Harlan Ellison said his own academic performance in college was extremely poor, and one of the professors told Ellison he had no writing talent. So for many years the writer would send along copies of his books, along with magazines that had his published stories, and articles about his writing awards. A bit of overkill, perhaps.
Wonder how fellow dog owners deal with fireworks ? My lads --- bred as hunting dogs for more than a century --- seem to think they're in the field when all hell breaks loose. So apart from a period of frenzied excitement and barking, they calm down when distracted with a toy or treat.
We live a half-mile from a university, so fireworks barely register on our scale of disturbing noises. Plus, an actual fireworks factory is 10 miles away, so, meh. But any sound that could possibly be coming from the Army Ammunition plant, 7 miles away, is quite disturbing. Anyway, we had a friend who made a big deal out of his annual fireworks display for his friends and family. He lived out in the country and had only one close neighbor, so no one ever complained. Except for one time, when a roman candle landed on the neighbor's roof. It didn't damage the roof, but the inspection revealed that our friend was stealing his neighbor's cable.
I had been warned about the out of control fireworks in the entire city where I was a first time resident. The warnings were so dire that I boarded my Standard Poodle in a Rockville kennel to keep her out of the range of the assault. She trembles when it thunders. The assault of noise began several days before the 4th. but began in earnest at noon on the 4th. and continued to increase the rest of the day and into the entire night. I wondered where normal people could buy such professional-like explosives. It was all that had been warmed!!!
How many close friends do you need to have who had their entire apartments burnt down by a stray firework before you hate anyone who fires them up? I wasn't thrilled before the incident, but you can guess how I feel about them now...
My Aunt and Uncle's garage and part of their house burnt down because of a careless neighbor. I disliked the unsafe, unorganized displays long before that happened, but that really made me hate people who didn't know what they were doing endangering everyone around them. I have no problem with professional shows where safety precautions are being observed granted that they don't drag on into all hours of the night nedlessly bothering people who have to go to work the next morning.
Of course, used to be phys ed teachers were the primary purveyors of something called "health education" (wink, wink), which usually spent more time on the wonders of running water and deodorant, than sex education (depending on what part of the country you lived in). Presumably the thought was anyone who could actually work up a sweat was the best bet to teach about sex. As I recall, the usually furtive approach to sex ed attempted to disguise anything remotely to do with sex or human reproduction, except for a graphic film or video of an entire birth, I remember, which was then run backwards with the amused suggestion of what to do if you decided you really didn't want the kid. Seem also to recall in a blur of ignorance, humping canines, condoms being fitted on plastic penises in lurid colors and bananas, and, the Johnny Condom song, which I'd like to share with you now--- for old times sake.
One district I attended used the phys ed teachers, and another used the biology teachers. I definitely recommend the latter. I wondered if the former was about reinforcing gender roles, or at least if that were the effect, given the macho attitudes about many men in sports.
When I was younger I used to set off fireworks frequently. Hardly anymore. There are only two occasions when I still do. The first is when I find that the local roosting birds have used my car for toilet target practice. I get my revenge just after dusk by sending a bottle rocket up into their roosting tree. Eliminates the bird dropping problem for at least several days. The second occasion is when neighbors I don't like host loud, obnoxious gatherings late into the night. A single M-80 tossed into their yard around 2:00 a.m. exacts suitable revenge.
I love the birds. I feed them and have water for them to drink and bathe. i don't use pesticides so that birds don't ingest poison when they eat bugs and seeds. But I have my limits. Having my car bombed with bird droppings goes beyond my limits.
What a novel idea! Why, thank you, Guin, for suggesting it, and Hortense, for recommending it! I had never, ever in my life considered not parking under a tree where birds are roosting! What other gems of wisdom do you have?
It seems to be typical to assign gym teachers to either science (of some sort) or history. Rarely does this go well. OTOH, I was beat out for a job as a Latin teacher at a private school because the man who was hired (over the department head's objection, as she was a fellow alum) could also coach tennis (I was entirely unathletic). After one year, he was deemed unsatisfactory, and I got the job on the second try.
The only important question remaining is whether your face still resembles that environmental protection public service spot showing a sewage pipe draining into a river ?
Am I the only one who can't vote in the polls? I'm a paid subscriber, but when I try to vote, it says voting is only for subscribers, do I want to subscribe? Then if I try to, Substack is like "hey, you're already subscribed! What's your issue??" Or that's my interpretation.
Also fuck those idiots and their (illegal here) fireworks that disturb animals and neighbors. We had an alcoholic neighbor who would light firecrackers, but not a whole string at a time. He'd do one. Then a few minutes later, a couple. Then maybe another. Ten minutes later, another single. So much more annoying than a whole string of them, but he was such an idiot I doubt he realized how irritating it was.
Melissa, something is wrong. Any subscriber -- paid or not -- should be able to take the poll. Can you send me your info in the questions button, with your email? i will run it down.
Oddly enough, as soon as that happened, the whole Gene Pool went down and came back up with 95 percent of all the poll results wiped out! You might be a demon woman somehow.
Re Fireworks: I don't mind (in fact, enjoy) families setting off sparklers, fountains, etc. I did it with my family as a kid and did it with my own children. What I object to is yahoos with massive firecrackers or rockets, shooting them off at 2 a.m. from July 1 through July 5.
And 2 a.m., definitely no. We have lovely official fireworks shows here in Seattle, but the yahoos still set them off in the park about a block away from us, and then we hear them for at least a week afterwards all around the neighborhood. I guess it's just not fun unless you're drunk and willing to risk a couple of fingers.
It doesn't get dark here until after 9 p.m. this time of year, and we're geezers who go to bed at around 8:30, so this is very annoying. Especially when they pick back up at 1 or 2 a.m. Also, it's going to be dry this 4th, so we have to be wary of the odd ember starting a fire.
The fireworks are illegal, of course, but the police will only issue a citation if there is a complaint by someone who can provide a street address and is willing to testify against the moron. Like that's going to happen. I'm sure the law was written that way to discourage complaints.
Harlan Ellison said his own academic performance in college was extremely poor, and one of the professors told Ellison he had no writing talent. So for many years the writer would send along copies of his books, along with magazines that had his published stories, and articles about his writing awards. A bit of overkill, perhaps.
Wonder how fellow dog owners deal with fireworks ? My lads --- bred as hunting dogs for more than a century --- seem to think they're in the field when all hell breaks loose. So apart from a period of frenzied excitement and barking, they calm down when distracted with a toy or treat.
I had to give my dog xanax. He was so terrified. Once he chewed a hole through a bed's box spring because he wanted to hide in it. :(
We live a half-mile from a university, so fireworks barely register on our scale of disturbing noises. Plus, an actual fireworks factory is 10 miles away, so, meh. But any sound that could possibly be coming from the Army Ammunition plant, 7 miles away, is quite disturbing. Anyway, we had a friend who made a big deal out of his annual fireworks display for his friends and family. He lived out in the country and had only one close neighbor, so no one ever complained. Except for one time, when a roman candle landed on the neighbor's roof. It didn't damage the roof, but the inspection revealed that our friend was stealing his neighbor's cable.
I had been warned about the out of control fireworks in the entire city where I was a first time resident. The warnings were so dire that I boarded my Standard Poodle in a Rockville kennel to keep her out of the range of the assault. She trembles when it thunders. The assault of noise began several days before the 4th. but began in earnest at noon on the 4th. and continued to increase the rest of the day and into the entire night. I wondered where normal people could buy such professional-like explosives. It was all that had been warmed!!!
How many close friends do you need to have who had their entire apartments burnt down by a stray firework before you hate anyone who fires them up? I wasn't thrilled before the incident, but you can guess how I feel about them now...
My Aunt and Uncle's garage and part of their house burnt down because of a careless neighbor. I disliked the unsafe, unorganized displays long before that happened, but that really made me hate people who didn't know what they were doing endangering everyone around them. I have no problem with professional shows where safety precautions are being observed granted that they don't drag on into all hours of the night nedlessly bothering people who have to go to work the next morning.
Of course, used to be phys ed teachers were the primary purveyors of something called "health education" (wink, wink), which usually spent more time on the wonders of running water and deodorant, than sex education (depending on what part of the country you lived in). Presumably the thought was anyone who could actually work up a sweat was the best bet to teach about sex. As I recall, the usually furtive approach to sex ed attempted to disguise anything remotely to do with sex or human reproduction, except for a graphic film or video of an entire birth, I remember, which was then run backwards with the amused suggestion of what to do if you decided you really didn't want the kid. Seem also to recall in a blur of ignorance, humping canines, condoms being fitted on plastic penises in lurid colors and bananas, and, the Johnny Condom song, which I'd like to share with you now--- for old times sake.
https://youtu.be/fz86g-S3OJI
One district I attended used the phys ed teachers, and another used the biology teachers. I definitely recommend the latter. I wondered if the former was about reinforcing gender roles, or at least if that were the effect, given the macho attitudes about many men in sports.
When I was younger I used to set off fireworks frequently. Hardly anymore. There are only two occasions when I still do. The first is when I find that the local roosting birds have used my car for toilet target practice. I get my revenge just after dusk by sending a bottle rocket up into their roosting tree. Eliminates the bird dropping problem for at least several days. The second occasion is when neighbors I don't like host loud, obnoxious gatherings late into the night. A single M-80 tossed into their yard around 2:00 a.m. exacts suitable revenge.
You should leave the birds alone. Loud neighbors are fair game though.
I love the birds. I feed them and have water for them to drink and bathe. i don't use pesticides so that birds don't ingest poison when they eat bugs and seeds. But I have my limits. Having my car bombed with bird droppings goes beyond my limits.
Have you considered the crazy idea of not parking underneath that tree?
Dang that's a brilliant idea! what an innovative suggestion!
What a novel idea! Why, thank you, Guin, for suggesting it, and Hortense, for recommending it! I had never, ever in my life considered not parking under a tree where birds are roosting! What other gems of wisdom do you have?
It is a good idea to use an umbrella if it is raining. :D
By "bombed," I mean carpet bombed, not just the occasional splat.
Hm. Revenge seems to be your M.O.
It seems to be typical to assign gym teachers to either science (of some sort) or history. Rarely does this go well. OTOH, I was beat out for a job as a Latin teacher at a private school because the man who was hired (over the department head's objection, as she was a fellow alum) could also coach tennis (I was entirely unathletic). After one year, he was deemed unsatisfactory, and I got the job on the second try.
The only important question remaining is whether your face still resembles that environmental protection public service spot showing a sewage pipe draining into a river ?
Pisses off my chihuahuas. Enough said.
Everything pisses off chihuahuas.
Am I the only one who can't vote in the polls? I'm a paid subscriber, but when I try to vote, it says voting is only for subscribers, do I want to subscribe? Then if I try to, Substack is like "hey, you're already subscribed! What's your issue??" Or that's my interpretation.
Also fuck those idiots and their (illegal here) fireworks that disturb animals and neighbors. We had an alcoholic neighbor who would light firecrackers, but not a whole string at a time. He'd do one. Then a few minutes later, a couple. Then maybe another. Ten minutes later, another single. So much more annoying than a whole string of them, but he was such an idiot I doubt he realized how irritating it was.
He was probably doing it for that very reason.
Melissa, something is wrong. Any subscriber -- paid or not -- should be able to take the poll. Can you send me your info in the questions button, with your email? i will run it down.
Thanks for chiming in, Gene. Apparently that did the trick? I was able to vote. If this happens again, I'll hit the orange button and sent you deets.
Oddly enough, as soon as that happened, the whole Gene Pool went down and came back up with 95 percent of all the poll results wiped out! You might be a demon woman somehow.
I may be a demon woman, but it's not for that.
Could it be you've subscribed but you didn't log in?
No, I'm logged in.
Re Fireworks: I don't mind (in fact, enjoy) families setting off sparklers, fountains, etc. I did it with my family as a kid and did it with my own children. What I object to is yahoos with massive firecrackers or rockets, shooting them off at 2 a.m. from July 1 through July 5.
And 2 a.m., definitely no. We have lovely official fireworks shows here in Seattle, but the yahoos still set them off in the park about a block away from us, and then we hear them for at least a week afterwards all around the neighborhood. I guess it's just not fun unless you're drunk and willing to risk a couple of fingers.
It doesn't get dark here until after 9 p.m. this time of year, and we're geezers who go to bed at around 8:30, so this is very annoying. Especially when they pick back up at 1 or 2 a.m. Also, it's going to be dry this 4th, so we have to be wary of the odd ember starting a fire.
The fireworks are illegal, of course, but the police will only issue a citation if there is a complaint by someone who can provide a street address and is willing to testify against the moron. Like that's going to happen. I'm sure the law was written that way to discourage complaints.
Agreed! Sparkly: Yes; Kaboom!: No.
Poop. (for old times' sake)