{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }

  1. Ask a Manager* Post author

    The weekend posts are for relatively light discussion — think office break room — and comments should ask questions and/or seek to discuss ideas. “Here’s what happened to me today” personal-blog-style posts will be removed (because they got out of control in the past). We also can’t do medical advice here.

    Please give the full rules a re-read.

    Reply ↓
  2. Squirrel Nutkin (the teach, not the admin)*

    What a beautiful picture of Wallace! He looks like he’s sitting for a formal portrait.

    Reply ↓
  3. Jackalope*

    Reading thread! Share what you’re reading and give or request recs.

    I’m reading The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. It was recommended by someone in this very thread! I’m enjoying it a lot so far; it’s very cozy and the author is making fun use of magic, and the characters are fun.

    Reply ↓
    2. Dark Macadamia*

      The Witch’s Daughter – it’s fine but not great. I’m about 3/4 done and it still doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere. I’m also appalled that Goodreads calls it partly a romance because the only relationship they could be referencing is both terrible and boring.

      Reply ↓
      1. Dark Macadamia*

        Forgot to include – I’d love recommendations of historical fantasy (witchy is a plus but not necessary) that does NOT include SA/excessive violence against women. Something similar to Once and Future Witches where it’s more literary than fluffy but not super bleak.

        Reply ↓
        1. Falling Diphthong*

          I quite liked the trilogy that starts with Jade City, by Fonda Lee. The Godfather collides with wuxia. Set in an analogue to Asia in the second half of the 20th century. They’re one generation out of a world war, which was the formative experience of the middle aged but barely remembered by the young adults. This felt believably layered to me–like you could see how this society would evolve over time, traditions on top of traditions reacting to new problems, but you would never set it up this way if starting from scratch.

          Reply ↓
        3. allx*

          Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke. I read it based on a recommendation here and loved it. It is a book about the history of magic in England. It is very long. Some criticize it as boring and about nothing. Not so. Not even a little bit. It is a wonderfully creative work, and I am not even a fan of historical fiction.

          Reply ↓
    3. Falling Diphthong*

      We Solve Murders, by Richard Osman of Thursday Murder Club fame. With nods to everyone who suggested I hit Elliot Bay Book Company in Seattle, where I found a signed copy while wandering around.

      This was fun. Amy is a body guard, whose assignment to a private island off South Carolina goes wonky when someone tries to kill her. (Her, not the person she’s protecting.) Steve is her father-in-law, a retired cop living in the exceedingly charming New Forest, land of pub quizzes and wild ponies and organic vegetables Amy sends him but Steve does not actually eat. She needs backup and calls on him for help. Multiple points of view, the pleasures of watching some people be coolly competent, and some congratulate themselves on brilliant plans that will not be coming off as envisioned. It reminded me of Killers of a Certain Age.

      I would say not quite hitting like Thursday Murder Club (which I’d recommend to people who don’t do mysteries as their usual thing). But as a stand-alone story of playing cat-and-mouse across the world, with likable main characters, well executed.

      Reply ↓
      1. Geriatric Rocker*

        I was talking to one of the elderly visitors at work about her weekend and she said that she bought the latest by an author whose name she couldn’t remember. She said she’s read four of his other works and they are wonderful – murder mysteries but without the blood and gore. Richard Osman? I said. That’s him! she replied.

        We can both thoroughly recommend the Thursday Murder Club series.

        Reply ↓
    4. Shiara*

      I’m rereading Jasper Fforde’s Shades of Grey in preparation for reading the sequel Red Side Story. It’s so delightfully bizarre.

      Reply ↓
    5. word nerd*

      I read The Spellshop a couple weeks ago and enjoyed it! Although since I got it from a rec here I imagine you heard about it from that person or someone else. :)

      Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton is not my usual sort of book but definitely drew me in, especially the last third. I’m also planning on reading her previous book, The Luminaries.

      Ok, y’all, who remembers the classic epistolary novel Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster? I remembered liking it as a kid, so I decided to read it again and I was astounded by how yucky the older romantic interest was through my adult eyes. The orphan protagonist is sweet and spunky and well-written (definitely some parallels with Anne of Green Gables), but I was so sad that she didn’t see how controlling and weirdly secretive this older dude was. I was not optimistic at all that he would somehow become less controlling once they were married. Agggghhh don’t marry him!!

      But one random thing that was interesting for me as a Julia Whelan fan was listening to her narrate Daddy-Long-Legs. She recorded it in 2011, and it doesn’t sound like her more recent audiobook narrations at all. Not badly done or anything, but her voice sounds so different!

      Reply ↓
    6. goddessoftransitory*

      Supernatural Tales from Charles Dickens, the first volume of the Vallencourt collection of spooky stories, and a coworker just lent me Jeanette Winterson’s Art Objects; can’t wait to read it!

      Reply ↓
    7. Aphrodite*

      Every October I read either Dracula or Frankenstein. But this habit fell off during Covid so this year I am listening, for the first time, an unabridged edition of Frankenstein. It is very well read and I find myself caught up again in this magnificent and deeply sad story. But what I had forgotten or perhaps not caught on in exactly the same manner previously is how furious I feel at the narrator, Viktor Frankenstein, who seems to be one of the most self-serving, self-pitying people ever. So many people he loves die because of what he created yet he never speaks up, never takes responsibility, just moans about how terrible it all is and how awful the (poor, lonely) monster is and how he, Viktor, is the true victim here. While the writing is compelling–nineteenth-century language was so beautiful–the story has gone from sad to infuriating to me. I wonder if I will ever be able to read or listen to it again without these new feelings.

      Reply ↓
      1. goddessoftransitory*

        He’s such a tool in that way! It’s not that he doesn’t feel bad; it’s that he spends so much time bewailing his fate when it was ENTIRELY self inflicted!

        Victor’s got a perfectly good point that if he tried to tell anyone about what he’d done he would be dismissed as a madman–anyone today telling that kind of story would also be quietly steered towards therapy and medication. But even to himself, he refuses to take any responsibility for what he’s done, or the creature he abandoned into a world that could not cope with it.

        Reply ↓
    8. allx*

      I just finished Jeanette Winterson’s Frankisstein, a love story of sorts and interesting retelling. Not sure I liked or “got” the ending, have to think about it a bit. I tried to read this a couple years ago and fizzled out. This time it took. This was another reading thread recommendation. Seems like most of the books I read come from this thread, so thank you, people.

      Next up for me is the newly released paperback of Susanna Clarke’s The Ladies of Grace Adieu, which I am about to crack open. It’s a book of stories loosely (?) related to some of the characters in Jonathan Strange. I’m so excited.

      Reply ↓
  4. Jackalope*

    Gaming thread! Share what you’ve been playing and give or request recs. As always, all games are welcome, not just video games.

    I’ve been on a bit of a dry spell this week. Other stuff was happening in my life so no video games, and our D&D game was cancelled for Life reasons. Hope someone else is getting more gaming in out there!

    Reply ↓
    1. Crazy cat gamer*

      Just had a board games evening with friends – played Ticket to Ride, Dominion and Calico (definitely one for cat people). Tried Sandwich Masters recently but I think we either need to shuffle the cards better or adjust rules as we found it impossible to get any points.
      Video games wise,if you haven’t played Subnautica yet I highly recommend trying it – especially as Subnautica 2 is due out next year. I got into Assassin’s Creed earlier this year, finished Origins and Odyssey, and just started Valhalla.

      Reply ↓
      1. word nerd*

        Have you ever played Boop? It’s a cute cat game that’s surprisingly harder than you’d think just from looking at it!

        Reply ↓
    2. Jenesis*

      My Band of Blades game is also sadly on hold because the DM is dealing with Life issues, BUT I discovered the contingent of my LGS that plays/runs Candela Obscura and I’m super hyped to go back! My first game was Oct 13 and I’ve got two more sessions lined up for Oct 30 and Nov 3.

      Reply ↓
    4. Shiara*

      My Ghosts of Saltmarsh players are demanding a heist on Gellan Primewater so now I am trying to figure out how to run one. If anyone has recommendations for something fun to borrow heavily from please let me know.

      I’m trying to get a better feel for nonD20 systems, and have been listening to the Haunted City which uses Blades in the Dark. It’s a lot of fun so far.

      Reply ↓
    5. Knighthope*

      Unusually warm October weather meant I could eat an excellent roast beef sandwich and drink the best canned/bottled iced tea I’ve ever had, outside in the sunshine!

      Reply ↓
    6. Forrest Rhodes*

      Correcting my “joy” post from last week:
      I said I walked a labyrinth that’s like the one at Notre Dame, Paris.
      Problem: There is no labyrinth at Notre Dame.
      The one I walked is a copy of the labyrinth at the Cathedral of Chartres.
      Apologies to all—the error was my bad.
      But that peaceful hour or so is still with me, and I’m still planning to repeat it soon.

      Reply ↓
    1. Peanut Hamper*

      If it’s a rare enough thing that it makes the news I’m not entirely sure that it’s worth my worrying about. It’s like plane crashes. Sure, you hear about the tragic plane crash that happened today, but you don’t hear about the tens of thousands of plane flights that happened over the past several months that took off, flew to their destination, and landed without a hitch.

      Reply ↓
  7. Jenesis*

    So after numerous back and forth talks with the husband about “well, if we want a cat, what do we need to do to make this happen?” it appears we… have a cat?

    Found her under a parked car two Sunday nights ago, lured her into the house with food, and she hasn’t left since, except to go to the vet (it was a weeklong struggle to wrangle her into the carrier, it seems we’ve found the one cat in the world that HATES BOXES). No collar, microchip, or spay scar. Based on her demeanor, recognition of certain objects/sounds, and overall cleanliness we concluded she must have lived in a house before and wasn’t on the street that long when we picked her up. County law requires us to make “reasonable efforts” to locate the prior owner for a month (I’ve been daily checking the LOST CAT listings on Pawboost to see if anyone’s lost cat is a match), but we’ve already fallen in love with her and if a month goes by with no owner contact, we are 100% set on formally adopting her.

    Oh, and Husband is allergic to cats, but she wandered all over the condo on the first day here and he hasn’t had any bad reactions so far… so if that isn’t a miracle I don’t know what is.

    Any cat-raising tips would be appreciated!

    Reply ↓
    1. Red Reader the Adulting Fairy*

      The carrier isn’t a box, it’s a torture device. :)

      Plan to get her medically up to date (vaccinations primarily, anti-flea and deworming medications as a precaution if the vet recommends, but definitely spaying as long as she’s old enough) ASAP; cats in heat are a DREADFUL thing on so many levels. Your vet can easily chip her for you as well — mine prefers to do chips while they’re under for the spay if feasible, just because it’s less discomfort for them than doing it while they’re awake.

      Begin as you mean to go on — if you don’t want her doing it forever (whether “it” is climbing on your counters, jumping on your head in the middle of the night, yowling for food at 3am, whatever), don’t let her do it now. WAY easier to train her that she’s not allowed in the bedroom now, than after you’ve been letting her do it for three or four years. :)

      Reply ↓
    2. Anonymoss*

      So yes, make sure she’s up-to-date on shots, get her chipped, etc. I would also work on training her just like a dog. Get her a harness and get her used to it (just put her in it for a bit and give treats to get her used to it) and then when she’s comfy, get the leash on her. It’s much easier to take your cat places when you can walk her on the leash.

      I would also work on getting her acclimated to being in the car so that she’s good for car rides, and maybe work with the crate to see if she’ll be less freaked out by it (some of this will depend on how old she is and how scared he is) and at the least it won’t take a week to catch her.

      One thing I’ve learned is also make sure that she’s getting plenty of play time so that she isn’t destroying your furniture and knocking things off tables. It’s like a toddler, any behavior you give into is one she’ll repeat because it’s getting her what she wants (food, attention, treats, etc).

      Reply ↓
      1. Jenesis*

        As far as age: the vet estimated her age at 9-12 months, so still a kitten but close to being a full adult. We haven’t thought about leash training her to bring her outside on walks (lot of dogs in the neighborhood) but will keep in mind!

        Reply ↓
    3. Ginger Cat Lady*

      I leave my carriers open in a corner and put a few cat treats in them once or twice a week. They’re very acclimated to it because they go in there regularly. When we go to the vet, we just make sure they see us putting some in there, and then we close it behind them and go.

      Reply ↓
  8. Teapot Translator*

    What’s cooking this weekend? I have beef and orzo, so I pulled a recipe for a Greek beef stew from the Internet.

    Reply ↓
    1. Pam Adams*

      I made macaroni and cheese from the standard blue box and added cannelini beans. A touch of cream cheese and a handful of shredded made it extra rich.
      Quick comfort food with added protein.

      Reply ↓
      1. Peanut Hamper*

        I sometimes throw a can of tuna in there for more protein, along with a couple of slices of American cheese.

        If you like it spicy, throw in a can of chili beans.

        Reply ↓
    2. Peanut Hamper*

      The weather has turned cold, so I’m planning on making chili and split pea soup and throwing them into the freezer for weekdays when I don’t feel like cooking.

      I would love to see that recipe for Greek beef stew!

      Reply ↓
    3. Esprit de l'escalier*

      I had half a pound of Great Northern white beans and a small pumpkin, so I made smittenkitchen’s very good black-bean pumpkin soup but with white beans. She calls for canned beans and canned pumpkin so her version is easier (and I would use canned pumpkin the next time). It made a lot, and I’m hoping for that “tastes even better the next day” effect as I eat it up over the next several days.

      Reply ↓
    4. goddessoftransitory*

      I made southwestern creamy chicken soup and last minute veggie burritos after arriving at the store and discovering they were out of eggplants, so no moussaka.

      Reply ↓
    5. CtheRocker*

      Venison burgers, home made french fries, and fried green Creole tomatoes tomorrow. Sunday will feature field peas & snaps, and Mexican cornbread. (The venison we harvested and the tomatoes we grew in our garden. So yummy!)

      Reply ↓
  9. BellaStella*

    The news of Phil Lesh’s passing has me reeling. Any other Deadheads here who are sad? I very clearly remember where I was when Jerry passed and now Phil too. Box of Rain is on repeat.

    Reply ↓
    1. Peanut Hamper*

      It’s very sad. But he gave us so much, I feel he is entitled to his rest.

      He passed the test. He will diminish and go into the west and remain Phil.

      And for that, I am thankful.

      Reply ↓
  10. Old Plant Woman*

    Personal mysteries? Just fun stuff. Many years ago I lived in a third floor apartment, downtown old town, hardwood floors, art tile, fancy iron fire escape balcony. You get the idea. My lovely room mate brought home a sweet pregnant stray cat. We were starving students, so no vet visits or kitty supplies like I have now. But we fed her and loved her until she got fat and sassy then rehomed all the kitties. Now here’s where we messed up. There was a big flower box on the balcony. No flowers then, just dirt. So of course we used the dirt, but we didn’t take the used out to the dumpster. We just tossed it in a hearty trash bag on the balcony. For months. Then we decided to move two blocks away. Guess we wanted a better alley view. Another story. We polished that apartment, went out on the balcony, stuffed the bag whole into maybe five layers of bags so we could muscle it down stairs into the dumpster without it breaking. Didn’t have the nerve to open and divide. Then decided we’d better leave it for the morning since we were tired and too comfortable after a couple bottles of wine.
    Next morning it was gone. Just gone. Mop broom bottle of wax was there. Bag of used paper towels. Seventy pounds of cat sh$t gone. Doors locked. Imagine two goofy hungover girls trying to ask the manager was could have happened without admitting what we did.

    Reply ↓
    1. Old Plant Woman*

      One more bit. Manager, spicy old lady, was so happy with our cleaning she added a bottle of really bad wine and stale cookies to our security deposit refund. Then she gave us the look. Nobody’s been in here. You really think somebody got in here to steal your trash?

      Reply ↓
    2. Ginger Cat Lady*

      Bought my daughter a really fun toy for her second birthday. Hid it really well. So well she’s 27 now and we still haven’t found it. And we have moved to a new house!

      Reply ↓
  11. Halloweenie*

    What is your Halloween strategy? Passing out premium candy? Putting a candy bowl in your front door? Hiding in a dark house?

    Reply ↓
    1. MissGirl*

      My neighborhood is the one people drive their kids to for trick or treating. Last year we made the national news for decorations. I love it. I got about 250 kids before I ran out of candy. Since I get so many, I can’t do big candy bars but I do decent candy. I just sit on my porch with my kid-loving dog and hand it out. My neighbor does hot dogs and another does music with creepy scenes broadcast on his house.

      Reply ↓
    2. Knighthope*

      I’ve done all 3, at various times. One year, someone stole all the candy not long after I put the box out (I had a lot of grading to do) which made me angry and discouraged. My neighborhood was voted “Best for Trick or Treating” by the city’s magazine. There can be up to about 300 kids!

      Reply ↓
    3. Old Plant Woman*

      We only get about thirty kids a year and I love little Hershey’s bars and Kisses. So go for the good stuff. We have way too much candy “hidden”in the fridge in a paper bag closed with one staple. So who is gonna break the staple? Maybe the husband and I will… let me think. Few days after Halloween we’ll sucker someone to take it all away.

      Reply ↓
  12. Hatchet*

    I need a gut check on the unspoken rules for getting off airplanes, especially if you have a short connection to your next flight. What’s reasonable? And what’s rude to other passengers?

    I’ve been an occasional flyer for decades now and I guess never paid attention to plane exiting, except for the few occasions where the pilot has asked those not with X reason to wait until those with X reason get off the plane. However, if flyers have short connections, are they supposed to call it out as they try to make their way up the aisle? Or something else that I’m missing?

    And what about those who storm their way up the aisle with no apparent reason forcing their way ahead of those who are waiting their turn for their row to exit the plane? (I’ve had a few interesting experiences my last few flights and need to know if it’s a me thing or if these people were totally being jerks.) Thanks!

    Reply ↓

Leave a Comment

Before you comment: Please be kind, stay on-topic, and follow the site's commenting rules.
You can report an ad, tech, or typo issue here.

Subscribe to all comments on this post by RSS