What’s On Your Mind?

[Scepticalscribe]

That particular cousin was the god of our childhood; we were kids, he was a handsome, accomplished, charismatic, confident, urbane, and very warm, young man, and a young man, who, somewhat surprisingly, got on extremely well with children, and was comfortable with children, and no, not in any creepy or sleazy way.

Years later, he was a very warm and loving father to his own children.

Decent Brother has just been on the phone for the best part of the past two hours - my cousin was his godfather, after all, - and we were recalling stuff such as the intense and extraordinarily competitive games of Monopoly, which we used to play with this cousin (he would have been in his early to mid 20s at the time, - whereas, we were kids who were still in primary school) who sometimes arrived to stay with us for a few days in the period immediately after Christmas.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

His kids (all adults now) lost their mother (who was a lovely person) in tragic circumstances over twenty years ago - she was a teacher, who died of a sudden heart attack while on holiday, she had just made a cup of tea, one morning, and collapsed - leaving him with four kids, aged from just under a year, to ten years of age.

And, so, he raised his four children, - financially, he was fine, he had his own successful business, he worked in the travel trade - for the best part of a decade, until he met another woman, several years later, who was also, (as, my parents had thought, and as Decent Brother and I both still think) an absolutely lovely person, whom he married, very happily, and who became an adored stepmother to his four children.

He used to say (and said so on several occasions to Decent Brother and myself) that he was very lucky with the women in his life - and he was - but he was also a very warm, and generous person, with a great capacity for love, who liked food and drink, and football and music and laughter.

He had been very close to my parents, who had played a sort of mentoring and supporting role for him when he was a young man.

In fact, looking through his emails today, reading one he wrote to me shortly after learning of my mother's death, he had commented on that:
"Your family home was very much a second home to me during the late 60s and early 70s.
Both Charlie and Phil were the easiest people in the world to discuss all my cares and worries with during those times. They weren't an uncle and aunt, they were my close friends and confidents."

 

[Thomas Veil]

My daughter called this morning to ask a favor. She needs us to drive her and both of our grandsons to band practice at school today, because she has no car.

Why does she have no car? Well, although they own two, my son-in-law, airhead that he is, is always misplacing his stuff. Today he managed to lose his coat, wallet and the keys to his car. He's participating in a toy distribution event today, so he's going to borrow her vehicle.

I suggested this as a Christmas present for him:

 

[Herdfan]

I suggested this as a Christmas present for him:

I have 3 boxes of 4 waiting to be wrapped for Christmas. We have done the Tile thing and while they sort of work, they also sort of don't. So going to give these a try.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My daughter called this morning to ask a favor. She needs us to drive her and both of our grandsons to band practice at school today, because she has no car.

Why does she have no car? Well, although they own two, my son-in-law, airhead that he is, is always misplacing his stuff. Today he managed to lose his coat, wallet and the keys to his car. He's participating in a toy distribution event today, so he's going to borrow her vehicle.

I suggested this as a Christmas present for him:

Probably the sort of guy who has had people cleaning up after him, stepping up and solving his problems for him - a kind of learned behaviour (but extremely effective) of cultivated helplessness - for his entire life.

 

[Edd]

My daughter called this morning to ask a favor. She needs us to drive her and both of our grandsons to band practice at school today, because she has no car.

Why does she have no car? Well, although they own two, my son-in-law, airhead that he is, is always misplacing his stuff. Today he managed to lose his coat, wallet and the keys to his car. He's participating in a toy distribution event today, so he's going to borrow her vehicle.

I suggested this as a Christmas present for him:

Coat, wallet, and keys. That’s a ding-dong hat trick. My friends and I would bust each other’s balls relentlessly if one of us did that. Gotta have systems for this and 100% PKW when you leave the house.

A couple of years ago I altered it to PKWZ because middle age seems to have triggered me forgetting to zip my fly from time to time. Works pretty well.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Mine is - before I even leave the house - to check keys (pat pocket), wallet (check other pocket), coat (well, it is winter, and I feel the cold - I am never without a coat), and, these days, also check for face-mask, and, usually, lip gloss, spare tissues, too.

Phone is an occasional optional extra.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I always gave my wallet, keys and phone on me. Never lost one yet.
I’m often wondering if I could stop carrying a wallet although as I now pay for everything on my watch. And when I say everything I mean petrol. I rarely buy anything else. Mrs AFB does the shopping. We don’t really go out for coffees or alcohol or any other socialising.
So although my wallet is on me, it’s pretty redundant.

 

[Pumbaa]

Mine is - before I even leave the house - to check keys (pat pocket), wallet (check other pocket), coat (well, it is winter, and I feel the cold - I am never without a coat), and, these days, also check for face-mask, and, usually, lip gloss, spare tissues, too.

Phone is an occasional optional extra.

I’ll just assume you sing “Hey Macarena!” while doing this pat dance. No need to confirm.

 

[ericwn]

My daughter called this morning to ask a favor. She needs us to drive her and both of our grandsons to band practice at school today, because she has no car.

Why does she have no car? Well, although they own two, my son-in-law, airhead that he is, is always misplacing his stuff. Today he managed to lose his coat, wallet and the keys to his car. He's participating in a toy distribution event today, so he's going to borrow her vehicle.

I suggested this as a Christmas present for him:

Good call I think.

 

[Edd]

I’ll just assume you sing “Hey Macarena!” while doing this pat dance. No need to confirm.

Video or it didn’t happen.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I’ll just assume you sing “Hey Macarena!” while doing this pat dance. No need to confirm.

Neither singing nor dancing, I'm afraid, not for an introverted individual very strongly culturally influenced by Anglo-Saxon reserve and restraint.

Those activities - on the rare occasions they occurred - belonged to dim and distant student days, and even then, only ever happened in company and when amply fuelled by copious quantities of the products of the Grape or the Grain.

Rather, my (double check) wallet, jacket/coat, keys (and mask, and lanyard for my glasses) routine resembles standing still, ruminating, thinking, patting pockets, and mentally running through stuff such as shopping and Things-To-Do lists.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Video or it didn’t happen.

It didn't happen.

 

[Edd]

It didn't happen.

Disappointing to be sure.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Disappointing to be sure.

No, not really.

I am one of those reserved sorts who is violently allergic to exercise.

Dancing for joy?

I might have imagined doing (or wanting to do) such a thing when Barack Obama first won the presidential election, and I did thoroughly enjoy the clip of Joan Baez dancing (in a store) after Mr Biden's victory.

 

[Edd]

I am one of those reserved sorts

You don’t say

Yeah, we’re wildly different but I find it more interesting than off-putting.

 

[Pumbaa]

Neither singing nor dancing, I'm afraid, not for an introverted individual very strongly culturally influenced by Anglo-Saxon reserve and restraint.

Those activities - on the rare occasions they occurred - belonged to dim and distant student days, and even then, only ever happened in company and when amply fuelled by copious quantities of the products of the Grape or the Grain.

Rather, my (double check) wallet, jacket/coat, keys (and mask, and lanyard for my glasses) routine resembles standing still, ruminating, thinking, patting pockets, and mentally running through stuff such as shopping and Things-To-Do lists.

I’m still seeing this, sorry.

 

[Edd]

Seth Meyers has a Corrections bit he does every week, where he recounts what viewers have corrected him on for the previous week’s episode. He’d mentioned high-fiving a rat, and a viewer helpfully pointed out that a rat’s front paws only have four toes, so you’d properly say “up top” if you wanted to slap hands.

I laughed tearfully for a couple minutes and that’s all I can think about right now.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Capers.

The noun, that is, and not the verb.

That is, the briny, salty, small green things, the immature, unripened green flower buds of the caper bush, not playful skipping, or, for that matter, an amusing activity or escapade of dubious legality.

@lizkat will enjoy this: I thought I had them (they play a starring and - unfortunately, a key - role in the Sicilian dish known as caponata) , but, it transpires that I had cornichons (and also, for that matter, classic sweet gherkins). But, not capers.

So, capers shall be purchased tomorrow; everything else required for caponata has already been set out.

 

[User.45]

I’m still seeing this, sorry.

View attachment 10326

This reminds me of when I forgot to take my car keys with me, and someone thought I'm trying to break into my car while I was doing the key macarena dance.