, Friday I watched “American Werewolf in London” for the the first time in (probably) decades. (spoilers follow but seriously … it is a 1981 film)

    Whilst some of the major effects may not have held up as well. The film itself seems even better than I remembered it. It just has so much wrongly juxtapose stuff. I think that is what makes it feel so disturbing to me.
    Upbeat music instead of impending background score … corpses being “cute” … an “Inspector Clueso-esque” character thrown in with actors who are being deadly serious, lots of camera work/shots that are far more “quality” than the rest of the film seems to warrant, light hearted conversations with gruesome corpses in a porn theatre, the non-cgi car crash scene in Piccadilly that just keeps going on and on and on.
    IMHO – As a “horror film” it is probably mid-pack but as a dark comedy, It is probably one of the best.

  58. BTW – I agree with Vanamonde so whole heart-idly … I shall re-post his comment.
    “I’m at the point in my life that if all future TV series just featured Carrie Coon and Mary Elizabeth Winstead turning the tables on the bad guys I would be happy…”

  59. So we’ve only half-watched the first episode of GLOW, but dammit, Van, it does seem pretty good.

    Currently full focused on The Handmaid’s Tale. Which is good, but seriously chilling. Good thing we’d never let a government like that into power IRL!

    • So my sister in laws binged GLOW in 2 days. The reason that this is relevant is that they NEVER binge.

      By all accounts this show is something special

    • I know there’s something wrong when my wife wakes my up more than an hour after my alarm should have gone off and my response was “That’s not too bad”. Either I’m usually getting up too early, or I’m finally starting to mellow out with old age.

  60. … if you wanted to hear a particular song you owned, you had to fast forward, or rewind to that song instead of just picking a song and playing it (yes, I know about albums. Pretend you’re in your car or something)

  61. They’re a little softer than you’ve been enjoying lately, but still good. Comparable to Chvrches or Florence and the Machine.

    Kind of Ani Difanco meets synth pop. Retro pop

  62. When my Boo was quite young (around 4 or 5), we were at a Timmy’s having a treat. There were a couple of police sitting at a table having a coffee. I too, my Boo up to the police and introduced her and told her, if something happened and I wasn’t around, look for people dressed like this. The officers were more than happy to take time out and talk to her.

  63. Speaking of Haim, Corey Feldman brought his “band” through town last week and I missed it. That would have been quite the audio abortion to behold

  64. Speaking of horrible live performers, I had my first “pro” gig in years tonight, jamming tunes at the Corporate Annual thing. I didn’t get paid for the show, but it was a work function, so it counts.

  65. Will never catch up…

    GLOW is definitely great! So is Handmaid’s Tale. They really did one of my favorite books justice.

  66. Hello, Deadpan! I was really excited to see the videos that Pixie posted last night. So glad to see :jack: playing the guitar! 🙂

    At the time she posted it, I had just finished up a really nice dinner that capped off a really nice mini-vacation with some of my best local friends. We went to a state park and floated down a river in a big plastic tank. Blissful and relaxing. Can’t wait to see you in August!

  67. Ok, on the uk audible store, you can send your friends a free copy of a book you’ve purchased (from within the player) no strings attached.

    Does the US store do something similar?

  68. Guys, please remember that, as far as I can tell (and this may be just heresay), our president is a fucking two-bit nothing.

        • It was a kid-ish take on Ryan Gosling’s “Drive,” which I thouroughly enjoyed. This movie seems to be a rub on that movie.

          I adore Kevin Spacey, but it looks too campy for me, I think.

          All of the rave reviews are making me doubt my judgment. Dont know if we will get to it in the theatre.

  69. This happened. Please comment or give your honest responses.

    We hired a new employee 4 weeks ago. Everything seemed fine until today when they didn’t show up. Come to find out that she up and quit because she “felt unsafe” in our office. Now I can assure you there is no safer place to work than my office. Everyone is VERY good friends and everyone looks out for each other. We understand we can be cliquey but we made every attempt to make this person feel included and welcome.

    Investigate more…. it seems that me and and 2 other employees (who are very good friends outside of work) triggered her anxiety because of the way we talk to each other. Here is one common conversation:

    Co-worker: “Hey can you come over here and see if I did this right?
    Me: Well that’s dumb. Why did you do it that way. Thats real dumb
    Co-worker: Well it probably is dumb because that’s how you taught me

    And then we would laugh and then actually work out the problem. I can see if we were talking like that to a new employee who was not acclimated to the environment would be off putting, but NO ONE ever joked like that to this person. It was always professional as this person was obviously new.

    My question…. how fair is it that this person is basically blaming me and others for triggering her anxiety and quitting due to how we communicate via goofing around and ribbing each other? I smell a cop-out (as in this person got another job and was too scared to admit it). Am I off base?

    Friends…. thoughts? Its bugging me

    • So, my two cents: Depending on her age and comfort level, she may have been intimidated by your close relationship, but it sounds like she may have felt a little “impostor syndrome” and wasn’t sure how to handle it in the context. Given that she’s already left, it’s not like you can follow up. Are there any others in the department?

    • “Imposter syndrome” don’t seem wrong–she must have been hired for good reasons–but it also doesn’t seem quite right. As I understand it, that is more along the lines of a competent person believing they aren’t. At the very least, there seems to be some key insecurities that have come into play.

      I’ve had a lot of harassment training in my previous job that covered topics like hostile work environments. I think that could be part of the problem. Even though you never called her dumb and your relation with your other co-workers was good, she could get the wrong impression that you would question her intelligence.

      Maybe this is all a convenient excuse for her to get out of a job she doesn’t want anymore, and maybe she is “copping-out”, but one thing I’ve learned is that perception is a big deal. If she perceives this as a problem, then it is.

      Now this doesn’t mean you should walk on pins-and-needles. She should have talked this through with HR first instead of blaming you. But, hopefully you can see that she might have perceived your fun as something a little different than you do.

    • Ok so I take real umbrage with the terms “hostile work environment” or “harassment” in this case\. Again, we took great care into making this person feel welcome. If “hostile work environment” means I cannot make good natured jokes to my fellow co-workers – jokes that are not off color, racey, offensive, or political, then I give up.

      BTW, this person OFTEN used cursing as a way to communicate to the 3 of us. Sorry, but when you use the ‘fuck’ word, you signal you are comfy in a work environment. And again, the good natured ribbing was neither offensive nor focused at the person.

      We hired them off a good interview which I took part of. I really don’t understand the questioning of intelligence. Again, NO ONE called this person “dumb”. This was a joking around between me and ANOTHER co-worker that this person overheard. Now, if this person truly has an anxiety issue and maybe, just maybe, thought that I would eventually joke around in the same manner with them and wouldn’t be comfy with it, the I get that. But that should have been brought up to management. “Hey I don’t like the way Alvie and his co-workers joke together because I’m afraid he will joke with me the same way”.

    • Looking over my post I think I see that I didn’t iterate proper. The joking about “being dumb” was not between the person that quit and myself, but is a common joke between me and 2 others that have been together for 4 years. I would never play around like that to a brand new employee, nor to anyone who was not also my friend outside of work

      • Well, you asked for honest opinions. I know you wouldn’t create a hostile work environment; I just put that forward as a possibility. It is impossible to know given that I’m not involved in the situation and the person who complained didn’t explain things better. It was also clear you never called her dumb. But she was an outsider looking in and possibly very intimidated because of that. All I’m asking is that you put yourself in her shoes. While that might bother you, it could have been a huge hurdle for her.

        • No no I certainly did. My brain just literally can’t comprehend how my office would have a hostile environment. FFS the core group has been together for 4-15 years! We have had probably 5 temp employees come and go in that time and this is the very first that has quit on us. Youre words certainly do not ring hollow. I just can’t wrap my brain around it

          • Just checking in. Ghost/Iron Maiden night! \m/ General Admission, so my feet are aching, and it’s possible I stink of other people’s sweat and smoke.

            I will, however, read the discussion that happened here tonight and respond with my deepest *thud*

          • So I am late to the party but here is my 2 cents worth …
            I CAN see how a new employee might have misinterpreted the banter between you and your co-worker as some sort of office confrontation.
            Hey, I’ve been the new guy … for the first week or so you are walking on eggshells, trying to figure out the lay of the land and the personalities of those around you. Your looking for the trouble spots so that you can navigate around them.
            THAT BEING SAID …
            The competent, adult way to handle this is to go to another co-worker and ask “Hey … is there a thing there I should know about?”
            If you haven’t gotten close enough to anyone else in the office to ask then you monitor what’s going on and look at how others are handling it. If you still feal like there is a bad thing afoot then you go to the boss and ask if there is a problem.
            If you feel that HR is the only place you can go with your concern then that is ok as well … but the way HR should handle this is to call each of the other parties in … ask if there is a problem and if there isn’t (which is THIS case) they should have given you guys the chance to go together and explain all is cool to the new guy.

            Summary – I wasn’t there but it IS conceivable that the new guy could misunderstand and be concerned. HOWEVER – that person way over reacted. If it wasn’t a rouse and was in fact a paniced reaction … imagine how they would have reacted the first time they encountered REAL stress – like a looming, impossible deadline or a irrationally pissed off client!
            My opinion is that you guys dodged a bullet. This person may not work and play well with others and was/is not cut out for office life.

    • So, chiming in late, I have some questions for you, Lo:

      1. Who’s Alvie?
      2. What age group is this person?
      3. I think you might have nailed it about her seeing the friendly ribbing going on, and amping up her own anxiety about being next. Maybe she’d been bullied in the past, and has trouble parsing the difference between friendly and unfriendly chops-busting.
      Still.
      This is called being an adult. Communicate in some way that you’re not down for ball-busting humor — it can be done without getting your co-workers in trouble or making them defensive.

      • And I hope that didn’t come across as too “suck it, snowflake!” – – Because that’s not at all where I’m at. Fuck Adam Corrolla and all of his phony tough guy pals.

      • Also chiming in late. I think the fact that she quit and didn’t talk to HR first speaks volumes. She was a person who didn’t like conflict, perceived your interaction with your fellow employees as conflicts in action. Being conflict adverse, she quit rather than challenge you on your actions. I don’t think you did anything wrong, we can’t address all personality types with the same deference and this was a casualty of that.

  70. OK! So to put a cap on the office oddness here’s what I have found out:

    Yes, there were triggers to the person’s anxieties in the office.

    Here they are, as was relayed to me:

    1. My friend/co-worker and I saying “thank you” too many times to each other. You see, this person grew up knowing the importance of saying “thank you” and they felt we were using it too much. Yeah dunno

    2. A dilbert and/or a some e card/ and or a pic of Han Solo saying “Great Kid, don’t get cocky” on the fridge was upsetting. None were offensive. Again, dunno.

    3. The office clicking our pens in unison as to purposely exacerbate their anxiety. Guys… we use Sharpies at work.

    Sooo….. yeah. Case…erm…closed?

    Jack, this person was barely 30 to answer your question

  71. I know there were some people here watching American Gods. How are you guys doing with it? I just gave up about half way through Episode 6. I feel like the focus of the TV series is to preach current politics rather than interpret much of anything I read in the books. After Czeranbog, I don’t think anything I’ve seen since then has had anything to do with the book.

  72. Regarding Lo Pan’s charming former coworker (yea, I’m extra late to the party)

    30 seems a little old for that kind of reaction. Presumably this wasn’t her first rodeo. While I can certainly appreciate that some folks are more sensitive and introverted, living in the real world means you have to be able to deal with people. I do think nearly a couple of decades now of living “online” has probably blunted many folks abilities to deal with the analog side of life and the foibles that go with it.

    Still, at least from my biased pro-elder god perspective, I can’t see from the examples she gave that you and your fellows were in the wrong. Every office and company has its culture since we tend to create such with whatever tribe we’re attached to.

    When we were able to hire some college grads a few years ago, I know that it was something I was mindful of – could I see this person able to get along with a bunch of the rough around the edges designer folks that we work with. Not that they’re bad or anything just, I don’t know, more blue collar, but I don’t want that to be meant as a pejorative. Some of the kids we met with, while quite bright, I could tell really needed to be in a research lab environment.

    There was this one, smart kid to be sure that we brought in for a second interview in the office. Now, everyone was a bit awkward for the on campus interviews, so I took that somewhat in stride. But he was so uncomfortable in the office and going to lunch with a group of us, including our department manager, I’m halfway surprised he didn’t bolt in panic. Even if we had made him and offer, I don’t think he would have taken it.

    I guess I’m rambling a bit here at 4 in the morning. So, I’m not sure what the great takeaway is. Interviewing people is hard and it sucks. I don’t think you did anything wrong in your office behavior, but having had this experience, it’s something you can be mindful of when looking at interviews in the future.

    Of course, even then it’s a crapshoot. We hired three out of that group. Two are still with us and have really fit in well and thrived. The third looked good through the interviews, but never really gelled with the group or really stepped up to the plate the way we need folks in our group to do.

    • Storytime with Ed!
      See you bring up good points here. How is one to tell via interview? This person did a bang up job in a small room being interviewed by 5 people all at once. There were no red flags at all. Man… hindsight obviously but ya can’t have foresighted hindsight!!!

      I do wonder if we are going to start having more issues now that a certain generation is becoming the predominant candidate.

      Get off my office lawn

      • Very late to the conversation here, apologies. Some very real, very brilliant people do battle with social anxiety and can have a very hard time in just about any work environment. With these people it does very little good to tell them that they have to be a grownup and live in the real world. They are trying. This person doesn’t seem to fit that mold. They are usually identified fairly well in the job interview process and if she was in a room with a 5 person interview, you would have seen the red flags. I’m as confused as you are as to what her actual “deal” was.

        That being said, I do (as a fellow get-off-my-office-lawn person) want to throw some respect to that certain generation. The company I work for hires, predominantly, young professionals, many straight out of college. Most of my co-workers are young enough to be my children. Some work out, some don’t. But I haven’t really experienced any that exhibited the entitled-I-should-be-CEO-within-5-years attitude that I saw in undergraduate students when I was teaching as a graduate student. And that was 10 years ago. We may just be good at hiring, but I suspect that the millennials are harder working and less whiny than they are made out to be.

        • Great points from Ed and Roaming Asshat.

          To clarify, were I the manager onsite (or a co-worker), my handling of it would never involve a, “grow a pair/grow up!” approach. Yes, there are spoiled, entitled adult brats out there, but that’s a shitty assumption to make – – and our culture is too quick to make that shitty judgment on anyone under 35 who shows a flash of neediness.

          A person with mental illness and/or anxiety disorder has every right to work, but when their issues start causing risk to the job stability of others. then action needs to be taken. They probably need treatment, sure, but a boss can’t (and usually shouldn’t be able to) order that. You can only go so far to accommodate their needs before suggesting they find a way to cope or find a different work environment.

          • Another late point to add to this –
            I had a manager who had mental illness that he neither recognized nor was seeking treatment for. After years at the helm he was finally demoted. In the aftermath, we employees slowly started comparing notes. Of 10 people in that department, 6 had finally sought counseling directly due to having to deal with this person (the rest probably should have but … stigma)

            All this proved to ME that mental illness IS contagious. At least it is with long term exposure in an office setting.
            It is well past time that society embrace mental health and counseling for said help as a “heathy” thing to do.

  73. *sigh* It looks like today will have very little work too. I really wish, when dealing with money, people would take into account the poor person who has to look at the submitted paperwork and figure out what the hell you were doing.

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