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humanodon  ·  202 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Anyone else go to Burning Man this year?

I'll see if I can't find a photo of it, but this year at the temple, there was a letter from a longtime Burner who was essentially breaking up with Burning Man. He'd included every ticket, vehicle pass, book, and map he'd received starting from I think, 2003. Basically, the letter said that he'd got as much out of BRC as he needed, and that the Sparkle Ponies and other elements introduced over the years had created an experience that he didn't recognize, or want to be part of any longer.

It was sad, but got me reflecting on why I go. Sure, I wish I'd seen what it was like before social media, before electronic music was the norm, and before every night on playa was lit up as brightly as Burn night, but it's still an amazing beast to behold. For me, it's still about intention, change, and centering humanity, but what do I know?

Anyway, our camp fared much better than some, especially those that needed to be evacuated and pressed into other camps. We had a communal dome which kept us all dry, equipped with a DJ booth, commercial grade sound system, and full bar. We also had great DJs and a fantastic honkytonk musician who kept our spirits high with unbelievably good music. And of course, since the service our camp provided was food, we ate well! Last year I lost about 10 lbs. over the course of the Burn, but this year I only lost 1.5 lbs.

This was my first year volunteering with the org as a Peer Support Counselor and honestly, I think I'd do it again. I still love the parties and the music, but the community aspect of Burning Man has added such phenomenal dimension to the experience that I'm sure I'll end up at BRC again in the future!

humanodon  ·  1239 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: This is what contemporary American Christians are up to right now.

Ugh, why can’t fundamentalists be fun?

humanodon  ·  1259 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: October 14, 2020

We didn't even make any 9/11 jokes this year

humanodon  ·  1421 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: May 6, 2020

Things are still uncertain at work, but it's looking up. We're very busy and have a lot of things lined up that should position us well, but one concern we have is the time between creating our deliverables and getting paid.

In other news, I also started making waffles as my girlfriend got me a waffle maker. I haven't had much chance to try it out, but the results are good so far. Just when my pants were getting loose, but hey, them's the breaks.

humanodon  ·  1661 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Share a short poem. Here's mine "Dappled Sunlight"

  I have begun the manly ritual of wet shaving

even though my stubble has not progressed

since I was 20 years old. There is no use

getting into a lather over it. It's working.

humanodon  ·  2223 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: February 21, 2018

I went to the Harvard museum recently.

humanodon  ·  2947 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Caucusing in Denver

haha, you got "ma'am"ed!

. . . also, couldn't #amputeeski be #thehumancondition?

humanodon  ·  3207 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Grubski #17: Summer Lovin’

Dude, NICE SETUP

humanodon  ·  3210 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: America's struggle

Hi, I actually teach ESL for a living and until you said something, I wouldn't have known that English is your second language. At the advanced level, "just" and "only" are words that native English speakers will capitalize on for sure in the context of an involved debate or argument.

You might consider brushing up of synonyms, antonyms and the degree of strength that these offer. For example, "anger" has synonyms like "irritation" and "fury" which are very different from one another. Similarly, qualifiers like "just" "only" and "in general" can also change the tone of what you say.

humanodon  ·  3210 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: America's struggle

Yes, this is where English gets really hard (or any language for that matter). It takes a great deal of self-awareness and personal humility to master a language, because often we have to make mistakes on our own. In our first language, we have the luxury of being children and of being surrounded by people who will guide us to speaking that language "properly". As adults, we are expected to be much more capable and fairly or unfairly, that puts adult language learners in an awkward position.

All of that said, the more you engage with native speakers, the more you can start to notice patterns and connections. You absolutely did the right thing by letting people know that English isn't your first language. In my classes, I absolutely encourage students to engage in discourse and argument, but also to qualify their statements with things like, "In Spanish, this word has a negative connotation and that's not what I mean to express, but I don't have the language to say exactly what I want to, in English. The idea is like . . . " and again, that takes a lot of humility and strength to do.

Anyway, you express yourself pretty well. I agree whole-heartedly that native speakers do not know as much about grammar as English language learners do. At the end of the day though, language is one facet of good communication skills. Establishing rapport and engaging with others is really what the site is all about.

humanodon  ·  3237 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The Emotional Scars of Hubski

This is where things are, dude. Had an interesting conversation with a Colombian yesterday; she told me she doesn't feel safe in East Boston, which is heavily Colombian.

Her reason? Because she knows what Colombian people are like. That blew my mind. I don't know if that's primarily a race thing, but the fact that she just assumes that living around other Colombians is more dangerous than living around Americans in America, is weird.

humanodon  ·  3237 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL!

If you like, I can direct you to a street in Thailand where any academic credential is yours for a price . . .

humanodon  ·  3238 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The Emotional Scars of Hubski

Everyone has prejudices, but I do my best to admit mine. Can you say the same? If so, rad.

Also (and this is for everyone) how much of yourself did you project into the reading of my statement?

I don't trust white people. Do I trust some individuals who are white? Sure, but as a faceless group? No, that would be absurd of me to, just as it would be absurd to trust anyone I don't know on the basis of race. It is also racist to trust white people simply because they are white.

Duh.

humanodon  ·  3282 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski Meetup: Saturday April 25, Washington D.C.

If I can afford it by then, then yes.

humanodon  ·  3345 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Let's talk about this invite thing.

Honestly, if this were implemented, I don't think I'd invite many people. Like, my roommate goes to a particular bar where he's gone for years. It's his thing and catching me up on everything and meeting all the people he's formed relationships with would take too much time.

I see this place the same way, when I come by, that is.

humanodon  ·  3409 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Why are you upset?

Because I am drunk and yet things still aren't going to plan. Get in line, life.

humanodon  ·  3415 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Grubski Challenge #6 Voting (better late than never)

I like the idea of a grubski "showcase" for Thanksgiving. The next challenge could be some kind of leftovers-based dish maybe?

I was gonna enter the last round guys, honest, but the only thing I really did with fire was warm up some sausage with a little torch and I didn't even get a picture while doing it (because that's hard to do without burning something):

humanodon  ·  3422 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Everybody Sexts — Matter — Medium

Oh sorry, they were instances of me talking about masturbating . . .

Link 1

Link 2

humanodon  ·  3449 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Is 'I hate you' a normal, sarcastic comment?

In my experience, yes, it is a normal sarcastic comment. In fact, if a girl is playfully smacking me or saying that she hates me, then that is generally a sign that things are pretty good. But, YMMV.

humanodon  ·  3452 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hey, let's have a discussion about eating meat

Perhaps I will show you how to eat a cobra sometime.

humanodon  ·  3454 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Grubski Challenge #2: The New Green

I made a spicy stewed lamb with kale and buckwheat.

humanodon  ·  3459 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: It's 80's ROCK NIGHT on Hubski!

humanodon  ·  3466 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: (Almost) 365 Days of Hubski

Wait . . . right to left? So . . . bfx is the shadowy dude?

humanodon  ·  3468 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Fuck I just got fired

Do you think you'll try to leverage your skillz slingin' dildz into something else?

Edit: Wait, you are the person who was working in a sex shop, right?

humanodon  ·  3469 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The chilly divide

Here's mine:

  Chili

  4 lb meat (with lots of connective tissue-- stewing beef or neck works well)
  4 oz animal fat
  Garlic
  2 large chopped onions
  Chili powder
  Cayenne pepper
  Oregano
  
Cube the meat (1 in.) and brown it in the animal fat. When the meat has released its juices (DO NOT DRAIN!), add the onion and a whole lot of that chili powder and some cayenne if you like it hotter. You want to add enough to coat the meat and create a smooth mixture with the moisture released from the onion and the liquid fat. Keep tasting it to see how much. A tablespoon of oregano should do. Cook on the lowest setting for about 4 hours.

You can add beans and you can add a tomato or two, or even a bell pepper, but you don't have to.

humanodon  ·  3470 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski, what are you doing tonight!

I ate some red sauce with oxtail I made last night, over spaghetti along with some ciabatta bread I baked earlier today. If you've never used oxtail, it is cheap, it is delicious and perfect for slow cooking.

I'm also working my way through Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's a cheesy show, but I am starting to like it a lot.

Oh yeah, I submitted my eligibility for subsidized healthcare in MA (fun!). Later on I might get into some drinking, but for now, just digesting by vaping my way through some really good e-liquids I got recently.

humanodon  ·  3472 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Three Hours to IRC

General announcement: nowaypablo now wishes to be called "Poobles". That is all.

humanodon  ·  3480 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Your home grill: Charcoal or gas? Lets see your set up  ·  

Ah. I no longer own a grill. However, at one point I had a deck on the second level of a triple-decker house in a shitty part of Boston, on which I had arranged my hammock and grill such that I could grill while in the hammock. Now, the thing of it was, I would get some drinks in me while grilling and then fall asleep and more than once, woke up with burns on my elbow.

I also used to drink at a place on the beach in Viet Nam that had a grill right next to the bar and of a weekend, would rock up with my crew and make ribs. We used hardwood charcoal because that's what was available. Fantastic stuff, if insanely long lasting. The best compliment I ever got was when people walking by on the beach wandered over and tried to buy the lunch out from under my friends and I.

My man, you are in NC. The Carolinas have their own distinct barbecue tradition that I would absolutely love to explore. Though grilling is distinct from barbecue, I would imagine that in NC there are far greater grillmeisters than I. Does yours by any chance have a rotisserie? I have to say, some of the best chicken I've ever made was with a rotisserie and it was dead easy too. A pork shoulder is also nice that way.

If I recall, your wife is vegetarian, no? If so, a gas grill is capable of making some pretty good baba ganoush but then, I love eggplant and I know that not everyone does. I've never had the opportunity to check out smoking as a method of food preparation, but with a really nice gas grill, I bet you can make some decent bacon or salumi if you are willing to be nontraditional about it.

Ah, before I forget. A fish in foil is pretty perfect for a gas grill. Some of the best fish of my life has been prepared this way.

You will need:

1 whole fish (a big one, or a few smaller ones)

A big onion

Some good tomatoes

Some green onions

Some herbs (dill is nice, as is basil, long cilantro if you can find it, even woody herbs like rosemary and sage)

Some lemons or limes

A whole lot of garlic

Good olive oil

Coarse salt

Some black pepper

Chili peppers (optional)

Lay your foil down on the board and put down a layer of sliced tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with salt. Add a layer of lemon slices too. Throw some crushed garlic on top and some sprigs of herbs. Coat lightly with the oil. Rub the fish with the oil, rub it with salt and pepper and then put a layer of lemon slices and herbs (including the whole green onions, washed with the roots sliced) on top, followed by a layer of lightly salted and oiled onions and tomatoes, with the crushed garlic. I like to put my chili peppers next to my fish, so the spice enters it. If the fish is really big, do all of that but first cut slits in it about two inches apart, perpendicular to the back, down to the belly and stuff herbs and garlic into them. Oh, also stuff the cavity of the fish and make sure to season it with salt.

Wrap very tightly in the foil and then grill it . . . uh, until it's done. It's a pretty forgiving preparation and the lemon helps to ensure that it will be cooked. If it is kind of bland (in that the salt hasn't really penetrated the fish) make a 1:3 mixture in a ramekin of coarsely ground salt and black pepper and dissolve it in a squeeze of lime and maybe some of that olive oil. Add some chili if desired and dip bites of fish into it as you go. The drippings of the fish will go very well over rice/pilaf or even just with a very crusty bread.

humanodon  ·  3495 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: I'm in Seattle please save me [edit: fukken saved]

DON'T FIND OUT, is what I'm saying.