Re: Check Ins, Reassurances, and Concerns, 11/13

1

I'm fine. Thanks for asking. Question: if the local wastewater is cruising along close to zero covid poops, can I still be cavalier about viral safety?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 10:08 AM
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Yes, you can resume eating poop.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 10:26 AM
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Maybe people are mashing their poop up in the shower and it's going into a different system that's not being monitored like sewage.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 11:08 AM
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Now that it's no longer hitting 80-90 every day like when I moved in, I'm coming to the conclusion that I need to rearrange my furniture to deal with poor insulation. One of the big problems with being a renter is I can't just get better windows* and it would also be difficult to install curtains that are better than the crappy blinds already there. And I can't replace the air-blowing heating system that's only really effective in the path of the heater with something like a floorboard heater.

But I guess on the plus side I'm going to appreciate how climate change means the relatively more effective air conditioning will ultimately be more valuable to me as long as I live here.

* For hypotheticals, I assume I have funding for any and all renovation or remodeling needs.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 11:15 AM
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Mobes, I hiked the Black Forest Trail in northern PA a week ago. Had to bury my poop far from the trail, so it's not getting counted (one way or another) in the Lycoming County totals...


Posted by: bill | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 11:17 AM
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4: I think our insulation program had suggestions on how to work with your landlord on how to take advantage of the discounts.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 11:18 AM
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2: Without a mask?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 11:25 AM
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5: That's on my list.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 11:26 AM
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7: Through the mask.


Posted by: heebie | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 11:34 AM
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It's not N95.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 12:19 PM
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Ooh, your city actually has good covid wastewater graphs! I had previously only been looking at Boston because too much of the wastewater data is not put into nice graphs. Looks like you all got a more dramatic fall spike with a dropoff where rates are actually low, while Boston had a smaller spike but dropped back to rates that are still not that low.

I did manage to find a report with a graph for my county wastewater numbers, but it's extremely weird. In October there's a spike in wastewater with no spike in new cases, but in November there's a big spike in cases. My best guess is that the wastewater is capturing the town, and that there was a delay in cases spreading out to the county.


Posted by: Unfoggetarian: "Pause endlessly, then go in" (9) | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 12:30 PM
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It's actually a county site.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 1:06 PM
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There's lots of regional government enthusiasts here, so I want to be accurate.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 1:30 PM
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Urban-wise, someone is putting up graffiti reading "Keep Pittsburgh Dilapidated." I could quibble, but I am fond of the old, shitty buildings when I'm not paying the heat.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 1:38 PM
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Having nice things is gentrification.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 2:21 PM
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There's a bike-path overpass for a busy road a few miles from where I live with the newly added spray-painted question "Why oldheads run the world?" . Well-posed indeed, grasshopper.


Posted by: lw | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 3:05 PM
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Never let poo-heads run the world, especially not when wastewater data shows high Covid.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 3:17 PM
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First really nice weekend in a while. Lots of childcare, as usual, but he was good company, and stress free (which is not always the case). I saw friends on Friday and Saturday evenings. I managed to get out for a 2 hr bike ride today, which was pretty nice, although I've not really been riding for 3 months as my bike had multiple mechanical issues, so I'm very rusty/slow. Even the football results went well.

Also, a big work crisis that totally hit the fan a month or so back, and which has been really worrying me, doesn't seem to have wrecked my job prospects (which was my fear) as I have a pay rise coming in December.

Still crushed by lack of sleep/rest, but a good weekend goes a long way.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 4:08 PM
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So does a raise.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 5:06 PM
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Glad to hear it, ttaM. You sounded incredibly burnt out and exhausted before.


Posted by: heebie | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 5:46 PM
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Mostly it's still funny because crypto, but I'm also a little bummed about a bunch of math camp kids becoming the next Bernie Madoffs. Look at this article from 10 years ago about the CEO of Alameda Research


Posted by: Unfoggetarian: "Pause endlessly, then go in" (9) | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 5:56 PM
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"This one time, at math camp...."


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 6:25 PM
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@21 Depressing. I would have expected her to attend Newton South, not Newton North.


Posted by: Nope@nope.com | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 7:47 PM
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5: I did that trail in 1980...


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 8:56 PM
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You know, so closer to D-day, than now.


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 8:58 PM
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Even do, you still had no reason to shoot at Germans.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 9:14 PM
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21, 23:

This is a story made for Unfogged. It has everything: children of academics, MIT Independent Living Groups, weird Slate Star Codex acolytes--I could go on. Moderators, how about a post about the FTX fraud?


Posted by: Ellen Swallow Richards | Link to this comment | 11-13-22 10:33 PM
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Guess who's spending the night in the ICU with what seems to have been a stroke?


Posted by: E. Messily | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 12:06 AM
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Oh no Messily! Sending good thoughts and best wishes for a speedy recovery.


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 12:17 AM
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You might be John Fetterman. How tall are you?


Posted by: Ajay | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 12:21 AM
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5' 3"


Posted by: E. Messily | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 12:21 AM
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they are waking me up every 30 minutes to a neuro exam so I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself


Posted by: E. Messily | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 12:24 AM
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+do


Posted by: E. Messily | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 12:24 AM
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Oof, best of luck, Messily.


Posted by: ogged | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 12:28 AM
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29/34 thank you!

I was making an art project when I suddenly lost most of my peripheral field of vision on the left side (in both eyes). I don't have any other symptoms except higher than normal blood pressure when I got here, but my vision is not back. An MRI in the morning might or might not confirm anything but they made me take some crazy blood clot destroyer medicine just in case. The whole thing is very weird and now it is even easier to sneak up on me than it was before.


Posted by: E. Messily | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 12:56 AM
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Boo! I mean Best wishes, Messily!


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 1:37 AM
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PAS D'ENNEMIS A GAUCHE, AT LEAST AS FAR AS I CAN TELL

That all sounds very worrying and I hope you recover very soon. And the sleep-deprivation neuro checks sound abysmal.


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 1:39 AM
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Oh boy, Messily. That sounds terrifying. I'm so sorry you're having to deal with that.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 2:52 AM
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Oh, no! Very worrying indeed. So sorry, E. Messily, and I hope they eventually decide it's OK to let you sleep more than 25 minutes.


Posted by: chill | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 5:30 AM
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That's so scary, I hope you recover soon. Brains can be so strange.


Posted by: Unfoggetarian: “Pause endlessly, then go in.” (9) | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 5:36 AM
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I'm sorry to hear that Messily. Hope you get better soon. I don't remember which one, but a clot destroyer really worked well for my dad after his stroke.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 5:49 AM
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Gah, I really hope you feel better and that the medication and/or imaging identifies the problem.


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 5:53 AM
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28: Really sorry to hear this, and hoping it can be fixed.


Posted by: Charlie W | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 5:58 AM
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It's much more trivial, but had a disappointing set of bloods recently, including elevated HbA1c. Three doctors later, and the consensus is that these things fluctuate, and I just had an off quarter. Or it's because of lockdown. Or something.

Anyway, am now tackling a lower-carb diet in earnest, and my gosh it does suck. You just have no energy, and you can't work out properly, and you get headaches. And then last night I went out for a Thai, with white rice and the rest, and a cocktail, and feel so much better again. Is there a way to do this?


Posted by: Charlie W | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 6:04 AM
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Hope you are doing better and managed to get some sleep E. Messily!


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 6:47 AM
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Is there a way to do this?

If you mean 'use cocktails to solve problems', then probably not. Except in the short term.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 7:08 AM
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28: Holy shit, I'm so sorry. That's awful.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 7:36 AM
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Thinking of you, E. Messily. Hang in there.


Posted by: bill | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 7:55 AM
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Much love to Messily, and as for low carb diets, I felt like absolute crap when I tried one.


Posted by: J, Robot | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 10:35 AM
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messily! sending vibes of health & caring, hope this resolves into something nonalarming v soon.

i have been on my own the last week while the guys have been traveling to diff places, myself keeping quiet mostly at home & still managed to come down with something that i suspect is flu (fever, aches, chills, v bad headache) rather than covid (neg tests & no upper respiratory syx to speak of). have managed to mostly clean the house in advance of kid coming home today - not that it was particularly dirty just cleared mild kitchen clutter from attempting to eat & lots of cups of tea & got surfaces all clean. had to rest in between mini tasks but happy it's done. absurd disproportionate sense of effort.


Posted by: dairy queen | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 10:48 AM
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Best thoughts, Messily.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 11:49 AM
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Charlie: Maybe work snacks into the day, mid-morning/afternoon? That was part of what I did.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 11:50 AM
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Hope the clot destroyer works, or they figure out another trick to restore your vision Messily!

44: Charlie, we went through the big switch about 4 years ago, when my wife was diagnosed. I highly recommend getting a persistent sensor, if you don't already have one -- like the Libre, but I assume there are others. That allows her to track meal by meal, and it turns out that some broad categories hit her differently than you'd expect from the broad low-carb education. The sensor does a good job of showing the advantages of higher carb but lower glycemic index foods -- it's a lot easier to maintain a steady level when your body is time releasing a meal, instead of spiking and crashing.

It's not a perfect solution, but I'd go with a strict diet baseline, then add back things as individual variables and see how each goes. For example, she doesn't really spike with homemade bread, though she does on supermarket bread. Similarly, rice isn't as devastating, and brown rice is a nice steady energy source rather than a spiky one. You might discover your own "safe to cheat with" foods.

Honestly, A1c is a 3 month average, so as long as you're generally good, there's no reason not to allow yourself indulgences, particularly if you're good about keeping portions small when you spoil yourself.


Posted by: Mooseking | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 12:47 PM
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Oh, Messily. So sorry to hear it!


Posted by: Cala | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 1:21 PM
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52: Am tending to think that if I'm about to ride a bike for a while, then a cookie beforehand should be acceptable (and will help).

53: Continuous monitoring with experimenting sounds like good advice. I don't _think_ I'm massively spiking my blood sugar. More that the baseline has crept up, for reasons. Anyway, you get a bit older; you just moderate everything. One too many post-lunch slumps, or one too many hangovers. I'd already almost stopped booze completely this year.

I wonder how athletes who do 'carb loading' the night before an event, get on in later life. Doesn't look cost free, depending on your genes, maybe.

Thanks to both for the suggestions!


Posted by: Charlie W | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 3:15 PM
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Answering my own question ... https://www.outsideonline.com/health/wellness/are-endurance-athletes-more-susceptible-getting-diabetes/


Posted by: Charlie W | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 3:21 PM
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28/35 sympathies, that sucks. Virtually smuggled fried chicken, hospital food is insulting, and hoping they let you sleep soon.


Posted by: lw | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 4:22 PM
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Does anyone here know of thoughtful writing about ask vs guess culture? I've googled, I see a bunch of stuff of varying degrees of subtlety/slickness. Definitely a popular topic to write about, asking here in hopes of finding a few good ones without needing to read more business columnists.


Posted by: lw | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 4:39 PM
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I've never smuggled food, but I've smuggled booze into one hospital and probably three nursing homes.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 4:41 PM
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Charlie W. The general recommendation for folks with diabetes is to exercise 30 minutes a day. Thee was a study which found that for blood sugar control (cardiovascular health was not evaluated) it worked better if it was split up into 10 minute increments AFTER each meal. If you are working remotely, there's a lot of exercise, I.e. walking, that doesn't happen as naturally.

I gained some weight working remotely after moving to the new place and not exercising enough. This is what is working for me slowly for weight: Morning workout when I get up (about 59 minutes walking with some intervals of 10-20-30) AND a brief (10 minute) walk right after lunch every work day and dinner most days.

Even before you go high tech, I strongly recommend the 10 minute post-lunch walk. I have a strong family history of diabetes and my weight crept up into the territory where they are supposed to screen for diabetes. I also find the post-lunch walk helps minimize the mental slump after lunch.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 5:52 PM
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Sending good vibes, E. M. Cecily.


Posted by: Rob Helpy-Chalk | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 6:42 PM
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I'm off bed rest! And mostly better. In the ICU again tonight but they'll send me home tomorrow. It was a right occipital lobe stroke. A friend smuggled a milkshake in and it was delicious, although I did find out later that I was allowed to have it so the smuggling wasn't really necessary.


Posted by: E. Messily | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 7:26 PM
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That's great to hear. Keep feeling better.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 7:33 PM
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Are the vision problems getting any better? Either way, sounds like they are improving, which is great to hear!!!


Posted by: Rance | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 8:40 PM
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great update messily! do you have rehab & outpatient support sorted?


Posted by: dairy queen | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 9:22 PM
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That's great to hear. Smuggling a milkshake sounds potentially messy.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 11-14-22 10:54 PM
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A friend smuggled a milkshake in and it was delicious, although I did find out later that I was allowed to have it so the smuggling wasn't really necessary.

Her boys bring all the milkshakes to the ward.


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 2:25 AM
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62: Hope you have no lasting effects and very glad you get to go home.


Posted by: ydnew | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 5:21 AM
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58: I assume you read the original? (https://www.reddit.com/r/tumblr/comments/v1e7oj/tumblr_on_ask_vs_guess_culture/)

I think most of the essays I have read are kind of harsh about Guess culture (which I'd kind of expect from people writing essays online), and there's nothing that stands out as something I'd recommend.


Posted by: ydnew | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 6:17 AM
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Yeah, a lot of the discussion I've seen online is unrealistically approving of Ask culture -- leaving out the fact that lots of Asky people are very unwilling to take no for an answer. They're not simply being straightforward, they're often bullying. I have thought that a better term for Guess culture would be "Strong Default Yes" culture: don't ask unless you think you have a right to a yes answer, and don't say no unless a yes would be really impossible or unreasonable.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 7:16 AM
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69,70. Thanks, and whew I appreciate the confirmation of my reading of my sampling so far. I'm mostly guess, and was a little appalled by some essays. The remark I saw a couple of places that guess is often an Asian family style was helpful.

I liked Tannen's book about stereotypical US male vs female styles of speech and thinking, was hoping someone would know of a similarly styled discussion for ask vs guess. I think I remember mixed opnions about Tannen here previously.

Basically, expressing thoughts about personal things is not a lightweight activity for me. I'm trying to assess whether my boundaries for that are flexible in a few spots.


Posted by: lw | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 8:58 AM
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leaving out the fact that lots of Asky people are very unwilling to take no for an answer

So very much this.

As for alternative terminology, I've thought about Empathy instead of Guess, mostly because I don't think Use Your Fucking Brain would go over very well, though it encapsulates my views rather neatly. Nor would recasting Ask as Demand or, in the long form, Push All Boundaries Because Why The Hell Not.

On the other hand, dealing with Asky people (as opposed to ASCII people, whom I largely like) lets me practice my "Sometimes 'No' is a complete sentence" and "I don't have to say why not" mantras.


Posted by: Doug | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 9:02 AM
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I wish there were a different word here than "culture" as that suggests that it would be a constant within a given culture, and that it's exempt from moral judgement. In fact, they're both wrong behavior but in two different ways. There's a third alternative here, which is behaving like a good person and making clear requests while being sensitive to not railroading people and both giving and accepting noes more easily.

To give a different example where I think the terminology better matches the situation, there's the attachment *styles* (not cultures) "anxious attachment" and "avoidant attachment," but there's also "secure attachment." So you can talk about the anxious/avoidant trap in relationships, while understanding that the goal is for everyone to move to secure attachment.

So I wish they were called something like "communication styles" with names like "pushy communication," "unclear communication," and a third option of "respectful communication."


Posted by: Unfoggetarian: "Pause endlessly, then go in" (9) | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 9:22 AM
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There's a third alternative here, which is behaving like a good person and making clear requests while being sensitive to not railroading people and both giving and accepting noes more easily.

Like that's going to sell vinyl siding.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 9:28 AM
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||

Anybody have suggestions for good book series for learning new software? I just had a job interview. I think it went well! One of the questions they asked me was whether I had any experience with Microsoft Project. I don't, because my current organization limits who can get licenses. They said that they had just gotten licenses and none of them were experts. I don't think my not knowing it was disqualifying, but I'd love to find resources for teaching myself should I get the job.

|>


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:03 AM
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Just the idea of project management causes me pain.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:06 AM
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Maybe people are mashing their poop up in the shower and it's going into a different system that's not being monitored like sewage.

George Costanza was correct: it's all pipes. In other words, the premise of this comment is wrong, because shower water goes the same place as toilet water (in my house, they're directly connected, and a few years ago we had to spend $1000000 to replace the connection bit).


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:17 AM
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Even if you poop in the storm sewer, it goes to the same place.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:20 AM
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And I'm very relieved Messily's on a recovery track. Excellent call going to the hospital right away. A guy I know (construction foreman) was having mild stroke symptoms, ignored them, then had a full strike a day later and is all but blind*. I suspect he would've followed Messily's path if he'd just gone to the damn hospital.

*I think the latest is that he's got blurred vision on one side, maybe light/dark on the other? But possibly less than that.


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:33 AM
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wastewater systems can be separated (sanitary separate from stormwater) or combined. as a sf bay swimmer i am regularly bummed that the city's system alas combined so have to wait for a few tidal cycles post rains before swimming. ebmud & i believe the other large municipal providers draining to the bay are separate.


Posted by: dairy queen | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:35 AM
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Yes. We don't even have a bay. Just a river that people in Ohio apparently use after us. So there are billions being spent to change things.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:39 AM
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"The city's inhabitants liked to claim that the water of the Ankh was among the purest in existence; any water that had passed through that many sets of kidneys, they reasoned, must be very pure indeed."


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:42 AM
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76: it's mostly policy analysis for payment reform.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:44 AM
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Analysis is fine.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:53 AM
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82: Kidneys isn't the processor I'm worried about.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:53 AM
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lourdes' surgery center is texting updates to me... sort of.

8:08 AM: Your family member has been moved to Pre-OP
8:10 AM: Your family member has finished surgery and been moved to Recovery Phase 1
8:10 AM (2): Your family member has been moved to the OR

Am I supposed to put them in order to distract myself? Gamification sucks.


Posted by: lurid keyaki | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 11:11 AM
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That's a fast operation.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 11:14 AM
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62 is great news, but take it easy and don't try to prove anything to anybody. The whole thing sounds terrifying.


Posted by: Chris Y | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 11:14 AM
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Hooray for Lourdes' operation being over!


Posted by: heebie | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 11:24 AM
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IME hospitals aren't too fussy about food brought in by friends. The last time I was in, the guy in the next bed had his partner bring in a stash of cider- British cider, about 7% alcoholic. She left it with the nurses and they brought him a can whenever he asked. He only drank a couple a day, they'd probably have reacted differently if he'd tried to get off his face. But neither the nurses nor the doctors saw any reason why he shouldn't have a couple of drinks with his dinner. V used to bring me samosas and pakoras and nobody questioned that either.


Posted by: Chris Y | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 11:30 AM
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89: Tired of these hotshot surgeons trying to finish a whole operation in negative 25 seconds. It takes longer than that to wash your hands, dude.


Posted by: lurid keyaki | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 11:36 AM
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Is the CDC still on about hand washing? Covid is over.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 11:54 AM
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I slipped on my porch taking out garbage this morning. After a couple hours in the ER the verdict is that I broke my radius where it intersects the wrist, and that there's some displacement, so will need surgery.

Not too bad yet, but it is my right wrist and I am very right handed, so this will be a long, frustrating several weeks.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 11:55 AM
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Yikes. Hope it goes well and heals quickly.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 11:56 AM
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Me too!


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 12:08 PM
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Right but you're not impartial so it doesn't count.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 12:09 PM
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Oh shit! I'm so sorry, Nick.


Posted by: heebie | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 12:13 PM
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Ouch! Hope the process goes easily, Nick. (And glad to hear things are getting better for EM!)


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 12:31 PM
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98 is independent, impartial confirmation.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 12:33 PM
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the premise of this comment is wrong

It's ok if you didn't get the reference.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 12:59 PM
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Best recovery wishes to Messily, Lourdes and NickS. It's a rough week for the commentariat.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 1:41 PM
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I'm feeling great.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 1:59 PM
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The previous few decades were a little rough and my life's a shambles but this week I feel good.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 2:08 PM
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The previous few decades were a little rough and my life's a shambles but this week I feel good.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 2:08 PM
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I'm home! Time for a nap


Posted by: E. Messily | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 2:14 PM
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Hooray for being home, and for Eggplant being good!


Posted by: heebie | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 2:46 PM
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Hooray for naps!


Posted by: politicalfootball | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 2:57 PM
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108

Sorry, Messily, that sounds terrifying and frustrating.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 3:12 PM
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109

105: Hurray for naps at home!


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 3:22 PM
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110

93: I had a similar injury, and a doctor friend was very excited to tell me that medical professionals call this a FOOSH. (Fall on outstretched hand). I hope your surgery goes as well as mine did. Getting the bandages off was truly terrifying, and it took a while to get full range of motion back, but I was able to move my hand pretty well for basic tasks (so work with my hands) after about two weeks.


Posted by: ydnew | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 3:50 PM
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111

In Malta it means "Fucking Ottomans on shore here."


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 4:16 PM
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112

110: It turns out that I had a FOOSH, even though my injury was nothing like Nick's. I fell on my outstretched hand and thereby fractured my elbow because the fall forced the bone into my elbow. Google confirms that this is a FOOSH.


Posted by: politicalfootball | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 4:45 PM
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113

Ivan has no aim or wants a bigger war.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 5:01 PM
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114

Good news; surgery scheduled for Thursday.

Yndew, what was the total time? How long between surgery and getting bandages (cast?) off?

112: my one other broken bone was in elementary school, I fell while roller skating, caught myself and broke my arm close to the elbow. But I think that was more hyperextension than impact forcing the bone into the elbow (but my memory of the specific cause of injury could be wrong. It was a long time ago).


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 5:03 PM
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I do remember my dad telling me, as a kid, not to fall like that. He told me to try to land so that my upper arm would absorb the shock. Then I fell on five dollars.


Posted by: heebie | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 6:00 PM
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116

I usually fall on my butt. Less injuries and dignity.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 6:02 PM
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115: I have also gotten that advice, and I tried to not catch myself today, but couldn't react fast enough to counter the reflex.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 7:06 PM
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118

I broke my elbow that way walking on top of a chainlink fence (because it was a fun way to balance) as a tween.


Posted by: Unfoggetarian: “Pause endlessly, then go in.” (9) | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 7:09 PM
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114: I broke it on a vacation and had it set and casted before I returned home, then had surgery to pin it because the surgeon said she recommends it for younger folks who want faster recovery, so mine might not be the same. That said, I had surgery in the morning, recovered at home for an afternoon, and I returned to work the next day in bandages and a sling. I had to keep the arm in a sling for a 3 or 4 days (took the real painkillers for 3 days, I think), then got all the bandages off after a week (it looked AWFUL at this point) and got a removable brace. I was allowed to use my hand once I was out of bandages and in the brace, although typing was pretty painful for the first 5 days or so and I didn't have much grip strength. By 2 weeks, I could do stuff well enough to be back on normal work schedule. I had PT for 6 weeks, which was not the best quality. It took about 6 months to have full range of motion and a full year before it was 100% back to normal.

Oh, and when I broke it (I fractured two bones, one displaced), the nurse said I have an extremely high pain tolerance (apparently), so take with a grain of salt. The part I didn't have surgery on hurt more and for longer. The worst for me was not being able to wash my hair by myself or tie my shoes. Highly recommend getting pump-top dispensers to make things easier for a couple of weeks.


Posted by: ydnew | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 7:56 PM
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120

The cheaper, "family-size" shampoos usually have pump tops.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 7:59 PM
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120: Took me months to go through those enormous bottles but was well worth it. Now AJ has long hair, too, so at least it'd be more of a team effort.


Posted by: ydnew | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 8:02 PM
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122

I realized that most women with long hair were only washing it once or twice a day and I was washing it every day. Just a waste.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 8:05 PM
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123

great update messily! do you have rehab & outpatient support sorted?

I'm supposed to take it easy for a few days, and I have an assortment of bruises and tape residue, but otherwise I'm back to (my idiosyncratic version of) normal. I have to make some follow-up appointments, and start taking a few additional preventative medications, but no actual rehab needed. (I actually never had any real symptoms other than the loss of vision)

Thanks for all the well wishes! Commiserations to everyone else in ERs and ORs and whatnot!


Posted by: E. Messily | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 8:57 PM
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i had a much more elaborate extended & painful experience of this kind of fracture than ydnew, i hope your experience is more like ydnew's, nicks. but the end result is undiminished functionality except for occasional discomfort from bike riding.


Posted by: dairy queen | Link to this comment | 11-15-22 10:13 PM
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125

123 is good news! But bruises?


Posted by: Ajay | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 1:08 AM
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126

125: She probably fell when she was struggling with her vision.


Posted by: Bostoniangirl | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 4:12 AM
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127

Blood thinners and nurses practicing for Golden Gloves.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 5:00 AM
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125: From blood draws and IVs?


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 5:01 AM
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YES you may have your blood sample analysed .... after you enter THE OCTAGON for your life or death showdown with THE PHLEBOTOMIST!


Posted by: | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 5:10 AM
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When I was in hospital with a post-operative infection,* my arms looked like I'd been beaten up. Many many cannulas, and thrombophlebitis caused by the caustic IV antibiotics.**

Layer on anticoagulants, and it doesn't surprise me at all re: bruises.

* antibiotic resistant, and they'd caused surgical emphysema.
** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancomycin#Side_effects


Posted by: nattarGcM ttaM | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 7:40 AM
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125: She probably fell when she was struggling with her vision.

The bruises were already there, but she couldn't see them.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 7:47 AM
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Glad to hear things are going a bit better, Messily. That was scary.


Posted by: Cyrus | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 7:57 AM
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It's ok if you didn't get the reference.

I got the reference (I can tell you exactly where I was when it happened), I was just being humorless and pedantic. And also taking the opportunity to vindicate George.


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 8:01 AM
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Pulling together various parts of this thread, yesterday I had to go to the hospital with my dad (81), who had his first old person fall. It was actually not a big deal, but at that age, they want to check.

He was walking over to turn off his music when his leg just gave out, and as he fell his head glanced off the wall. He's got spinal issues, so his orthopedist wanted him to get checked to make sure the leg giving out wasn't an indication of something. And of course, once he was in the ER, they wanted to check for concussion and stroke. He drove himself, but he wanted me along just in case, and so he could get dropped off at the door.

Anyway, he's all fine, and he bought us a nice dinner after, so all's well.


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 8:08 AM
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Meanwhile, 3 weeks ago AB had a big fall where, instead of FOOSHing. she landed square on her forehead, bounced, and hit again. No apparent reason, just wet leaves on the sidewalk. Took her to the ER for a concussion check, but she was basically fine aside from a huge goose egg and, later, giant black eyes as the blood drained downwards.

And yesterday, immediately before I took my dad to the hospital, I found out that our boiler is shot and will cost $9500 to replace. Fuck me.


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 8:12 AM
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Bad timing. I'm glad your people are recovering from their falls.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 8:17 AM
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137

Hey, my knee surgery is not till the 27th!


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 8:19 AM
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138

I think you all have really misunderstood the season.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 8:51 AM
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139

Is that the dumbest joke I've made on Unfogged? In all these years, I've surely made dumber ones, but they disappear quickly from memory.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 8:52 AM
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It's certainly up there. I'm sad it didn't even occur to me.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 8:53 AM
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119/124 Thanks. It's good to have some sense of time-line (and warning that there will be a _long_ time between being functional, and full recovery. I've definitely had jammed fingers that would be occasionally sore for months after the initial recovery. I'm imagining something like that but also not thinking about it too much right now)

One of the surprising frustrations was trying to open a zip lock bag with one hand.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 9:01 AM
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Bruises- 127 through 130, yes.


Posted by: E. Messily | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 10:52 AM
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141.2 This is why our ancestors evolved teeth.


Posted by: Chris Y | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 11:06 AM
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Actually, teeth predate zipper-closure plastic bags by more than fifty years.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 11:32 AM
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That's why Moby cleans up in Learned League of Legends.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 1:16 PM
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I lost to Dr. Oops. It wasn't close.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 1:24 PM
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The VCs will still give you a couple billion for trying.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 1:27 PM
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Or not trying. It's not clear what their standards are.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 1:27 PM
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141.last: at the ER my dad and I each had to hand over our pocketknives. When the security guard handed them back, sealed in baggies, I joked that there was no way to extract them without a knife, and she very funnily mimed going Hulk on them.


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 2:29 PM
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[Pulls out gun and shoots baggie]


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-16-22 2:35 PM
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"Same-Sex Marriage Rights Bill Clears a Crucial Senate Hurdle" -- bipartisanship! And actual good news, even though the bill doesn't codify Obergefell, like I thought it did.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/us/politics/same-sex-marriage-bill-senate.html


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 9:02 AM
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NMM Nancy Pelosi as leader of the House Dems. I didn't think she would give it up willingly. I think this is good news too!


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 11:43 AM
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151: A good target for armchair Twitter radicals for the basically one thing it doesn't do, force states to perform SSMs themselves, while doing a ton compared to Obergefell being struck down with no legislation passed. It would indeed suck (and be regressive) for couples to have to travel to a different state to get married, but it seems like literally the most Congress could have done.

I am curious how many red states would in fact stop performing SSM in this scenario. I could imagine some leaving it up to county clerks, meaning it probably sticks in the metropoles.


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 11:52 AM
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I am scheduled for surgery on my wrist this afternoon. Fingers crossed. They said it's a fairly common surgery, which is my impression.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 12:02 PM
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152 I can't stand her and I don't think this is good news at all. She's a superb close in fighter. That' terrorist attack really worked.

Pelosi thread?


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 12:06 PM
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Good luck Nick!


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 12:07 PM
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154: Good luck, NickS!


Posted by: peep | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 12:09 PM
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I can't stand her and I don't think this is good news at all.

It was going to have to come eventually and now seems as good a time as any. I think it is good that she's sticking around for another term. Jeffries is going to be much worse at the job but her still being around to guide him is probably for the best.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 12:10 PM
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158: In some ways this is the best circumstance: she's not disgraced by the outcome, so no resistance to looking weak. Dems don't need her to manage a tiny majority. And the tiny R majority (and D Senate) will keep them from being able to do substantial damage*, so I don't think she's that critical on defense. And, as Too says, staying on as emeritus will be very practically helpful.

*I'm dubious they'll be able to do much around the debt ceiling, and aside from that, I'm not sure McCarthy can accomplish anything at all with 220 votes. Hopefully this isn't me being Pollyanna.


Posted by: JRoth | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 12:29 PM
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155: Sure. One sec.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 12:33 PM
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I am still worried about the debt ceiling, but it does seem like the Biden administration has learned some lessons from the past 20 years on other topics so maybe they have there too. (Less true of the Senate so I think executive action is more likely than Congress getting its act together in the lame duck.)


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 12:34 PM
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Out of surgery. I very much appreciate Ydnew's report which gives me some sense of what to expect over the next few days.

Follow up appointment in 2 weeks, non removable splint until then, but it leaves a little room to move my fingers.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 7:41 PM
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Can you still flip people off clearly enough that you can drive in traffic?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 7:46 PM
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No, not that much range of motion.


Posted by: NickS | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 8:07 PM
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I guess you'll have to uber. Hope you heal quickly.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 8:09 PM
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I am scheduled for surgery on my wrist this afternoon. Fingers crossed.
Dude, there are easier ways.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 8:09 PM
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Pour one out for Neil the Ethical Werewolf, number one Pelosi stan


Posted by: torque | Link to this comment | 11-17-22 9:51 PM
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On topic because Nomadic Warriors for Pritzker:

We were discussing recently http://www.unfogged.com/archives/comments_18137.html why and whether archery was better or worse than gunpowder weapons, and I've just read this article https://acoup.blog/2019/07/04/collections-archery-distance-and-kiting/
which suggests that the missing piece of our discussion, at least in the early days of gunpowder (15th-16th centuries) was armour. Almost every infantryman on a mediaeval or early modern battlefield in Europe would have some sort of armour, and arrows, though faster firing and probably more accurate, have less energy and penetrating power than bullets - and they lose it faster with range.
You can make armour out of leather or linen and it'll give you quite a good level of protection against arrows. It will not do much against firearms. Metal or nothing. So as firearms spread, you actually have a gradual and complete de-armouring of infantry, because it's useless weight against the main killer of infantry, which is direct-fire bullets from arquebuses and muskets. It isn't any use against cannonballs either obviously. (Heavy cavalry keep it for longer - breastplates, helmets and high boots - because they're expecting to fight other heavy cavalry with sabres, and also because they don't have to march in it.)


this sort of analysis helps to explain why gunpowder weaponry was viewed as desirable, especially against armored infantry - particularly in Europe - even though it was less accurate and slower-firing than bows. This question is a frequent one from students, in light of the low rate of fire and poor accuracy of early arquebuses. By the 15th century, guns were already delivering much higher impact energies (500-1,000J; by the 16th century, this was 1,300-1,700J) than any bow and while a bullet requires (because of its shape) more energy to penetrate, even then, the lethality of firearms quickly eclipsed bows, especially against armored targets. Given a choice between five shots which might wound a target and one shot which would definitely disable him, it's not hard to see why the preference for the latter developed.



Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 11-18-22 5:16 AM
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