Look up!
Best night of the Geminids meteor shower, the best meteor shower of the year. Except they happen in December when the weather is often pretty gross.
They happen from the 10th to the 20th, but they peak 13-14-15. Last year and next year, the peak will coincide with the full moon. But it’s a new moon in 2023.
It’s been cloudy so far this week. I haven’t dared go out and look up tonight. Wish me luck and have a good weekend!
December 15, 2023 — 6:49 pm
Comments: 5
They finally caught up with me
Spotted in town today – another Tennessee girl a long way from home. The decal on the side said Memphis Sheriff, which I don’t think is a thing. The Sheriff is a county force, so it should be Shelby County Sheriff’s office. Which is at odds with the Highway Patrol decal, a whole ‘nother thing.
This site tells me Oldsmobiles were rarely used as cop cars. And this Flickr photo of the exact same car identifies it as a 1975 Oldsmobile Delta 88.
I agree with the photographer. This isn’t a police car, it’s a “police car” – my grandma drove nothing but Delta 88s.
December 14, 2023 — 7:01 pm
Comments: 4
Musical numbers
In the previous thread, Surly Ermine asked me if I had any new favorite Christmas carols since moving to Merry Olde. There is a whole ‘nother stable of standard Christmas music here and it falls into three broad categories.
The stuff that gets the most radio play. What I think of as the crooner songs – the mid-century movie classics like White Christmas and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I hate those songs. Always have done.
I also hate the expression “mid century” to mean something common from my childhood that is now regarded as a genuine and sought-after rarity. The antiques programs are all over it. But I digress.
Second are a small group of carols that I know well, but are sung to a completely different tune here. Away in a Manger is one of those. We don’t go to the carol service any more since they moved it to Christmas Eve, but I always found it really difficult to read those words and sing a totally different tune.
Finally there are the carols that are completely unfamiliar to me. The one that stands out is the Tudor-era Coventry Carol, which sounds a sweet little song until you realize it’s a mother singing a lullaby to quiet her baby before it gets slaughtered in Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents. Christmassy!
December 13, 2023 — 7:31 pm
Comments: 5
Admire my festive holiday blister
Glue gun glue is hot, y’all. In fairness to me, I did know that, even though this was my first time using one. What I didn’t know was that it was going to drip through the middle of the wreath onto my flesh.
Weasel’s top glue gun tip: always keep a glass of water handy for these little accidents.
Not my work, I’m just replacing bits that have fallen off. I bought it on the high street, I don’t remember what year, but I remember we were in semi-lockdown at the time. The wreaths were displayed outside, but I didn’t have a mask, so to pay for it I had to stretch my arm inside far enough to reach the credit card machine on the counter, without breathing on anyone. I felt awfully silly.
Not for the first time, I really wish I’d kept a diary of those years. I’m sure I’ve blotted the dumber bits out of memory.
Anyway, all my pinecones are glued back on and my wreath is on the door. Festive!
December 12, 2023 — 7:46 pm
Comments: 7
We done did the tree
It was a dark and stormy night, almost. The wind was blowing a gale, the rain stung like needles, nearly dark, and Uncle B said cheerily, “so, we going to do the tree then?”
!
The tree was still in its bag in the garage at this point. Next you know, we’re out there in the gathering gloom grinding the butt off a spruce with an alligator (worked a treat, too). We made it!
Our tree this year is an abies lasiocarpa, a new species here. Internet tells me it grows from Alaska to Northern California, so you may know it. I think I knew it as a balsam fir.
It has a lovely tapering shape, top to bottom (our usual spruce is fat-bottomed and sparse at the top). It has soft needles that don’t poke you when you handle it. Sadly, though – despite what Wikipedia says – it’s not at all smelly.
We paid £43 for a 5′ tree. That’s about…$54. How does that compare?
December 11, 2023 — 8:19 pm
Comments: 9
Dead Pool 173 or possibly 4
TheFritz takes it with Henry Kissinger, a crowd favorite. I am very weirded out by this as I distinctly remember posting a Dead Pool that Kissinger was the subject of. I made a joke about whether anyone ever called him Hank and how it didn’t seem likely.
So when Normal Lear copped it, I called it for Armybrat, thinking it was a whole ‘nother Dead Pool.
Am I writing Dead Pools in my dreams now?
Though Armybrat graciously stood aside, I’m’a call it a double win and await Rick Rostrom’s preferences for numbering.
Are we all thoroughly confused? Then let’s begin…
0. Rule Zero (AKA Steve’s Rule): your pick has to be living when picked. Also, nobody whose execution date is circled on the calendar. Also, please don’t kill anybody. Plus (Pupster’s Rule) no picking someone who’s only famous for being the oldest person alive.
1. Pick a celebrity. Any celebrity — though I reserve the right to nix picks I never heard of (I don’t generally follow the Dead Pool threads carefully, so if you’re unsure of your pick, call it to my attention).
2. We start from scratch every time. No matter who you had last time, or who you may have called between rounds, you have to turn up on this very thread and stake your claim.
3. Poaching and other dirty tricks positively encouraged.
4. Your first choice sticks. Don’t just blurt something out, m’kay? Also, make sure you have a correct spelling of your choice somewhere in your comment. These threads get longish and I use search to figure out if we have a winner.
5. It’s up to you to search the thread and make sure your choice is unique. I’m waayyyy too lazy to catch the dupes. Popular picks go fast.
6. The pool stays open until somebody on the list dies. Feel free to jump in any time. Noobs, strangers, drive-bys and one-comment-wonders — all are welcome.
7. If you want your fabulous prize, you have to entrust me with a mailing address. If you’ve won before, send me your address again. I don’t keep good records.
8. The new DeadPool will begin 6pm WBT (Weasel’s Blog Time) the Friday after the last round is concluded.
The winner, if the winner chooses to entrust me with a mailing address, will receive an Official Certificate of Dick Winning and a small original drawing on paper suffused with elephant shit particles. Because I’m fresh out of fairy shit particles.
December 8, 2023 — 6:00 pm
Comments: 57
Old woman is lost and confused
I thought for sure I’d called a new Dead Pool when Kissinger died. He was a fan favorite. Apparently, I did not.
So when I called it for Norman Lear, I thought it was a whole ‘nother Dead Pool. It was not.
Unwinning someone seems a churlish move, so I will recognize TheFritz as the proper winner of Dead Pool 172, and Armybrat a co-winner by way of my incompetence. It has been done before, ISTR.
Rich Rostrum, as usual, pulled me up on it. Rich, for accounting purposes, would you prefer I called Armybrat’s win DP 173?
The picture is the first row of examples when you give the prompt lost and confused old woman to Craiyon.com. These were the least worst – one old dear looked like she was bleeding from the eyes.
And no, none of these old women look a thing like me.
December 7, 2023 — 7:49 pm
Comments: 6
Welp, I’ve done it
I’ve done it. I’ve taken an oath to the King. I’m sure at least a few of my ancestors are rolling their eyeballs in hell. Here’s what I had to say:
I, Stoaty Weasel, swear by Almighty God that, on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, his Heirs and Successors, according to law.
I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect its rights and freedoms. I will uphold its democratic values. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as a British citizen.
I had the option to take the oath in Welsh. Are you ready? Back up:
Yr wyf i, Stoaty Weasel, yn tyngu i Dduw Hollalluog y byddaf i, ar ôl dod yn ddinesydd Prydeinig, yn ffyddlon ac yn wir deyrngar i’w Fawrhydi y Brenin Charles y Trydydd, ei Etifeddion a’i Olynwyr, yn unol â’r gyfraith.
Rhoddaf fy nheyrngarwch i’r Deyrnas Unedig a pharchaf ei hawliau a’i rhyddidau. Arddelaf ei gwerthoedd democrataidd. Glynaf yn ffyddlon wrth ei chyfreithiau a chyflawnaf fy nyletswyddau a’m rhwymedigaethau fel dinesydd Prydeinig.
How is this even a language?
So that’s it. My last bit of British legalese. I’ve already registered to vote and started my passport application.
The process was: biometrics, Fiancee Visa, Further Leave to Remain, Life in the UK Test, Indefinite Leave to Remain, Naturalisation application (with added biometrics!). My prospects as a cat burglar are doomed. I’m sure I’m missing a couple of hoops in there.
If you would like a look down memory lane, the keyword is weaselimportlicense. The very first post is How to get a Weasel Import License, Part the First – October 3, 2008. What a long, strange trip it’s been.
p.s. I love the way both the lion and the unicorn are sticking their tongues out. The lion is doing a full Gene Simmons.
Oh, and Norman Lear has copped it. Congratz to Army Brat and new Dead Pool Friday. These things are getting shorter and shorter.
December 6, 2023 — 7:37 pm
Comments: 15
Vampire meows
We went to a popup cat cafe, y’all! It was a trip.
You have to pre-book and pay in one-hour increments. When we turned up, it was full of screaming little girls, which was less than optimum. But the cats were all around five or six months old, so they were just the age to love screaming little girls waving cat toys.
All the cats in this group were from Romania. I guess Romania has an awful track record for animal welfare so they’re working with a charity there. They all come over completely feral, so it was remarkable how socialized they have already become. I didn’t get bitten or growled at once, though Uncle B had his leg climbed like a telegraph pole by a kitten in search of his fruitcake.
We were warned that all the cats are partial to people food. I had to make some quick moves with the milk jug.
The cat in the picture is Ziggy, who was all white with a black spot on his head. His sister is all black with a white tip to her tail.
We didn’t bring anybody home, though.
December 5, 2023 — 7:47 pm
Comments: 7
Worked for me
The power of opportunistically clicking links: yesterday, I hit the link for the Daily Wire’s new comedy movie Lady Ballers and it inexplicably let me watch the whole movie without being a subscriber.
It was surprisingly good. It wasn’t one long cross-dressing joke, either; it had lots of side gags and easter eggs. I mean, sure, if you catch most of the references, we probably follow the same people on Xwitter, but it didn’t feel like pandering or forced messaging. It felt like they genuinely set out to make a funny film.
Nearly the whole cast is amateurs – in fact, many of them are pundits with the Daily Wire – and I’m afraid it felt like it in places. I hate being forced to admit that professional actors have an actual skill. But it wasn’t enough to ruin it. I’d watch it again.
Sadly, it doesn’t look like I can do it for free for a while. If you hit the link above, it’ll ask you to sign in to your account. For the next twelve hours, they’re going half price on an annual membership – $6.50 a month – but I don’t want to see it seventy eight bucks worth. Come to think of it, they might not even let me sign up from outside the US.
Worth considering if you had kids, though. I understand their children’s programming is genuinely good. And not just Disney+ for MAGA, but genuinely thoughtful.
December 4, 2023 — 7:15 pm
Comments: 4