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07:00 - 12:0012:00 - 16:00

7:09 AM
I dodged a bullet once again! I don't have to go to the courthouse tomorrow. I've got the damn computer by my side, I would sooooo like to erase it from my existence. Tall have I told you lately how handsome I find you??
 
@Jolenealaska hihi
good morning and congratulations on your good luck with the courthouse
 
It's out of safe-mode (thanks rummi), and it was on-line for for like two minutes. After that...pfft. I ran the anti-malware that rummi recommended, a few things were eradicated...
Hi rummi!
Tomorrow is my last day.
Maybe I'll get lucky.
I mean tomorrow at 5 is the last time I would be notified that I have to show up.
 
you don't want to be a juror?
 
Actually, I would.
 
wouldn't be exciting to see the law system from inside?
 
7:14 AM
I've done it before and found it rewarding.
 
So, why the "dodged a bullet" part? An assimilated culture-wide attitude coming from people too busy to want to fit a law case in their schedules?
 
It's just a pain to get there, plus I would be automatically disqualified from most cases I would find interesting.
Mostly, the pain to get there.
 
why would they disqualify you? And why only from some cases?
 
I would be disqualified from any case involving violence.
Just because I've been too close.
 
@Jolenealaska interesting rule
 
7:18 AM
It's not a hard and fast rule, but the defense wouldn't want me.
 
You were too close because you were a soldier?
 
Strange, 'cause I'm actually of a type that would want very, very strong evidence before I put someone away...
No, the murder case that I testified in.
 
BTW, I was at a party last weekend - the one I baked a cake for.
There I met an American soldier.
It was his last week at Ramstein. He was going on to South Korea afterwards.
 
This reminded me of you.
He brought a storebought key lime pie which I didn't try, because I am a passionate lime hater. I'm afraid I don't know much more about him.
 
7:23 AM
Heehee...I love key lime pie :) Even the lame one that's just sweetened condensed milk and bottled key lime juice.
 
Maybe I should try one some day, with another citrus.
 
So anyway, the defense attorney in any case involving violence would likely (but not entirely necessarily) not want me on the jury. That would be too bad for him, because if I lean any way, it would be towards the defense.
 
ah well, can't fight against prejudice
 
When it comes to jury selection, it's about playing the odds.
 
I can imagine. I've done 8 credits on courses based mostly on the economics of asymmetric information.
 
7:29 AM
I am odd, because the case I was close to would have death penalty case in many states.
My involvement, even knowing the guy was absolutely guilty, cemented my anti-death-penalty sentiments.
 
I guess I've always been a bit of anti-death-penalty, just as a widespread cultural value. But the more I learn about how humans and society function, the more I see how perversely wrong the idea is.
 
perverse is a very good word for it
 
But now I have to go. I'll be back online in one and a half hours at the earliest. See you later.
 
What do you know of The Innocence Project?
Ok!
 
7:46 AM
@ElendilTheTall when I called you handsome, I forgot to @ it!
can't have that
 
 
1 hour later…
9:07 AM
@Jolenealaska <checks for cameras>
 
There you are!!!!
Help me!
Right now I am doing a malwarebytes scan.
oooh done
 
ok
worked my magic again, see
 
even though I have not been online since the last time, there are 7 new threats detected??
BTW! Hi sweetie!
How's the tiniest Tall?
 
not too bad, not too bad
you?
 
Felt like crap yesterday, but fine today.
I brought a really nice dinner to share with CN.
What an ass.
 
9:16 AM
I don't know why you continue giving him the time of day
 
I so badly want to get rid of this problem...
aaarrgghh
cause...
ugh
I dunno
he's so pathetic
 
that's his problem, not yours
 
if I don't care
 
I'd be pathetic too if it got me food and female attention
 
no one else will
 
9:18 AM
Don't think I haven't tried it!
 
:)
The dinner I brought today was sooo good. I mean just tremendous.
I spent all afternoon on it.
holy crap it was good
 
this was the Puerto Rican one?
 
after he was done he managed a mumbled, "thanks, that was good."
yep
He picked out all of the olives and capers....
 
It is kind of hard to watch.
He's of the type that only likes food that is comfortably familiar.
 
9:29 AM
tut
 
bugs the hell out of me
I shouldn't even tell you this...
 
ok
¬_¬
 
I have an interest in keeping your help...
but
this is how big of an ass this guy is...
He bought "good"(meaning Hershey bars and Snicker's) for Halloween...
so he tells me that I get the leftovers (OK, thanks, but...)
So, he's going to be sure to turn away teenagers...
You're too old to Trick-or-Treat here
So he says he he is going to send kids away
'cause they're too old
 
you're talking to someone who ignores trick or treaters here remember
 
Sure, but you also know that it is a different culture
Had it not been for the Tylenol thing in the 80s, Trick or Treating would still be huge here.
 
9:45 AM
@Jolenealaska tylenol? And hi
 
When I was a kid (elementary age), the streets were full!
 
i thought that was a myth
 
Oh yeah, you don't know the reference??
 
@ElendilTheTall The razor blades are a myth
I've never heard of Tylenol, as myth or not
 
No, the Tylenol thing was all too real...
 
9:47 AM
and I wonder why anybody would use it. What do they want to do as a prank, cure the kids' headaches?
 
The Chicago Tylenol murders were a series of poisoning deaths resulting from drug tampering in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1982. The victims had all taken Tylenol branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. James William Lewis was convicted of extortion for sending a letter taking credit for the deaths and demanding $1 million to stop them, and he was also the primary suspect in the killings despite living in New York City at the time. The incidents led to reforms in the packaging of over-the-counter substances and to federal anti-tampering laws. == The...
It killed trick or treating.
The whole thing has never been the same since.
 
I read it. How is it related to trick or treating?
 
given the quality of American candy (which rumi and I were discussing just the other day), that can only be a good thing
 
It's not, except that product tampering became the boogeyman.
For the next few years it was a thing to bring the bags of trick or treaters to get X-rayed.
Not THAT was a myth.\
\as far as I know, there has never been a razor blade.
Even today, I love Halloween.
I'd like to do something homemade.
 
I have a recipe for edible cellophane somewhere
 
9:56 AM
But, I really can't...
 
you could freak the kids out by eating a sweet in front of them, wrapper and all!
 
There is such paranoia that only commercial wrapped candy is OK.
 
I think I'd rather die from poisoned tylenol than eat a Twizzler I must say
 
when I tried one I thought there was somehow a mix up at the factory and I was instead chewing on a piece of industrial hose
though that at least would've had some flavour
 
10:01 AM
they are pretty bad!
 
I once found a place to buy Hershey's and was excited. The brand being so well known, I thought it must be good.
I bought a standard chocolate bar, no fillings, raisins or anything.
 
but...Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.....
 
My first association when eating was "slimy wax".
I don't want to know what emulsifiers they have used.
There are brands here which use them a lot too, especially the one which masks the lack of cocoa butter in the chocolate bar. But none comes close to this strange texture I found in Hershey's.
 
You know what else is good? Kit Kat and Snickers
 
Snickers are good, Kit Kat is meh.
In my experience all American candy bars are just variations on snickers
caramel, peanuts, chocolate
 
10:05 AM
And and! York Peppermint Patty!
 
chocolate, caramel, peanuts
The only real winner is Peanut Butter M&Ms
also, a supermarket near me has Boylan Bottle Co. Black Cherry Cane Sugar drink on clearance at the moment - holy christ yes
I love black cherry
 
I'm suddenly thinking of Turkish Delight.
Butterfinger
 
Butterfinger is chocolate, caramel and peanut butter
 
also sticks to your teeth ridiculously
 
10:08 AM
When I am presented with a bowl of candy bars, kitkat is one I might pick.
 
it's peanut-butterish...no caramel
 
But I prefer Bounty.
But no snickers.
I never buy them myself.
 
well christ, it's still chocolate and peanuts
@rumtscho I hate Bounty
 
no peanuts...just peanut flavor
 
@Jolenealaska hair splittery
 
10:10 AM
no!
 
@ElendilTheTall ah yes, I remember now, you mentioned that you don't like coconut
 
my point is, there are other flavours that go with chocolate other than fucking peanuts
 
Totally different!
York Peppermint PattY
 
@Jolenealaska we don't import this one. What is it?
 
mint fondant covered in 'chocolate'
fat After Eights essentially
 
10:12 AM
@ElendilTheTall Ah, I know the sort.
 
White mint fluff, encased in chocolate
 
@ElendilTheTall Do After Eight have fondant?
I remember them having the mint flavor directly inside the chocolate
but now you talk about them, I realize it has been years I've had them.
But I will probably like the stuff.
 
A bit more intense than you might think from that description
 
I remember mint Ritter Sport being one of my preferred variations.
 
@rumtscho yes, a thin layer
jojo, I need to send you a care package of proper candy ;)
 
10:16 AM
ah yes, I remember your idea now
@Jolenealaska would you be interested in a candy swapping? For real?
 
Sure!)
 
@Jolenealaska Great. I think I shouldn't start planning it now while I'm at work, because I won't get any work done :P
 
By all means, we're the only ones here right now and one of us is a mod
so
 
OK, I'll send you a mail later. We can discuss the details here actually, the mail is only needed for the postal address.
You can start thinking of any German candy you want to try.
 
10:21 AM
Hmm
 
I will have ideas too, but if there's something you are already interested in, I will send it, of course.
 
I come from very, very German stock.
I remember a candy...
my grandmother loved it.
 
if you don't remember the name, you can maybe describe it
 
It was red fluff- Cherry maybe?
encapsulated in dark chocolate
 
hmm, what do you mean by "fluff". Sugar cotton, or solidified foam?
 
10:25 AM
marshmallow
 
Or fondant?
 
split the difference
maybe egg sized
1/2 egg actually
but round'
 
flat?
or a sphere?
 
bottom was flat, top wa domed
 
could it have had dough?
 
10:28 AM
no
 
I think I know what you're talking about
 
@ElendilTheTall can you find a link? Because I was thinking of this kind of "cake"
 
It's a fond memory, cause Grandma would buy one for herself, and then any candy I wanted to keep me quiet! :)
 
I'm thinking more along the lines of: halloren.de/wisl_s-cms/3/Original_Halloren_Kugeln/5/…
Fruchtige Kirschlikör-Pralinen
fruity cherry liqueur praline?
 
There is mon cheri
Mon Chéri [ˈmõˑʃeˌʀi] ist eine mit Branntwein gefüllte Praline des italienischen Herstellers Ferrero. Das Produkt wird fast weltweit vertrieben. Die äußere Hülle besteht aus Zartbitterschokolade. Diese ist mit Kirschlikör (etwa 0,66 g) und einer sogenannten „Piemont-Kirsche“ gefüllt. In den USA vertreibt Ferrero unter gleichem Namen ein Produkt mit anderem Inhalt. Dort enthält Mon Chéri Milchschokolade und eine geröstete Haselnuss (ähnlich dem in Deutschland und Österreich bekannten „Ferrero Küsschen“). == Geschichte und Statistik == Mon Chéri gibt es seit den 1950er Jahren auf der ganzen Welt…
But there is nothing fluffy about it
 
10:33 AM
Getting close - no hllf cake though
 
it has liquid liqueur inside, and a preserved cherry in it.
 
from the outside it looked like the half-cake thing
no liquid
 
The thing Elendil posted has no cake. It is cream creme and cocoa creme.
 
still...not that.
fluffy pink stuff, encapsulated in chocolate.
I don't think there was any crust at all
but it was a half-sphere
 
Isnät the chocolate a crust_
 
10:38 AM
was it definitely cherry?
 
it was definitely red.
pink
 
Can it be that you had some version of Schaumküsse, but with pink filling?
 
perhaps it was raspberry....
 
Bigger, fluffier
 
10:40 AM
They come in different sizes and colors
 
The inside looks right
 
They are mostly smooth on the outside, I havenät seen a version with chocolate pieces outside before
 
but, outside is a half-sphere
I remember the wrapper too
 
they might have been something that a local chocolate shop made
 
No
it was national
 
10:43 AM
hmmm
 
maybe international
 
true
it might have been Belgian or Swiss
 
The wrapper brought to mind a railroad crossing sign...
 
Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats are produced in different variations around the world, with several countries claiming to have invented it or hailing it as their "national confection". The first chocolate-coated marshmallow treat was created in the early 1800s in Denmark. Originally the treat was made using cream (hence the Danish name flødeboller (cream buns)), but the filling was later made from egg whites to help industrializing production and improve shelf life. Also known as Blub Blubs in eastern Canada by the English Burgar's and Scottish Titus clan. == National varieties == =...
I have never seen a low variant
 
@Jolenealaska what does that look like in the US?
 
10:45 AM
but they are quite popular in Germany in the high version
the English article is a bit misleading
 
I went to the German Wikipedia page of Schokokuss
 
except red
not yellow
 
and when I switched to English, I got the one about "marshmallow treats", which describes many national variations which are sometimes very different from Schokokuesse
 
how big are we talking jojo?
 
10:47 AM
2" in diameter
half again the size of an egg
 
I thnk there are schokokuesse this size, but they are the larger ones
Wait, 2 inch is half an egg for you?
I'd say an egg's equator is less than 2 inch in diameter here.
 
half again as big, jojo means
 
Yes, so your eggs are 4 inch?
Or is my English wrong again?
 
NO! Haha:)
 
10:50 AM
d = 5cm. Half as big again = 7.5cm
 
@ElendilTheTall aaah. Thank you.
 
1.5X
 
The sweets talk and the time of day make me hungry. I think I should go and eat, and not wait again until the cafeteria is almost closed and there are only scraps left.
See you later.
 
I THINK I FOUND IT!!!
I think this is it:
See the RR crossing thing??
More ways than one!
 
right
that looks really German
ಠ_ಠ
'An American favourite since 1918'
ie Grandma picked it up at the airport
 
10:59 AM
Well, I didn't know if IT was German
Just that she was!
Give me a break...
I was 8!
Anyway, that's it! :)
 
<grumble>
 
heeheee :) Betcha it comes from German roots...
Grandma LOVED this candy...
 
It looks good
I love cherry and chocolate
Black Forest Trifle, oh sweet jebus
 
:)
I remember so fondly Grandma when she would see that candy....
 
like a shark smelling chum...
 
11:07 AM
she would gasp.....
kind of like me at the mention of Les Miserables....
Then she would immediately ask me what I wanted...
'cause bribery was right there
which is kind of sad, actually
 
Once upon a time I told the story of my disillusionment with my grandfather.
Was that to you??
 
hmmm
it might have been - you ramble on so
;)
it does ring a bell actually
 
I can't believe I'm going to have a Jungle Monkey in my car?
 
yeah, that definitely rings a bell
 
11:21 AM
I was maybe a freshman in High School.
I adored him until that moment.
He died maybe 10 years ago.
I never loved him again...
I was beyond shocked.
 
I can imagine
 
I'm a bit emotional even now, thinking about it. Grandma died fairly recently. She was a saint. A more precious woman has never been known.
Of course she expected harps.
 
it does come back and hit you when you least it expect it
grief is like a wave, as they say
 
I had shed many tears over the death of my grandmother. She was so precious to me. My mother died at the age of 62. I have yet to shed a tear.
I was shocked, but not particularly saddened.
 
11:41 AM
I still shed tears for my dad every so often. I will be happily doing something else, then it will hit me.
 
How long ago did you lose him?
 
3 years
 
Same time frame as my mother.
I can imagine being you....
Looking at your children...
wishing they could meet their grandfather.
 
yup
he would have loved my daughter especially, she would have made him laugh
 
Look hard now for any and all pictures.
Listen to stories...
 
11:51 AM
I'm here again
@Jolenealaska I'm sorry, I have never seen this candy. And the German Schaumkuesse seem to have a different filling.
 
@rumtscho I think you're absolved of responsibility rumi
 
Theirs is soft. Kind of a fake buttercream.
 
Had I not had the conversation with the two of you, I would have lost that memory...
 
@Jolenealaska heh, then it was a good thing even though it probably won't be in your swap package
 
you're welcome
;)
 
11:53 AM
But I don't think memories get lost. Not ones which have survived that long, anyway. They may not be immediately available to your conscious mind, but they are there, ready to be retrieved.
Who knows, maybe one they when you are 100 years old and demented and living in a nursing home, you won't realize what day it is, but will be reliving these days of eating candy with your grandmother.
 
I am so happy to remember it...it was very, very close to being gone from current consciousness.
 
07:00 - 12:0012:00 - 16:00

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