Re: Procrastination

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This seems a better place to put the faux paleo granola recipe than the actually active thread. It's from Clothilde Dusouliers, here http://chocolateandzucchini.com/recipes/breakfast/paleo-granola-recipe/

But of course I change it up! Half the oil, half the honey and replace with dark muscavado, if she doesn't add salt I certainly do. I use roughly thirds cashews, pumpkin seeds and almonds, also at least double the cacao nibs (mmmmm! bitter!) and amp up the spice. Have been eating with melon for breakfast, delicious.


Posted by: dairy queen | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:33 AM
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I feel a slight frisson of disappointment every time you mention knife skills in the context of cooking. I try to hold to the illusion that you have developed mad stabbing skills and wander around twirling a butterfly knife.


Posted by: togolosh | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:40 AM
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Well, the animals all enter the kitchen alive now. Does that help?


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:41 AM
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Did I say animals? I meant vegetables.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:41 AM
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1 - How does honey square with paleo? I thought it was a no-no?



Posted by: Chopper | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:42 AM
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I'm not a big fan of coconut. And I'm going to assume chocolate chips or mini-M&Ms can be substituted for cacao nibs.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:43 AM
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1 - How does honey square with paleo? I thought it was a no-no?

It's OK if you scoop it out of the bee hive with your bare hands.


Posted by: Ginger Yellow | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:47 AM
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Did I say animals? I meant vegetables.

You say tomahto, I say two gators.


Posted by: Ginger Yellow | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:51 AM
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Guys, this is paleo interpreted by a French person, basically any meal that doesn't include a good whack of bread is starkly paleo by that measure.


Posted by: dairy queen | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:53 AM
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I feel like I would like to get a semi-private free blog where I had a project that I wanted to work on. A couple of other people did too, and we could all hold each other accountable for completing tasks every few days to once a week.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:53 AM
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I should have tried something like that for when I was still trying to write a dissertation.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:57 AM
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I don't know that finishing would have been a huge advantage professionally, but at least I wouldn't have to keep sending emails to coauthors asking them not to list me as Moby Hick, PhD.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:58 AM
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12: Well, you'd still have to tell them that Moby Hick isn't your actual name.


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:00 AM
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None of them use their real names. Why should I?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:13 AM
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Does your kind of research not go well with collaboration? I find that guilt about letting down my collaborators is one of my primary impulses toward productivity, though I guess it isn't the best recipe for happiness.


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:15 AM
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Also, it sounds like a terrible idea but it turns out that having a romantic relationship with your most productive collaborator works wonders.


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:17 AM
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15: I tried/am trying. I had plans with my former advisor to drive up and meet with him. As the semester loomed, he begged off that he was extraordinarily busy at the beginning, and so the ball is sort of in his court to get in touch when he's got some time.

I'm also wrapping up some projects with a math ed. friend, but that itself feels like procrastinating on the more intimidating pure math stuff.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:19 AM
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16: When I think of my advisor, it only sounds like an absolutely terrible idea.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:23 AM
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15 is right. That's by far my main motivation for the painful parts of research (writing, fixing conventions, etc.).


Posted by: Unfoggetarian: "Pause endlessly, then go in." (9) | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:23 AM
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You could chuck your planned tasks up on Trello or somewhere similar, and we could all peer on, nosily.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:25 AM
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Heebert you need something more important than the joint project to procrastinate on. Then working on the joint project will feel like procrastinating on that.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:27 AM
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||
Sorry to threadjack, but question for the DC-area people:

Is anyone interested in the Route 29 Revue?. It's a music festival this Saturday, at Merriweather Post Pavilion (Columbia, MD). Bands there include Trampled by Turtles, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Iron and Wine, The Devil Makes Three, Guster, Hurray For The Riff Raff.

My wife and I wanted to go, but unfortunately we double-booked ourselves for that day and we now have to get rid of the tickets. $128 total for two tickets, in the seated section, we may be able to go down in price somewhat, we just want to avoid eating the cost entirely.
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As for procrastination, I like how a therapist of mine put it: work expands to fill the time allotted. I almost never get anything done too much before the last minute, whether I have a lot to do at the time or a little.

And as for stuff that might never get done at all because you put it off too long, that sounds bad, but keep it in perspective. How important is it, really? At the current rate, I'll never finish the novel I've written 110ish pages of. But even if I did, would I get either more material benefit or more personal enjoyment from the stuff I did instead? Maybe, but realistically, probably not.


Posted by: Cyrus | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:28 AM
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Re: 21

Perry's Structured Procrastination.

http://www.structuredprocrastination.com


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:33 AM
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23: yeah, I almost included the link but didn't get around to it.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:35 AM
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Structured procrastination is my method. Unfortunately right now I have one big important project and pretty much nothing else. So here I am.


Posted by: togolosh | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:36 AM
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I am productive as fuck at the moment. But partly for structured procrastination reasons. I have three looming deadlines for major public facing projects and am basically going 'fuck it' for two of them.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:55 AM
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Like, right now I am looking for a job and trying to practice my Excel skills etc. and having someone who sort of cared but would not get angry at me when I didn't get done what I needed to do would be really useful.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:57 AM
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"Homework" as a count noun is one of my favorite newfangled developments in English.

This is my third year teaching at this school. The Deaf Education program has been around for 45 years. There have been deaf professors here for at least 10 years, I think more. And yet, once again, yesterday, somehow the administration "forgot" to get any interpreters for the faculty meeting. So many thumbs down.

I finished prepping all my classes for the week and I have 15 minutes before I need to go teach something. 15 minutes is not enough time to do anything except read unfogged; does that count as procrastinating? It's more just straight up killing time.


Posted by: E. Messily | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 11:04 AM
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16 is quite right, with the caveat that I've only seen or experienced it working if the collaboration precedes the romantic relationship.


Posted by: Cosma Shalizi | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 11:21 AM
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So, never collaborate with your partner, but having a torrid affair with your collaborator works great? I could see that.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 11:23 AM
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||

Wow, all of the threads today are depressing, so I'll go with this one.

Today happens to be my birthday (though not one that results in an unfogged milestone*), and it happens to catch me in a mood of feeling grumpy and vaguely lonely.** So, while I don't normally mention my birthday here, I decided that today, I would ask my pretend internet friends for well-wishes.***

* You could argue that ten years is a milestone, but it doesn't feel like on that's specific to me. So I think I'll wait two years for the next convenient whole-number ratio. Mostly I just wanted an excuse to link to that comment.

** Not because of my birthday. I think the primary, and sufficient cause is that we're now four months into the big, exciting project at work**** and it starting to feel like a slog in all the predictable ways. In part because after four months of anything it's hard to get motivated about getting up to do one more week of focused work. Also, we're still on schedule but we're starting to accumulate more items that are being put off for one reason or another, mostly because we're waiting for someone else to get us connectivity that we require. That just

*** I realize that unfogged doesn't generally go in for "well-wishes." So I'm prepared to accept sarcastic barbs, or polite silence, or whatever people feel like. Heck, maybe all I should be asking for is that this thread be a place for people to be not-grumpy with each other, in contrast to the preceding one.

**** There's at least another 8 months of significant work left, but if the next 3-4 months go well that should resolve all of the major (known) obstacles.

|>


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 11:58 AM
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You're worse than Hitler riding an army of plague-infested rats Happy Birthday.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:02 PM
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20: Is Trello useful?

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I have Facebook set up to send me notifications about things. In the past, it wasn't a big deal, but now people are always updating their status, and it is getting to be a big deal.

I am not on Facebook enough to figure out how to change my settings so that I don't get these e-mails. Where do I do this?

Help!!

|>


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:02 PM
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"Homework" as a count noun is one of my favorite newfangled developments in English.

Really? I can see the case to be made for the usage in the OP, but a sentence such as "I have five homeworks to do before tomorrow" is, to me, the syntactic equivalent of fingernails grating on the chalkboard.


Posted by: MAE | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:05 PM
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Happy birthday, Nick! Perhaps if things get tough on the project you should suggest some of your teammates try essear's torrid affair suggestion.


Posted by: Thorn | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:09 PM
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31. Happy birthday. Do you know this one?


Posted by: lw | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:09 PM
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Happy birthday, Nick!


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:10 PM
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Happy birthday, Nick.

Is the project doomed? Is it too soon to suggest you set up a facebook page where you post pictures of you with the project checking various things off the project's bucket list before it departs this earth?


Posted by: gswift | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:14 PM
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Happy Birthday, Nick. Get yourself a nice bottle of Bourbon and spin some records.


Posted by: Jesus McQueen | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:14 PM
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Happy birthday, NickS! I don't even have a sarcastic barb.


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:17 PM
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Hey, I was going to write a procrastination post, but put if off. But I still might!


Posted by: ogged | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:18 PM
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if i put off the happy birthday wishes till next year, wil you feel just as good?


Posted by: Nworb Werdna | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:31 PM
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Happy birthday. Do you know this one?

Ooh, that is lovely. Thanks.

Perhaps if things get tough on the project you should suggest some of your teammates try essear's torrid affair suggestion.

I see that you didn't suggest that I try it myself, I appreciate that.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:34 PM
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43.2: I thought someone else I quite like might disapprove.


Posted by: Thorn | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:43 PM
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Right now, to procrastinate, I am (completely literally) switching back and forth between reading this thread and reading an article about procrastination in California Litigation magazine.


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:51 PM
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A friend of mine is a prof at a community college. She says one of the things she likes best about her job is that there's very little way to fix problems caused by procrastination. She procrastinates and her lecture is worse and then it is past and she doesn't have that hanging over her anymore.

Happy birthday Nick! I hope the grump goes away on its own.


Posted by: Megan | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:53 PM
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Bonne anniversaire, Nick!


Posted by: dairy queen | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:54 PM
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Happy birthday, NickS! You're one step closer to avoiding procrastinating off death.


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 12:54 PM
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Death is like when you're putting off a homework assignment by increasingly boring activities. Forever.


Posted by: Walt Someguy | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 1:03 PM
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I just got an email from someone who says they got my contact info from someone at an air show and are looking for a smoke supplier. That's a new one.


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 1:08 PM
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Always be selling.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 1:14 PM
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dq: I have never, ever heard of "cake spices." Is that a thing I should be able to find?


Posted by: Yawnoc | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 1:21 PM
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Happy nick day, sbirthday!


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 1:22 PM
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I've been passing your name around as the scientific mind for the death ray equipment/vaporware I've been advance-selling at air shows. Don't worry, by the time the lawsuits hit I'll be in Vanuatu and you'll probably have tenure somewhere so they can't fire you.


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 1:23 PM
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Happy nick day, sbirthday!

Thanks, that made me smile.

I have never, ever heard of "cake spices." Is that a thing I should be able to find?

The description sounds something like this or this.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 1:32 PM
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Happy Birthday, Nick!


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 1:50 PM
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I have never, ever heard of "cake spices." Is that a thing I should be able to find?

Is that like "bath salts"?


Posted by: AcademicLurker | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 1:55 PM
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Happy birthday, NickS. Hope the blues retreat.

52: Cake spice. China cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves.


Posted by: ydnew | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 2:06 PM
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It is has allspice, then aren't the other things redundant? And shouldn't they just call it "allspice"?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 2:09 PM
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Cake spice is allspice plus some other, physically impossible spices. It's really miraculous stuff.


Posted by: Yawnoc | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 2:13 PM
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Thanks everyone, by the way.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 2:40 PM
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Is it too late to say happy birthday? I think not.


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 2:49 PM
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Indeed, let me be the first to do so.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 2:49 PM
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No, no! Me, me!


Posted by: redfoxtailshrub | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 2:50 PM
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Quatre épices is a French thing, a mix of warm spices and often not limited to four. Used in lots of savory things as well as sweet. Cake spice I can only imagine is a variant of the abominable pre-mixed and pre-staled pie spice, to be avoided at all costs. I just chuck some combo of allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, black and/or red pepper, whatever.


Posted by: dairy queen | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 2:52 PM
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I always like the story that Spam stands for "spiced ham" and that the spices are salt and sugar. Because Minnesota.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 2:56 PM
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Can't believe you waited a year to have a birthday. Hope it's a good one!


Posted by: ogged | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 3:00 PM
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If you want pepper, you can go to Iowa, buy some, and put it on yourself. Just be sure none of it is left between your teeth when you come back north.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 3:02 PM
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Allspice isn't actually a mix, it's its own thing. I imagine you know that though.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 4:39 PM
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I like to picture myself as if I were behind a Rawlsian Veil of Ignorance about spices.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 4:55 PM
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Happy birthday, Nick!


Posted by: Josh | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 5:12 PM
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I can't remember what I was supposed to be doing.

Happy birthday, Nick S.!

No, that wasn't it, but I was going to say that anyway.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 5:16 PM
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65: I've been making pumpkin pies with the Penzey's Pumpkin Pie spice mix, and they've turned out really well. Sometimes I add a bit more nutmeg though, because euphoriants.


Posted by: Natilo Paennim | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 6:07 PM
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Have a great birthday pie, NickS!


Posted by: Natilo Paennim | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 6:08 PM
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I have NPR on in the background and I keep hearing it said the the murders of those journalists have shocked the American public out of their complacency. Does this reflect reality or is this yet another episode of the media pushing for war?


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 7:03 PM
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The latter.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 7:08 PM
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Happy birthday, Nick S! Listen to some cheerful tunes!


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 7:11 PM
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Yeah, I think journalists are shaken by it, for obvious reasons, but it seems really weird to say "ethnic cleansing and all this awful stuff, OH but some American journalists are what really matter!" I didn't listen closely, but I'm pretty sure Obama was trolling his haters with all the stuff about how ISIS isn't true Islam. Because secret Muslim be knowin', etc.


Posted by: Thorn | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 7:24 PM
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75, 76: There's been movement in the polls. Of course, the causality is all tangled.


Posted by: Yawnoc | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 7:30 PM
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||

The Ray Rice thread is too far down the page, so I'm posting this here:

Katie Ray-Jones, the CEO of the hotline, said it normally receives 500 to 600 calls a day from domestic violence victims and their concerned friends or family members. But after the Rice video was circulated online Monday, the hotline received over 1,000 phone calls. The numbers continued to climb on Tuesday.
"We had an outpouring of women saying, 'Oh my god, I didn't realize this happened to other people.' They thought they were living a life that was very unique to them," Ray-Jones told The Huffington Post. "One woman called in who is married to a [mixed martial arts] fighter. She said, 'I just saw that video, and I know my husband could do worse, and I need help."

||>


Posted by: Witt | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 7:55 PM
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Happy birthday, NickS!


Posted by: Penny | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 8:48 PM
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Happy birthday, NickS! It's my birthday too. This is the best thread for this day.


Posted by: lourdes kayak | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:02 PM
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Aww, happy birthday, lurkey! I'm so glad you're around here more again!


Posted by: Thorn | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:03 PM
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Happy birthday, Nick and lk!


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:06 PM
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Lurkey birthday!


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:09 PM
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I love you all! My wife lurkey/lurid keyaki wants to double-establish that she is not me, and has offered to change her pseud to Flouncy McLeaving on the off chance there's any confusion, but we don't want that, do we?


Posted by: lourdes kayak | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:12 PM
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Ack, this is all my fault! I promise I've never gotten you confused before and it was just because I was busy trolling a transracial adoptive parenting group I didn't pay attention to details. I'm so sorry and you're a lovely person too. Sorry!!!! And happy birthday!


Posted by: Thorn | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:15 PM
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Happy birthday LK.

Listen to some cheerful tunes!

I think my plan is for an early night, but should anyone else be looking for a cheerful tune, I can recommend LW's link in 36 as an excellent pick-me-up.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 9:34 PM
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because I was busy trolling a transracial adoptive parenting group

That is so far above and beyond a sufficient explanation that all could not possibly not be forgiven. Cheers! And I'm off to check out the link in 36.


Posted by: lourdes kayak | Link to this comment | 09-10-14 10:03 PM
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I was busy trolling a transracial adoptive parenting group

"Well, naturally as a white person I would prefer to be adopting white kids but the brown ones don't show the dirt/ go better with the living room rug/ will be able to get into Harvard as affirmative action beneficiaries".


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 09-11-14 4:49 AM
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90: The first two are of course absurd. The third should be repurposed as a Hollywood movie pitch.


Posted by: Walt Someguy | Link to this comment | 09-11-14 5:34 AM
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