English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

tchrist

23:00

If you go out with a 19 year old when you are 15, you are precocious.

RegDwight АΑA

Feature, not bug.

Cerberus

@RegDwightАΑA Well, I don't know, I could get past that if she were really mature.

tchrist

And if you do so at 49, you are perverse.

Cerberus

@tchrist Of course.

RegDwight АΑA

@Cerberus see that's another soft variable. And how many mature 20-somethings do you know anyway.

Cerberus

23:00

I certainly understand the desire, from two sides, even.

tchrist

I don't believe they exist.

Cerberus

@RegDwightАΑA 20-somethings, many, of course, including myself!

RegDwight АΑA

@tchrist they themselves stop believing that as soon as they reach 40.

tchrist

Oh, I meant twenty-year-olds.

Cerberus

Thanks.

RegDwight АΑA

23:01

@Cerberus you yourself will stop believing that as soon as you turn 40. Probably earlier.

Cerberus

20-y-o's are a but difficult. I might not be weirded out by 20 with 30 if 20 is really mature, but I don't remember ever seeing such a fabled animal.

RegDwight АΑA

But I'm not here anyway. Will catsup with your crazy talk tomorrow.

Ouvert et haut !

Cerberus

@RegDwightАΑA Yes. It is more about the difference: same perspective + same interests is what I expect. If you don't have that, the marriage looks odd to me. Other huge differences have the exact same mental effect on me, like in education or class.

@RegDwightАΑA Bye!

tchrist

Sigh.

God yes.

The education/class thing.

It is sad.

Cerberus

Yeah.

Sad in what way?

tchrist

23:05

So hard to connect.

Cerberus

Yeah.

tchrist

There are only three classes. Those who don't work. Those who do work. And those who don't try.

Cerberus

And I must say different cultures looks similarly difficult to me, if they are wildly different.

@tchrist Huh?

Which creed is this?

tchrist

The rich, the middle class, and the poor, respectively.

Cerberus

Eh.

I do not perceive classes like that at all.

tchrist

23:07

As for whose creed, "The poor shall be with you always." (Matthew 14:7)

I don't know what class is.

I do know what education is.

Cerberus

Social background.

tchrist

That isn't helping. Much.

Cerberus

Manners, speech, habits, friends, interests.

More like that.

Education is connected with it.

When they don't match, you have a problem.

tchrist

I think of that is education, but . . .

Cerberus

How so?

tchrist

23:09

I know different sets of people with 4-6 years of university who act completely unlike in those regards. Tastes and such.

Cerberus

Yeah.

So education is not everything.

tchrist

Although those with 8-10 years are more similar.

Cerberus

Educations affects class, changes it a bit.

Like the people you socialise with.

tchrist

I am just thinking of my own family. Both parents are one of five, so I have many couples to observe.

Cerberus

Do you see many odd couples?

tchrist

23:11

No, not that way.

Not a class difference.

Just that the pastimes of the MD/PhD sorts are somewhat different than those of the others. More interesting to talk to.

My two favorite uncles are the ones with the most education. But they were my favorites from before then!

I mean, I knew them before they did all that, and I always liked them best.

They just seemed the most interesting.

Cerberus

Interests and education are interconnected in ways.

One influences the other.

tchrist

They had curious minds.

Cerberus

Yes.

tchrist

They've both lived abroad, studied other tongues.

And both went into research fields.

Cerberus

And their higher education also caused them to meet certain kind of people and shaped their interests a bit more.

tchrist

23:15

Their wives are the most interesting of any of my non-blood aunts.

Cerberus

Ah.

tchrist

My one blood-aunt is an RN, and quite interesting.

She is only 7 years older than me, and lives nearby.

Cerberus

RN?

tchrist

Registered Nurse.

Cerberus

Ah.

tchrist

23:15

She runs a government food aid program to single and poor mothers.

Cerberus

Do non-registered nurses exist?

tchrist

There are "ranks".

Cerberus

Ah.

tchrist

Licensed practical nurse, whatever that is.

Cerberus

OK.

tchrist

23:16

Nurse practitioner.

Cerberus

I think most couples are fairly alike.

tchrist

She has a return of cancer. It is hard. The chemo wasn't very effective. They will take it out next week I think.

Cerberus

But some very different ones seem to be quite happy.

tchrist

She is the youngest of all ten, and has had the hardest time with her health.

Cerberus

Oh, that sucks.

Is the prognosis good, bad, or no idea?

tchrist

23:18

I see her mother in her. We all do. But she is sweet as anything.

Unclear.

They think they will get it.

Cerberus

Hmm.

tchrist

She had colon cancer 7 years ago.

She stopped getting scans because of no health coverage.

And it came back, this time in the liver.

Cerberus

Oh, dear.

tchrist

So they will take an entire lobe, and the gall bladder.

Cerberus

I have heard some surprisingly good recovery cases from liver cancer.

tchrist

23:19

My sister had just had a son. She lost her insurance coverage that lingered from her previous job, and was going to school. She couldn't get coverage from the father whom she lives with, because his divorce could not be finalized for one year by state law.

And so they are coming after him to pay the bills from the delivery.

She would have been covered by his insurance if he had been allowed to marry her.

But the state wouldn't allow it.

And now they are coming after him for a great deal of money.

Cerberus

My friend's mother was told by hospital 1 that it was a lost cause, they wouldn't even try. It was in her lung, liver, and somewhere else. Next hospital said "meh, well, we could give it a try". They cut out most of her liver and the other stuff. She has been going strong for several years now.

tchrist

You have no idea how much I hate this nonhealthcare system.

My father has made it almost 20 years longer than he was told it was over.

Not doing well, though.

Cerberus

Oh...why not well? Has it returned?

tchrist

Even this is another travesty situation I don't want to get into. Evil are the ways of men.

No, not cancer.

Diabetes.

Cerberus

Oh, OK.

So will all this change with Obama's project?

tchrist

23:22

Some, yes.

Cerberus

What won't?

tchrist

Because in 2014, they will not be allowed to turn people down, nor treat them differently.

user19161

I am late to an interesting conversation. BTW, where does n/2+7 come from?

tchrist

age of partners, Jasper.

It's an off-the-cuff calculation.

user19161

I know, but why?

tchrist

23:23

36 year old can date a 36/2+7 = 25 year old.

user19161

-x sounds more sensible to me though.

tchrist

?

Cerberus

@tchrist That is good.

tchrist

What does that mean?

user19161

As in -x instead of n/2+7

tchrist

23:25

But -x is not reasonable.

Let's say -5.

Now apply that to age 15, 20, 30, 50, 70.

user19161

@tchrist I am always amazed by the stupidity and evil of mankind.

tchrist

See the problem?

user19161

@tchrist Actually they all work quite well except for the first one.

Cerberus

15 with 3, great idea.

@JasperLoy I'm not a huge fan of 20 with 5 either.

tchrist

Ok, so you are saying that 50 and 44 is wrong?

user19161

23:27

@Cerberus You mean 20 with 15.

tchrist

@Cerberus No.

Cerberus

Oh, in that way.

I think everyone agrees that differences matter less as you get older.

user19161

I think +/-5 is good.

Cerberus

How about 60 with 70?

user19161

But maximum is +/-10.

Cerberus

23:29

How about 61 with 73?

user19161

There can always be exceptions in special cases.

tchrist

You must scale for age.

You cannot apply a minus that does not do so.

It leads to paradoxes.

Cerberus

I'll stick with the traditional formula.

tchrist

To wit?

user19161

@Cerberus Which is?

Cerberus

23:30

@tchrist The one your mentioned.

tchrist

Ah.

cornbread ninja

@Mitch I figured someone would do this. :)

Cerberus

It's not really traditional, but often heard, you know.

tchrist

Yes.

Cerberus

And I really think health and looks matter too.

user19161

23:31

So according to both formulas, @Cerb and I can get married, hehe.

Cerberus

...

user19161

...

tchrist

crosses eyes

Hehe.

Hehe marriages are controversial.

user19161

@tchrist Hehe!

tchrist

1

Q: What does “If women were a country, the Japanese World Cup champion soccer team wouldn’t have flown coach” mean?

The Washington Post’s (August 13) article titled “The Women’s Olympic success: a flood that began as a trickle” begins with the following lines: “The phrase running around the Olympic Village on the last day of the London Games was, “If women were a country. . .” The phrase will be one of the le...

meaning

I can speak no ill of Yoichi-san.

user19161

23:34

@tchrist I wonder whether he eats sushi every day.

tchrist

Sometimes, though, his naïveté reminds me of someone much younger.

Why would he do that?

user19161

@tchrist I am Non Sequitur.

tchrist

I felt bad when us grownups were talking over Luke’s head, too.

user19161

Robusto gave me that name for a reason.

tchrist

It is too easy to forget that people have ages.

user19161

23:35

@tchrist What did you do? I saw nothing bad.

tchrist

Off the net.

People said things he didn’t understand.

And we knew he wouldn’t understand them.

user19161

Well, this room is called Incomprehensible for a reason.

tchrist

Nor did we explain them.

I really really hated it when grownups would do that to me.

user19161

There are people talking in foreign tongues too.

tchrist

We may have well been.

I don't know. I still feel bad.

user19161

23:37

Talking about sushi or rather sashimi, I really only like raw salmon.

tchrist

saba

I have a dirty little secret.

I am a . . . sushitarian.

Cerberus

@tchrist In general, we shouldn't, although parallel conversations are exempt.

user19161

Salmon is so wonderful. It is nice however you eat it.

tchrist

Half-cooked is not so good.

Raw is fine.

user19161

@Cerberus Well, as long as we don't consciously bully someone.

tchrist

23:38

Cooked is also fine.

Cerberus

By the way, I don't quite understand the "if women were a country" either.

tchrist

But half-cooked is a bit weird.

user19161

@tchrist I am not even sure what that means.

Cerberus

I don't think it matches up.

First of all, it would have to a "female country", not "women".

tchrist

I cooked some salmon once and someone took ill at the texture of the uncooked insides.

Perhaps I should have gutted it first.

JUST KIDDING!

Cerberus

23:39

Eww.

user19161

@tchrist What!

user19161

I can't even fry an egg properly.

tchrist

"insides" has a double meaning in English.

Cerberus

For what it's worth, some people like salmon to be bit raw on the inside, like a steak, while others like it cooked.

tchrist

Yes, that was the problem.

One’s insides are one’s intestines and such, sometimes.

user19161

23:41

Salmon is nice raw, smoked or boiled in plain water.

Cerberus

I think the latter group is larger, but the former may have tradition on its side.

user19161

@tchrist That was my first reading. Though I have a small vocab, I understand the words I understand.

user19161

Pig's insides are very popular food here.

KitFox

@tchrist Still waiting for this, btw.

tchrist

Can modesty be a vice?

KitFox

23:42

When you are as modest as I am, then yes.

tchrist

@KitFox EEK!

user19161

@KitFox So modest!

KitFox

Exceedingly.

So modest, I make angels blush.

user19161

@kit Any motivation for your new avatar?

KitFox

Blowing things up.

And I thought people might like to see the real me.

tchrist

23:44

user19161

@KitFox Erm, I see nothing there.

KitFox

But the response has been slim to non-existent, so I will probably go back.

@JasperLoy You can't see a girl with a bazooka?

user19161

@KitFox Yes, but that is not you.

tchrist

KitFox

@tchrist That's not remotely gory.

@JasperLoy Yes, it is.

@tchrist Aww, purdy.

user19161

23:47

What's with the recent use of purdy?

user19161

We may summon Jon with too many copies of it.

KitFox

Dunno.

Cerberus

Wow.

I didn't know you were black.

user19161

That black fox looks evil.

KitFox

You have some sort of problem with black foxen?

user19161

23:49

Nope.

Cerberus

It looks cute.

user19161

Wow, Yoichi is almost 10k with newspaper articles.

Cerberus

By the way, you purple boxen, could you change your colours or feathers a bit?

A new icon will do you good.

tchrist

Us?

Cerberus

You know who you are, you purple box.

user19161

23:51

@Cerberus I have been thinking of a "permanent one" but have not decided.

tchrist

If you say so.

Cerberus

@JasperLoy Good thinking.

user19161

@tchrist You are purple too actually.

tchrist

I spent 99% of my time on SE unable to see icons.

Cerberus

Haha.

How would you feel if I looked almost the same as Kit?

tchrist

23:52

So it has never mattered to me.

I was first.

Cerberus

And you can be first again!, to change.

user19161

@Cerberus Actually we should all not use animals!

tchrist

Cerberus

Animals are good.

KitFox

You were first what now?

user19161

23:53

I think my default one is very ugly.

tchrist

user19161

I am still waiting for TPTB to delete 8 accounts.

tchrist

Cerberus

Kitty!

Jump!

Wow.

KitFox

@JasperLoy I thought you had a new recent pic for some sort of ID?

tchrist

23:54

Cerberus

Superkitty.

I like.

tchrist

user19161

@KitFox Oh, I put up two even more recent ones after that a few months ago. I think you saw them.

Cerberus

Is that your cat?

KitFox

tchrist

23:55

Or I am his.

He’s 20 years old.

KitFox

tchrist

And he is still superkitty.

KitFox

tchrist

He climbs up the side of the house to get to the balcony.

KitFox

Me and Cerb demonstrate the English alphabet.

Robusto

23:56

@Cerberus Thanks. I've wondered about that for a while now.

Cerberus

@tchrist Ohh that's the one. Great.

@KitFox I love this one too. Even better in motion.

tchrist

Cerberus

@KitFox Although the y looks a bit too think on the left side.

@tchrist Also cute.

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