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12:02 AM
Hello everyone. Here are pictures of my new kittens, who are just starting to like me. See allmeow.blogspot.com for more pictures and updates if you are interested. Hope you are all well.
They don't have names yet.
Au revoir.
 
@SAJ14SAJ thank you for the cat pictures!
 
 
6 hours later…
6:34 AM
@SAJ14SAJ Awwww, cute! Keep us posted - no place like the Internet for cat pictures ;-)
 
7:12 AM
Morning all
 
Good morning, Tall!
 
Hi
Wie gehts?
 
Am just reading about heliciculture.
Just for fun, not because of real plans.
I guess hubby would send me to Bedlam, if I tried that.
 
Heliciculture?
Growing your own helicopters?
 
Breeding snails.
 
7:19 AM
Ah
 
Heliciculture, also known as heliculture, commonly known as snail farming, is the process of raising land snails specifically for human use, either to use their flesh as edible escargot, or more recently, to obtain snail slime for use in cosmetics, or snail eggs for human consumption as a type of caviar. Perhaps the best known edible land snail species in the Western world is Helix pomatia (also known as Roman snail or Burgundy snail). This snail is located throughout much of Europe. Helix aspersa, being next most known, were found originally in the Mediterranean region. Helix aspera are now common...
 
Breed them and sell them to restaurants
 
I was thinking more of my kitchen than of my wallet.
 
Man, I didn't need to read about snail caviar this early in the morning >.<
A flagrant flouting of EL1
 
As I said before: more left for me.
But originally I was searching for vegetarian recipe ideas.
Then some excursion suggestions and suddely I landed at snail farming.
The mysterious ways of the Internet ;)
But what's going on on your side of the Channel, @ElendilTheTall?
The Jamie Oliver rant made it to the German media as well, btw.
 
7:46 AM
Hi guys!
Sorry about last night. My Kindle had become unplugged and needed to be charged. I plugged it in, said "screw it", and went to sleep.
 
@Stephie Jamie Oliver rant?
@Jolenealaska you are forgiven
 
:)
I bought a wifi router and season 5 of GoT today.
 
8:01 AM
you devil you
don't forget to secure the router
 
And covered / commented upon in the usual sources like Daily Mail or Telegraph.
 
i see
slightly confusing
 
Huy
one of the times Gordon and Jamie agree
 
"we all need to come together, unless Boris gets in, in which case, I'm off somewhere else with my millions up millions of pounds"
 
@ElendilTheTall could Scotland really veto the declaration of wanting to exit? (paragraph 50 or so). Obviously the referendum is not binding, but still?
 
8:08 AM
no idea
Sturgeon seems to think so
the really telling thing about all this is that no one seems to know what the hell is going on
no one had a plan in place, Leave least of all.
 
Neither in GB nor in Brussels.
 
Johnson and Gove were just using the whole thing to move up in the Conservative Party - they didn't think for a second they would actually win
and probably didn't even want to
 
There seems to be a frantic search for loopholes going on.
(Except for the European Commission, that wants you out like yesterday. Fools.)
 
yes, Tusk and Juncker have it in for us
 
@ElendilTheTall It was automatic. All I had to do was plug it in and then go to the website to change the password and register it. It took more time to open the box.
My dinner is almost ready, I'll be back in a bit.
 
8:12 AM
@Jolenealaska you've had to put a password in on your devices to connect to the wifi, right?
oh fuck
 
Gove is standing for Tory leadership (-‸ლ)
He is an utter, utter, utter cunt (excuse my French)
When he was education secretary, he basically made changes to the curriculum off the top of his head
"They need to know about this king, and this king, and this king. And Roman numerals!"
Basically, if he remembered learning it, in it went
Oh, and forget coursework - tests all round
rote learning
 
To ensure that nothing is actually remembered, just temporarily crammed for the next test.
 
Exactly
He royally fucked the education system, then left
Even Boris Johnson is preferable
and stabbing myself in the leg with a blunt carving fork is preferable to Boris
 
Like the first spelling reform here. They took back much of it a few years after. Result? I have no f**ing idea of how to spell some things and stick to the pre-1996 rules.
 
8:18 AM
I don't see why they can't just leave these things alone for a while
 
@ElendilTheTall I could send a few more political idiots over - we have a few of those, too.
 
They introduce so many new initiatives at such a rate that it's impossible to actually see if any of them work
@Stephie let's arrange a summit for all the world's politicians on an island somewhere, then maroon them
GLOBAL WARMING SPIKE BLAMED ON MASSIVE HOT AIR BLOOM ON TRISTAN DE CUNHA - POLITICIANS BLAMED
 
Here, it's "G8" - shortening the "Gymnasium" by one year. First states going back to G9 already.
 
Holy crap! You know nothing, Jon Snow - Melisandre
 
Jon Snuh
Ah jojo
so innocent
so ignorant of what lies ahead
 
8:32 AM
Bye - gotta go. See you later!
 
@ElendilTheTall I sooo knew you were going to say that!
 
8:46 AM
you sweet summer child
<shakes head with a chuckle>
you think you've seen some shit just because you've seen torture and rats eating through stomachs?
ha!
that's kids tv compared to what's coming up!
 
With lots of boobies!
I'm going to reboot in hopes of having GoT on the Kindle (with headphones) and this room with Dragon. BRB
 
see you tomorrow ;)
 
9:16 AM
Don't screw with me! At first I was getting 'connected' from the home screen yet no internet connection when I tried to play the video. Rebooting seems to have helped.
 
chance would be a fine thing :P
 
wtff?
 
Now I have no sound
Ok, got it
 
9:24 AM
:)
Now I need my Dragon.
 
9:37 AM
And there is Dragon! Life is good.
 
praise be
 
Now I'm tired. I have had a hell of a day.
 
hey you!
 
9:43 AM
@ElendilTheTall Roger Corman Movie Marathon?
 
@JourneymanGeek GoT
 
ahh, close enough
 
I love my Fire. Best $50 of my daddy's money I have ever spent (not including bail).
 
cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/71046/… shouldn't tony be having frosted flakes? TRAITOR TIGER!
@Jolenealaska heh. I have a pair of 4k displays ._.
so movies go on one of em ;p
 
9:50 AM
I love getting over on the man and having it fully functional. Wicked cool.
 
@Jolenealaska heh. Amazon is wierd like that ._.
 
@JourneymanGeek I can play movies on my TV, but if I'm chatting, movies are secondary.
 
@Jolenealaska hence two screens ._.
 
'lo!
 
@JourneymanGeek Since I have the Kindle butted up against my monitor, it's perfect for me. I hear through the headphones and speak to Dragon through my excellent microphone. We've come a long way in a short period of time.
 
10:00 AM
next stop, Mars
 
Mars is boring. I want to meet far away people (Korea doesn't count).
 
Next stop Uranus!
 
you sweet talker, you :)
 
that's me
 
I have Tooth Monster all weekend. Shit. He has now bitten me three times. But, I can spend his mom's money.
 
10:11 AM
tooth monster?
 
A 7 year old Yorkie with serious mental issues.
 
Its super warm so my dog's plonked his furry arse right under the air conditioner
ahh
@Jolenealaska that's the worst
they're bloody intelligent critters :(
 
The worst is that he is so damn cute that no one suspects that he is actually dangerous.
 
he's all adorable then WHAM?
 
Yep. And he doesn't mess around about it.
 
10:15 AM
Yeah
I've been bitten by a certain terrier pup
they have quite a grip
 
He puts everything he has into bites.
 
I spent a couple of days in the ICU after he bit me the first time. I can't swear that the bite is why I got so sick, but I suspect it.
 
Muzzle?
 
@ElendilTheTall dosen't solve the underlying issues, and you can't really keep a dog muzzled up all day
 
10:21 AM
cough put it down cough
 
@ElendilTheTall Yes, I am using one as a training tool, but this little shit is pretty wise to it.
 
heh, there used to be a local dog like that
she's mellowed out with age tho
was a rescue yorkie... and their other dog is even crazier.
 
@JourneymanGeek That might be a clue, Watson.
 
@Jolenealaska Oh, this is one of the the few cases where 'there's no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners' isn't true
their other dog was found in a carpark, abandoned in a crate.
Little fella isn't socialised and refuses to leave the crate a lot of the time
basically they adopted dogs no one else would, and do their best with em.
 
I don't know about the US, but here you used to have to get a license to own a dog
bring 'em back I say
reduce cruelty, reduce dog attacks
 
10:25 AM
@ElendilTheTall not everyone does it
 
bring in tax revenue
@JourneymanGeek does what?
 
We kinda accidentally adopted ours and he wasn't licenced by his old owner. Granted she only had him two or three weeks
licences or chips their dogs
 
well, you'd have to back it up with legislation obviously
 
and a lot of rescues here are proper stray mutts
 
a fine, followed by something stronger for repeat offense
 
10:26 AM
hmm. Maybe dismemberment?
 
I'm not saying license the dog, I'm saying license the owner
 
ahh
yeah
here there's regulations
but occationally wierd shit happens
 
have a basic competency test, maybe get the RSPCA to check out the home and make sure it's suitable for a dog, then a small fee, say £10, and away you go
 
heh
@ElendilTheTall ours was "err... we need to take care of this puppy... for a bit" "she's not taking back is he" "maybe we should rehome him" "nawwwww"
next thing you know you have a dog and a large box of toys or two.
I'm sure a lot of people start with awww. without realising how much damned work it is.
 
right, so, in my hypothetical license land, you would then go and apply for a license. if it turned out you weren't fit or able to own the dog, the RSPCA would take it off your hands
ideally of course you'd apply beforehand
 
10:34 AM
I'm also caring for sweetest dog ever. He's about the same size as Tooth Monster, but couldn't be more different. He is a bit timid, but once he trusts you that trust is solid. He has one ear that stands straight up, and one that flops. Today he brought his teddy bear along when we took a walk.
Every time he meets me in the hallway, he just walks into my apartment like he owns the joint.
 
aww
lol
sounds like mine.
 
He is an absolute pleasure. I'd care for him for free but for the fact that I need the money.
 
terrier too?
 
No. So stone a mutt that I can't even guess.
 
Heinz
 
10:40 AM
@ElendilTheTall ?
 
I'll snap a pic tomorrow.
 
57 Varieties
 
57 kinds? ;p
 
Ah, "mustard dog" here.
 
erm.. why?
 
10:41 AM
In English "five cents dog" - everyone added his five cents.
 
lol
Mine's a mystery mutt
 
Or that.
 
wierd thing is we ran into a dog that looks just like him, just with reaaaaaaly long legs
also a mystery mutt
 
distant cousin?
 
possibly
looked like a golden coloured mini snauzer but with legs even longer than a normal mini snauzer
I mean his legs were literally 1 1/4 times the length of his body
 
10:43 AM
Schnauzer?
 
yup
(most white schnauzers here are white and light grey. Mine's supposedly half white schnauzer, but he's kinda blonde)
also I can't spell schnauzer
 
We have a black giant in the neighbourhood. Inbreeding at its finest....
 
its
=)=)=)=ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
 
@Stephie I don't think we've seen giants here
 
You're not missing anything, imho.
 
10:49 AM
In dog training school, our worst for duelling was a Giant Black Schnauzer. 120lbs of scary fuck you.
That dog could tear your throat out.
He was also a great dog.
 
(for that matter, most of the ones I've seen are minis. Seen ONE OR TWO standards)
 
I think I have a pic of him mid-air about to latch on to my protective sleeve.
He leapt higher than I am tall.
When he hit, I loved having huge feet.
 
<grins at mental image>
 
irresistible force vs immovable object
 
I tried to adopt him after graduation, but he had been sold for $8,000. I couldn't match that.
 
Huy
11:03 AM
some people here are language teachers, right?
 
Cerby, iirc.
 
I don't think so, but some of us know English quite well.
 
Why, what do you need?
 
Huy
just wondering how many lessons 100% pensum is in their country
 
11:07 AM
Might depend on school type and probably on subjects.
 
Huy
that's why I'm asking for someone who's actually teaching :D
 
Perhaps ELL?
 
well, Boris Johnson has pulled out of the leadership race
 
@ElendilTheTall uh-oh.
At least you get to keep Jamie O.
 
Gove (arch-twat), May (witch), Fox (twat), Leadson (who?), Baron (who?!), Crabb (who?!)
there is no lesser of evils there I'm afraid
 
11:11 AM
On that note, it's time for me to sleep. Goodnight all!
 
Night jojo!
 
night
 
Meh, that veggie week could get tricky.
 
veggie week?
 
Minor 1 came home the other day and asked to try to be a vegetarian for a month.
I bartered him down to a week, offering to re-negotiate afterwards.
Luckily he decided to go ovo-lacto and isn't picky.
 
11:22 AM
@Stephie what's the tricky part?
 
Could we see a Mexit?!
 
@JourneymanGeek Minor 2 is picky and hates veggies....
 
And hubby wants comfort food.
 
Yes, you are indeed doomed.
 
11:23 AM
you give them the choice?
 
Not really.
 
actual cooking issues, can be fixed. Needing to catherd, less so ;p
 
But I don't want to make it too hard for minor 1. Hubby suggested for this week: BBQ (here are your stuffed mushrooms, son), McD. (enjoy tour veggie burger) and similar. Just to show him straight away how hard it can be.
 
@ElendilTheTall meat-exit?
 
11:26 AM
minor-exit
 
Nope.
 
tbh, when I was cooking for myself, I used to just throw everything into the oven.
 
I told him the rules: I will supply veggie options (which may occasionally be just the side dishes) as long as it's reasonable.
That was ok with him, he just didn't want to eat meat.
Should anyone want to go vegan, they are welcome to cook for themselves (and the family, while they are at it).
 
Worked at a friends's house...
 
11:33 AM
@Stephie everyone in my family can cook.
for varying degrees of tastiness, and there's some things some people do better than others... ;p
 
@JourneymanGeek my minors are 9 and 6.... But I'm working on it.
 
(2 veggies.. 3 veggies? no washup. I hate doing dishes ;p)
._. I have a lot of photos of stuff I cooked when my parents were away.... and I don't recognise some of this
 
Suggestions, please:
 
marinara
fajitas
lasagne
 
My lettuce is slightly bitter, apart from soaking, what type of dressing would help masking it.
 
11:44 AM
risotto
@Stephie honey-mustard
 
@ElendilTheTall Today: pasta primavera. ;-)
@ElendilTheTall on it, thanks.
 
 
2 hours later…
Jay
1:36 PM
@Stephie A sweet honey soy sesame dressing is also very nice. A small dash on ginger in it is nice but i usually dont have ginger just sitting around ready to use
i almost always have honey and soy sauce and sesame oil at hand
maybe a dash of rice vinegar (or just regular vinegar)
Assuming your young'in are okay with asian flavors
 
add a little ketchup and some grated shallots and you're in flavour town!
 
Jay
soy ketchup?
 
tomato
 
Jay
i dont think i've tried that mixture before
 
try it now, thank me later
 
Jay
1:40 PM
i dont think i have ketchup at home atm
 
who doesn't have ketchup?
 
Jay
i also generally associate ketchup with eating unhealthy food :P
although soy ketchup sounds like itd taste good with the pork dumplings my dad made me
 
I've never had just soy and ketchup
but I have made that dressing and it rocks
 
Jay
do you have a ratio in mind or just add small amounts of soy into ketchup to taste?
 
Jay
1:42 PM
@ElendilTheTall oh you mean adding some ketchup to the honey soy vinegar dressing?
hmmm minus the honey
and sesamae
but those are my favorite parts :(
 
add 'em in
 
Jay
ok!
So I went on an outrageously expensive dinner on Tuesday
Dang you fancy japanese food
 
what did you have?
 
Jay
@ElendilTheTall it was a chef's tasting menu thing. so I got 10 different things and dessert
i dont remember everything i had but they includes: lobster tail, kobe beef, some kind of fish collar, scallop ceviche, strip steak, tuna and avocado roll, ermmm what else
 
2 out of 5 ain't bad
 
Jay
1:52 PM
most of it was seafood so you wouldnt have liked it
 
indeed
there's a sushi chain here called Yo!
the missus loves salmon nigiri
my attitude to seafood is well documented
 
Jay
haha
 
but they do some proper food
 
Jay
does the place have nonseafood fare?
ah ok
thats good
 
they used to do a great duck roll - duck, cucumber, rice, plum sauce, green onion, all wrapped with rice paper
great
then they switched it from rice paper to fucking seaweed
 
Jay
1:54 PM
hahahha
 
the world's fishiest tasting muck
the whole point is it's not fish you bastards
 
Jay
seaweed isnt even fishy tasting
 
it is to me
it 'tastes of the sea'. fuck that
my ancestors didn't crawl gasping out of the brine to chew on leaves soaked in fish-piss thanks very much
 
Jay
umami was developed from seaweed though
well msg
 
one source
and msg is flavourless
 
Jay
1:56 PM
i know but it was isolated and more understood because of seaweed
 
well, yay for seaweed. I still don't want to eat the horrible stuff
luckily they also do katsu curry, soba, and inarizushi
so I can scrape together a decent meal
 
Jay
what about konkatsu ramen?
 
never had it
 
Jay
ah ok. Its basically pork based ramen
ramen in generally is miso or seafood based
 
yeah, haven't had much ramen
the UK is generally lacking in Japanese and Mexican places compared to the States (esp. outside London)
 
Jay
2:08 PM
its so disappointing that there are 0 ramen places around me
i would need to drive into Philly for ramen
 
ramen is noodles in a broth, right?
 
Jay
@ElendilTheTall yes noodle soup with lots of yummy toppings
ultimate comfort food
similar to pho but pho noodles are lighter and based in beef
ramen is almost never beef based
 
 
6 hours later…
7:53 PM
@ElendilTheTall PM candidates are discussed in German news now. Weird world.
 
8:06 PM
Yeah, usually it's just US presidents causing enough global turmoil to warrant that...
 
8:27 PM
Like a certain republican who tried to solicit donations in Europe?
And yes, that made it into the German news, too.
 
...wow I hadn't seen that yet.
What a bizarre thing to do.
 
8:44 PM
I guess "Bizarre" might be a fitting middle name for him.
 
8:56 PM
I assume it's incompetence, either someone getting email lists mixed up, or someone not realizing you couldn't do that, but... jeez.
 
@Stephie there was a 2 hour documentary here the other day on what Angela Merkel likes to eat
 
9:13 PM
@ElendilTheTall spare us the details.
Getting late - g'night folks.
 

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