Who cares to play TJBM game, The Jelly Below Me, #74?

I WISH I could eat chocolate every day.
TJBM has had a recent hospital stay.

No, knock on wood but, I am overdue for all kinds of tests like a mammogram etc. Gah, I hate medical stuff.

TJBM would rather just find out they are dying in 2 weeks instead of having to take a bunch of medical tests. haha

(Nose crinkled like a Valley girl)
No way!
I want a youth IV. Feed that shit right into a vein. Carve me a gorgeous face. Suck my fat through a Hoover. Make me live for freakin’ ever, screwing college boys and eating special brownies!
TJBM will give me a hearty “AMEN!”

Curses! Foiled again!. I wanted to be first for once.

AMEN!

TJBM knows the Alice B. Toklas recipe.

Nope. I have no idea what it is.

TJBM has been to The Villages in Florida.

The farthest I’ve been outside my country is Vienna.

TJBM has (or had) motion sickness.

No. And if you do, I’m sorry for that. You miss the miracle of roller coasters.
TJBM has something that prevents them from enjoying an aspect of life.

I honestly can’t think of anything that doesn’t involve the limitation of money at the moment. There are things that I shouldn’t do for health reasons, but I rarely surrender to that. Fun things? Things that don’t involve big projects?

If I had the money, I’d really like to pop in on a few good friends from around the world that I know only from the net. Just show up on their doorstep one day with a small athletic bag containing a change of clothes and introduce myself, then confirm my identity with a private meme. LOL. Totally freak them out. And then have the money for a first-class hotel room and dinner in case they kick me into the street. Dinner for two if they don’t. Then jump on a plane and visit the next person on the list. I really think that would be fun and quite harmless.

TJBM has similar fantasies.

I want to be unacceptably wealthy, and travel all over, staying in shelters playing poor, then tuck Jacksons and Franklins discreetly into pockets and watch the joy as they discover newfound treasure, similar, but meeting new friends, and spending money for the joy of seeing someone breathe a sigh of relief.
TJBM will share their thoughts about the drug vigilantes in the Philippines. (The Duterte drug executioners.)

Government by thuggery.

TJBM has a good food story.

Sure, I have a story about good food: I had this delicious salmon salad about a week ago.

TJBM hopes this thread will get more responses than #67 did.

Than # 67? I don’t get it, that was 7 threads ago, I have no recollection of #67. haha

TJBM remembers Pt. 67.

Oh yah ! Which one ? ? ?

TJBM is waiting patiently for spring.

If you look to the right under “Related”, you’ll see #67 at the top of the list. It has 1023 responses. ;-o

@Brian1946 There were TWO #67 TJBM’s.

1 ) has 1023 responses that Mimi started and the 2 ) has 623.

Aaah, I get it now.

No, I am totally diggin’ the stormy winter weather here in CA. we need all the rain & snow we can get and it’s going to be a prolific and green, green spring when it arrives.

TJBM wears a Samuri man bun.

No. I wouldn’t mind having a Sumuri man around though. It would have to be a great way to pass the time on these cold, gray days. Circling, circling, closing in, thrust, shout, and later he could show me what sword fighting is like.
TJBM likes to live a little dangerously.

*Samurai, for both of you.

Sure I love to get myself in danger from time to time. Sometimes I talk back to my mom.

TJBM is short.

Kind of, I am a bit under 5’4 but not abnormally short for a women.

TJBM is abnormally short, almost a dwarf.

No, if anything, I am on the tall side 6’1” most of my life.

TJBM is short for their weight.

Yup.
(sorry sneki)
TJBM is gripping their coffee like a lifeline right now.

No, done wth cffee hours ago, just had lunch, it is 1:28 pm here.

TJBM will tell us what they had for lunch I had home made potato salad, a slice of swiss cheese and some olives.

Spaghetti with meat sauce, lejt over from last night.

TJBM likes some leftovers.

I do like leftovers. Tonight I had a combination of leftover green beans, and I cooked up some spaetzle to go with it.

TJBM had a great weekend.

Pretty good. The little girls from next door came over to watch movies and help me blow up balloons. They were both giddy with cheer. I needed the giggles.
TJBM gets giggly at odd times.

Please don’t remind me of the time I just burst out laughing while having an operation in my mouth. I don’t know why I felt that way. I made a hell out of a time for the dentists.
@Espiritus_Corvus I REALLY love to see you outside my door! We could have had a classy meal full of wine together.
TJBM can keep calm in tense situation.

Usually, yes, I am pretty grounded.

TJBM is relishing a quiet night before a busy week.

Yes. Just got in a few minutes ago. It’s almost midnight here and I’ve been at it since around 4am. I’m beat.

TJBM doesn’t know what day of the week it is.

I normally don’t know what day it is. But unfortunately, I really know it’s Monday. Ugh!

TJBM has a guest that’s staying past his welcome!

No, thank god. I like living alone. haha

TJBM lives alone.

Nearly. I have a teen.
TJBM agrees TEEN should stand for time everyone escapes normalcy.

Haha, sure. My kid is 29 now.

TJBM is talking on the phone while fluthering.

Nope. I’m monitoring the VHF for a greenlight from the local Coasties. We’re waiting for a berth to clear at my favorite marina near Port Elizabeth, Bequia.

TJBM has waited for something at 3am before.

I don’t remember waiting for anything at 3am.

TJBM laughs at his/her own jokes.

Yes, I do. I am very funny.
TJBM laughs at no jokes sometimes.

There’s a lot of reasons for me to laugh. That dentist story is an example.
TJBM is having a great time.

I spent the whole night and this morning learning the historical development of grammar system. I got phonetics and prosody, now I only have morphology to deal with.
I had some ups and downs, but it was actually satisfying. I actually love studying and learning, I just have problems concentrating, and need a lot of time to get started, but when I do, I don’t find it a bore at all, even though I get sidetracked all the time, my eyes hurt a bit, and sometimes even get a slight panic attack. I have two hours to deal with this and then I have oral literature, that one is even more intetesting. So, to sum it up: I kind of did have a great time. (And a lot of coffee.) I was doing something productive, that makes me feel slightly better about myself.

TJBM has/used to have problems with concentrating.

I have problems with concentrating, but to a much lesser degree than you. I just have an ability to multitask, and it helps me get many things done at the same time. Thanks to that, I can have fun while learning don’t tell anyone that I learn and play at the same time ok? I have been misunderstood so many times already.
TJBM notices that spoken exams are when “what’s your name?” takes all your imagination power.

I like tests more than spoken exams. Those get me nervous, especially if I didn’t prepare well. Tests are easier to deal with. When I have a spoken exam, I allways wait to be the last one. I have time to learn some more and proffessor runs out of difficult questions.

@Mimishu1995 Thomas Mann would say: “Im Spiele zu arbeiten, und mit Arbeit zu spielen.”

TJBM has an Ohrwurm.

Ja, spielen diese funky Musik, weißer Junge!

Jesus. That’s not the same at all. I think that just löschte meinen Ohrenschmalz.

TJBM is wondering when the rain will stop

Funny you ask this when I’m experiencing a heavy rain…
@Sneki95 @Espiritus_Corvus Jesus. You made my hand ache, if you know what I mean.
TJBM will make someone’s hand ache again.

I can’t be funny when I try to be. I’m an au naturale type.

TBJM thinks mixing languages is funny.

Yeah, I like to mix languages for some laugh. It is omoshiroi sometimes. You haven’t seen me turn myself into Google Translate by translating Vietnamese into English word-by-word yet :D
I don’t like the type of people who insert a foreign language in every sentence while they are being serious though. It feel like they want to show off. It really depends on the context.
TJBM will tell a language joke.

Britain: Humour
America: Humor
Britain: Colour
America: Color
Britain: Flavour
America: Flavor

Britain: America, what are you doing?

America: Getting rid of u.

TJBM has long hair

Medium I think. It’s below my shoulders, but not by much.

TJBM has been to Alaska.

Nyet.

TJBM thinks Kanye West is not that bad a rapper.

Meh…I’m the older chick, not a fan of Rap, so not even sure I have ever seen any Kanye West.

TJBM likes all music except most Rap and Country Western. Gah. haha

I like all music. Music is an art, and art should be enjoyed in all its shapes and forms. Someone who listens to only one genre and avoids everything else is self crippling, imo. I think all music should be explored as much as possible. There are no good and bad genres (fuck genres if you as me) nor good or bad music, just good or bad artists and works. I’m sure you can find beauty in any musical style if you dig deep enough.

TJBM is Agent Scully.

Nah. I’m a rogue agent hunting down a Serbian chick with an aural fixation who lost her way to the foot of the Cumurja bridge in Sarajevo, 1914 when she was rocking out so bad with her earbuds on that she punched 20140628094500 into the keypad by mistake. She was so upset when she realized what she’d done that she spilled her coffee onto the panel and fried it. Now she’s on the run 40 years ahead of her time and I’ve taken a freelance gig from FedEx to deliver a new kepad to her. I’ve tracked down to an old pensionat in Belgrade and will move in tonight.

TJBM is a rogue agent.

I am, I am highly skilled in sniffing out bullshit, a regular bloodhound she is. haha

TJBM is running amok today. catch ya later gang.

Letting my mok rest today.
TJBM is lenient.

Yes, I am. But I’ve never been a parent, only an uncle and we’re supposed to be lenient I think.

TJBM is staring out at a heavy vertical downpour.

No downpour. No sun. Birds acting frantic. Better check the plumbing insulation.
TJBM likes to sit in the rain and just let it do its thang.

Unless it’s a hard rain gonna fall.

TJBM understands the reference.

I think I do, because it’s still raining very hard right now.
Actually I have a fantasy of walking in the rain like in the movies, but then I will get too wet and make myself a fool :p
TJBM is a spy.

Yeah, the electric spy

TJBM never drinks milk.

I used to drink the bovine beverage, and the last time I drank milk it was made from almonds. I think it’s been about 2 months since I last drank milk of any type.

TJBM has tried to drink falling rain.

Snowflakes yes, rain, no.

TJBM loves, loves, loves olives of all kinds.

I do. But I have always had them prepared, in some type of brine. I wonder if they are edible from the tree?

TJBM knows something about olives and olive cultivation and preparation.

Olives are mostly imported here, so I only know one thing: oliver oil are extremely hard to extract, and it comes in very small amount, so most olive oil product out there are not 100% pure oil.
TJBM has a random fact.

Olive Oil is hard to extract because Popeye is so possessive. ;-)

TJBM believes that Goofy & Pluto are the same species.

Yeah, so far no one has ever won Popeye.
Not only do I believe that, I also believe that racism in Mickey Mouse universe is at its worst. There are two kinds of animals: the “human” kind and the “animal” kind. The himan kind gets all the privilege while the animal kind are treated like… well, animals, even though they may be of the same species.
TJBM knows whether to take @Brian1946‘s and my responses seriously.

Yes, I do, and Daffy voted for Ben Carson. Dumbo is a Republican. Minnie is a man chaser. Donald Duck fired Elmer Fudd. AND I will gladly pay you tomorrow for a cheeseburger today.
TJBM prefers natural fibers.

Yeah, artificial fibers feel, well, artificial!

TJBM knows who Wimpy is.

He was a morbidly obese person with an obvious eating disorder and, as he had no visible means of support, spent every waking hour begging for fast food from both strangers and friends for which he promised he would gladly pay them the following day. He was seen by some as a scam artist and street bum and by others as just a sweet, harmless vagrant. In 1984 J. Wellington Wimpy was found dead at age 50 near a garbage bin in an alley off Melrose Avenue, two blocks from Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California.

TJBM will tell us Olive Oyl’s fate.

Dying out of anorexia.

@Mimishu1995, If you think the double standard towards animals was bad, take a look at the actual racism towards humans in Disney (crows in Dumbo, cats in Aristocats, Song of the South, Indians in Peter Pan…). It was, more or less, fair for it’s time, but still offensive af. And they were mild there, in comparison to some other works, especially war propaganda cartoons. [1]. There is a list of cartoons that are officially banned from airing because they are so offensive.

TJBM notices that “special snowflake” is slowly becoming a new “cuck”.

I know what both are in my vernacular, but I don’t see how the one is morphing into the other.

TJBM will explain this.

I don’t see it either, I found a comment on Cracked that implied “special snowflake” means “cuck”, so I thought of it. Maybe someone had an idea.

TJBM donates blood.

Nope. I have enough trouble keeping my red blood cells up in the normal range for myself.

TJBM has cold hands and feet right now.

I’ve just dipped my hand in cold water while cleaning today. New Year, always with all the cleaning…
@Sneki95 I thought you knew that response was intended to be a joke… I think racism is something adults interpret, even if it is true. Children just see some dog playing with a humanoid dog and think “Oh, look at them! They look like good friends!”. The argument of cartoons teaching children to be racist doesn’t hold water to me, if the so-called “racism” is so suble a kid can’t see. I personally can look part offensive things in a work as long as they aren’t for propaganda. You may have already seen a version of this opinion in the unpopular opinion thread.
@Espiritus_Corvus I only know about special snowflake. This is the first time I hear “cuck”. I think we need a context to understand this, because I can’t see any connection between the two things either and now I know how dirty you are EC ~
TJBM is being pressured.

Yes.
TJBM has done something illegal in the last week. Did you get caught?

Um, no. Nothing illegal, nothing to get caught for. haha

TJBM has witnessed an animal or person give birth.

Yup, but never wanted to. Saw calves dropped.
When I was in delivery my doctor noticed the mirror turned around and told the nurse to adjust it. I told him not to bother with it. He chuckled, and asked me didn’t I want to watch the birth? I told him I thought I was doing plenty already, and that the seeing end was HIS job.
TJBM does someone else’s job.

There is a sharing of work, yes. On the boat I do all jobs and mate does as well, except for those things she’s not licensed for. I’m ultimate responsible for where this vessel goes, any damage it does and what is on board. On the property, I insist on everybody cross training each other and know each other’s jobs. I’ve insisted on that all my life and I’m not very tolerant when I get resistance. I’ve always been amazed that anyone would resist cross-training.

TJBM thinks it’s a slow week on Fluther.

I think so. It’s been days since I saw anyone posting on this thread.
What happens? It isn’t New Year anymore in the US right?
TJBM will post here.

Yes

TJBM has been to an active volcano and will tell us which one.

No, but I remember Mt. St. Helens going off way back when, next door in WA. State.

TJBM wears fleece lined boots.

Nope. It’s been years since I have had lined boots. Not since my childhood I don’t think.

TJBM is going on vacation in February.

No, busy schedule of house sitting but spending the night at others houses is kind of like a vacation in a way. haha

TJBM just had a dentist appt. and got rave reviews of their oral health.

I did on January 5. It helped that I flossed, brushed, used a hydrogen peroxide gel dental tray, and swished with Listerine Ultra Clean mouthwash just before my appointment.

TJBM will post in a previous TJBM if things get slow here.

No, I’m an out with the old, in with the new type.

TJBM is enjoying mild and sunny weather after weeks of crazy storms.

I certainly am.

I was entertaining the thought that the CA drought was over, but Santa Barbara county and some peripheral areas still have drought conditions. E.g., Lake Casitas is still about 60 feet below its historically normal level.

TJBM has heard about an immense, extra-galactic cloud that contains trillions of times as much water as our entire planet.

No!!! Got a link? Sounds freakin’awesome! I claim water park rights LOL.
TJBM is TJAM.

Super-huge water cloud.

Nope, I’m the jelly above the jellies above me. haha
@Brian1946 That’s incredible! Sharing that with a few friends. Thanks!

TJBM thinks the sky is falling.

Maybe the sky isn’t exactly falling but we’ve got stuff falling from the sky that looks like styrofoam pellets. In between snow and hail.

TJBM is fascinated by musical instruments popular in other cultures and will tell us about one.

Yes- the wankara, which is a type of Andean flute.

You can hear it in Whenever, Wherever by Shakira, and in El Condor Pasa, by Simon & Garfunkel.

It sounds like a flute with a huskier sound.

TJBM will post something in English and then the same thing in another language.

English:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States.

Esperanto:
Ni la Popolo de la Unuiĝintaj Ŝtatoj, en ordo por formi pli perfektan Union, establi Justeco, asekuri hejma Trankvileco, zorgi pri la komuna defendo, promocii la ĝenerala Welfare, kaj sekurigi la Benoj de Libereco al ni mem kaj nia Estonteco, ĉu ordini kaj establi tiun Konstitucion por la Unuiĝintaj ŝtatoj.

Courtesy Google Translate.

TJBM used other Google products in addition to Search.

Google+, Google Maps, Google Earth and a few other products. I very rarely purposely use the Cloud or Google Documents. I had a Chromebook once for about ten minutes. All the software were Google products. No ROM, everything was automatically stored on the Cloud. It’s a paperweight now. I’ll probably give it to some kid.

TJBM hates Chromebooks and their clones.

Never used Chromebooks, from from Google search they look like other laptops to me, no innovation at all.
TJBM hates Google Chrome.

I use Opera. I used Chrome and it annoys me.

TJBM is good at imitating animal sounds.

Haha…I do a pretty good chicken, cat meow and horse nicker yes. Comes from years of being around critters.

TJBM loves frogs.

Frogs creep me out to no end. Whenever I see a frog, I spend some time after tripping that I stepped or sat on a frog. They are so slimy and repulsive. I don’t like them.

TJBM is afraid of big animals, like cows and horses.

No, I’m not afraid of anything, I love horses, have owned them and am around them every day. I love all animals but, believe it or not, dogs are my least favorite, Too in your face, needy. haha

TJBM is fiercely independent in mind and body.

Loaded question! I don’t even know how to answer it, it’s so complicated. I guess I can’t say fiercely now, but at one time I was.

TJBM has never been out of their country.

False. It’s been a long time, but I got to visit Canada in 1967 for L’Expo. The next year I was in Vietnam and the Philippines, courtesy of Uncle Sam.

TJBM is a world traveller.

You bet!
TJBM believes me.

Bigly

TJBM has a current passport.

I have just registered for a passport for my apprenticeship in Thailand. Prepare for a miserable month ahead.
TJBM remembers what they hated most at school.

Yes. it was boring, most teachers are so dull and by the book. The few lively ones,the innovative, creative and engaging ones, the REAL teachers, are few and far between.

TJBM thinks education should be tailored to the individual.

While I wholeheartedly agree with that statement, I think it’s incredibly hard to accomplish. Every student is different, so how can we design a syllabus that suits everyone? Not to mention the time constraint and other things involved…
TJBM is delicated to something.

Yes. Im dedicated to teaching music. I’d long known that it was something I might like to do, but the joy I experience every day working with these young people is far more than I ever could have imagined.

TJBM has recently found unexpected joy.

No.
TJBM has used a potter’s wheel.

Yes, once for about an hour. It was OK, but at the time I was interested in other, more active, pursuits.

@Mimishu1995 LOL. Cucks and Snowflakes and anything else you can think of are nothing new. Years ago, the first time I entered Second Life, a woman walked up to me and asked if I would play cuck for her and her lover. Talk about being unprepared for a acting role!

TJBM has one special Fluther award they are proud of.

I have no idea. I almost never look at the awards (although now that it was brought up I’ll probably look again). I don’t really understand them when I have looked at them. I probably haven’t noticed anything about an award for 2–3 years, since the last time someone said something on a Q about them.

TJBM is American and might have to get a new job because of Trump.

As is known, I’m not, but I don’t think I’m in any better situation than you people there. We have our own Trumps to deal with.

TJBM will give me siggestion on what to do today. It’s cold, I have no official chores to do, and I can’t read or watch anything for a longer time. (my eyes are sensitive).

Go to sleep :)
TJBM sleeps too much.

I do.

TJBM can stand on his/her hands.

I used to be able to walk on my hands. Haven’t tried to in decades. I don’t think I want to, either. I don’t need to discover yet another thing I can no longer do. Bad for the morale.

TJBM is a real pain in the ass if they don’t get a daily nap.

I’m the definition of pain in the ass if I’m not well-fed and well-napped. My mind gets jumbled up and I can’t think straight. I’m unable to understand orders and will mess everything up if you ask me to do anything in this state. You really don’t want anything to do with me.
TJBM can get very annoying.

Yeah, but I usually recognize when I am and try to back off, disappear for awhile. Take a nap or something.

TJBM has plans for today.

No.
My eyes got a bit better, so I may – I repeat, may – try reading or studying.

…..probably not.

TJBM got lazy.

Not yet, I just woke up about 30 minutes ago.

TJBM has wood floors in their house.

You know how much it would cost me?
@Sneki95 I understand. Amen to that, sister <priest’s voice>
TJBM loves to bring home expensive things.

I have good taste and have enjoyed bringing home expensive things, mostly art work but now days I am on a tight budget, that’s okay, being the creative type I still manage to enjoy the fruits of my creativity and enjoy a nice little home.

TJBM has an eye for design

No, but I do have a great pancreas for design.

TJBM can name someone who changes their avatar more frequently than I do. ;-)

Haha…me. I get bored easily I am always changing things up.

TJBM has new neighbors.

No, but it seems like that a bit, since a grove of trees were recently cleared.
Coloma, loving the pretty blossom. I will be changing my avatar a lot soon. I have been building an avatar album.
TJBM likes seahorses, and another marine creature they will tell us about.

I like seahorses. I like just about everything in the sea, especially the mammals. Sea Otters, Whales, Dolphins, Seals. They have a lot of personality and are very playful. They are so smart it’s spooky sometimes. Seals are called sea dogs in many languages. They are as playful and as smart as dogs. Here is a pod of pygmy sperm whales that escorted my boat into Portsmouth, Dominica during Christmas.

TJBM has a favorite sea mammal.

Nothing can beat the dolphin. They are friendly, intelligent and emotional, the closest animal to human. It breaks my heart to know they are still being killed.
TJBM supports animal right.

Manta ray, anyone?

@Mimishu1995 I love your post and I also support animal rights. I bet the next poster has seen a manta in person.

Manta rays mind their own business. They aren’t intentional killers of humans. I’ve never heard of one attacking a diver who wasn’t bothering them.

I’m for animal rights to a certain extent. I certainly don’t believe in unnecessary killing or cruelty to them. Feed lots could be done differently. Sadly, fur is out. I love fur, but it’s not necessary. But I won;t bend on medical research Computers aren’t there yet. We still need animals in medical research. I love ‘em, but we take priority.

TJBM has another opinion

No, not really.
I am feeling extremely blue tonight. Someone caused it. Before that things were fine for me. Now I am crushed, hurting and somewhat angry.
TJBM will post something which will take my evening a new direction.

Maybe the story of Christian the lion will make you smile.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZIQUb-d4GQ

TJBM saw the movie Hidden Figures and liked it.

OMG OMG OMG OMG YES!
Video perfectly worked for me.

I was about to talk about animal activists’ hypocrisy, but then @Patty_Melt isn’t in the mood for that.
Not yet.
TJBM will recommend me a movie.

The Addams Family Movie

TJBM will recommend another one.

The Long Kiss Goodnight. It has action, suspense, and explosions. I just love Geena Davis.
TJBM has seen this movie.

No. My head is buried too deep in film noir.
TJBM will continue with movie recommendation.

Tokyo Godfathers. (One of those Christmas movies)
Taxi (love French comedy)

TJBM has a favourite movie soundtrack.

Nothing can beat Road of Perdition. The entire movie is a work of art anyway.
TJBM has a favorite movie soundtrack.

Kenji Kawai’s soundtrack for Ghost in the Shell. It’s so ancient, but fits excellently with the futuristic setting of the movie. I adore it. It is said to have been inspired by Bulgarian folk music, which is awesome on its own. (This one got stuck in my head for quite a while).

TJBM will recommend one band s/he thinks more people should know about.

Gogol Bordello
TJBM will Start Wearing Purple

Lol. I will have to come back to that when I am not so tired.
Weird timing. I just bought a book of poetry entitled,
When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple.
Waayyyyyyyyy different stuff.
TJBM is saving something special for when they reach old age, such as a new experience, or new privilege.

It depends what you mean by old age. I hope to be able to sell the house and downsize by the time I reach 80. and maybe move travel to Ireland, or the south of France, or…

TJBM is drawn to far away places

Iceland, Japan, Novi Sad….ok, that one’s not that far away, but still…
oh, and btw, excellent recommendation, I loved them.

TJBM is not a romantic person.

I don’t have a boyfriend and don’t plan to have one. Does that tell you anything?
TJBM can’t draw or is not proud of their drawing I belong to the latter category.

I’ve been drawing for years and there is only one drawing I am proud of. It’s a drawing of this, but from a different angle. I found the image in the history book.

TJBM has has heard of Eurovision.

Google search told me that it is something I don’t know and will never know.
@Sneki95 your one drawing sure will beat all entire life’s drawing!
TJBM will tell me something surprising about myself.

You often forget to put the “s” in plural and third person singular forms.

TJBM is good at chess.

That’s not so mind-blowing. I’m fully aware and annoyed at myself by that too. I’m still influenced by my own language, and we don’t have plural form.
And the only kind of chess I’m good at is this
TJBM is surprised by someone.

Shoot, I guess I ain’t that good with analyzing people.
I’m slightly surprised by how fast my nephew grows. He is nine months old and has already spoken his first word, and is able to stand (with help, of course). His teeth are about to appear soon too. It seemed like two months ago when he was born, and now I teach him how to walk. I’ve never been around babies before, his growth seems surprisingly rapid to me.

TJBM feels time goes fast sometimes.

Yeah. It is nearly 4 years since I joined this site. I felt like I was a stupid newbie just a second ago…
And you seem to be getting on well with the boy. Well as long as he doesn’t live near you :p
TJBM is a good babysitter.

Yes, I like little kids. I have babysit a 9 yr. old girl the last 2 years a couple afternoons a week we have lots of fun together.

TJBM likes going to the movies.

I’ve gotten out of the habit of going out to movies. Every now and then something tempts me but I don’t like/love the experience anymore.

TJBM will describe the last live music performance they attended (or participated in).

My last full-on professional paid performance was New Year’s Eve 1988 concert with the Palm Beach Sinfonietta Chorale, broadcast on the local public radio station.

TJBM forgot something yesterday and will share with us.

Oh geez! Be right back.

TJBM has left their toilet running, sometime.

Not since we replaced them, with low-flush toilets.

TJBM has had a recent plumbing issue (clogged sink in bathroom).

Clogged toilet yesterday morning.

TJBM knows what time it is somewhere else.

Yes, it’s 16:07 where you live.

TJBM is an immigrant.

Once upon a distant time my family came from Scotland via Ellis Island in NYC.

TJBM will share their heritage. Scottish, Welsh and a wee bit of German here.

French, North German, Roma, Prussian.

TJBM can share some tasty add-in ideas for oatmeal.

I like raisins and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds. :-)

TJBM likes Morning Glory flowers.

Never seen a real morning glory. I think it’s something American again.
TJBM knows if black flowers exist.

Yes, they do.
TJBM has been stuck up in a tree.

When I was a child trees were one of my favorite things to climb. One time I shimmied up the trunk of an elm tree, to the lowest branch that looked like it could hold me. I stood on the branch, grabbed a higher branch, with the idea of pulling myself up. As I placed my hands on a strategic position, I heard first a creak, then a snap! The branch I was standing on gave way, leaving me dangling about 15 feet (5 meters) off the ground.

TJBM has a good story to share.

Give me a topic please.
TJBM will give me a topic.

@Mimishu1995 will write about puppets or marionettes (or a similar theatrical device).

TJBM (if not @Mimishu1995 ) will appreciate it :)

I waiting with baited bated breath.

TJBM is looking forward to Mimi’s story.

Indeed I am.
TJBM will tell Mimi’s story.

Well, to tell the truth I have never really acted on stage before. I was on stage on some occasions, but mostly as a nominated student for awards. There was only one time when I acted on stage, and it wasn’t even acting at all. I was at high school then. You may have already known that I was extremely unpopular at high school. Most of the time I was kept in the dark about the process. I tagged along during the rehearsal because I was in the class. I was given a camera just to record my classmate acting so that the camera’s owner could post videos on Facebook.
You can’t imagine what I did in that play: I sang in the class’s choir, at the end of the play. Yeah, while the ones with the least work danced and played minor roles, I stood in a corner singing a song with the whole class. I was so invisible that some people asked where I was in the play.
My latest play was a success, but it was conducted inside the class.
TJBM will forgive me if it sounds like a rant.

It doesn’t sound like a rant, but I forgive you.

TJBM forgives easily.

I do, especially this late in the evening.

TJBM will tell a bedtime story.

Once upon a time there was a little boy who loved music. Most people enjoy music, but for this little boy, it was love. To him, music was like a grandparent. It would hold him in an embrace, reassuring, strong, ancient, and yet, just a little vulnerable. The little boy trusted music, and in return, the music took him to magical places. Strings would take him deep below ocean waves where he could see beautiful fish of varied colors and shapes. Kettle drums would take him for a balloon ride through mountains where he could see bighorn sheep, and hear thunder of an approaching storm.
Woodwinds would take him to a beautiful lake in the summer. He could see fat fish breeching the water, and cattails rattling their tops together.
As the little boy grew, he picked an instrument to play, then another, and another.
When the boy was safely tucked away, and a man played his instruments, he repayed music.
He would insert pieces of himself into his music, and took music on journies to magical places.
Many people loved him for it.
TJBM will now sleep soundly with music in their dreams.

Nope. It’s morning here.

TJBM adores summer mornings.

It may seem like summer to you but it’s winter to me. Winter is when the temps drop from the low 100’sF (high 30’s to low 40’s C) and hold in the low 80’sF (mid to low 20’sC), the humidity drops and the winds are constant between 10–20mph (16–32kph). I adore winter mornings and sunsets.

TJBM has a favorite kind of weather.

I referred to summer regardless of current weather.
My favourite? Many.
Summer mornings. No wonder people used to praise the sun. There is something magnificent in summer mornings. When the light fills my room, I feel my own soul is cleansed by its very presence. It’s like the world is born again.
Winter afternoons when sun shines, but it’s still chilly. We call it “sun with teeth”.
When snow is slowly falling. So cozy and serene.
In spring, those calm, sunny, warm days. It’s neither too hot not too cold. Juuuust right.

Oh, and mist. I love mist. Everything seems so mysterious. There is something uniquely attractive in mist. Sitting in the bus and watching the mist covering forests is the best thing ever. And then, the sun shines, and the magic happens right before your eyes.

Nirvana.

TJBM finds joy in the most mundane things.

I find joy in sleeping!
TJBM will tell us where they are standing right now Sorry @Espiritus_Corvus, I forgot where you are now. I only remember you are somewhere on the sea.

Sorry, not standing…sitting at the table waiting for coffee to brew, waiting for the sun to rise over the eastern Colorado prairie, lighting up the mountaintops to the west.

TJBM will also share their general location.

Ćurug, northern Serbia.
It’s 13:57 here, aka almost two in the afternoon. I got up real early, so it fells like five to me heh.
It’s a sunny day here; a bit cold, but sunny.
I’m in my room, wandering the ‘net.
TJBM will tell about their location.

I’m in The Villages, FL. It’s about an hour north of Mickey Mouse. It’s an “Active Adult” community, which is another way of saying a retirement community. My husband and I still work and are the young ones here. In The Villages you can go everywhere on a golf cart if you don’t want to drive your car. It’s a town of over 100,000 people. We have music and dancing every night in all three town squares within the boundaries of the city. Also in the squares are multiple restaurants, retail shops, performing arts centers, and more. There are over 30 golf courses, free to use by residence here, and hundreds of “clubs” from fitness oriented clubs, to political, hobby, the state you are from, languages, the list goes on. It’s a bubble; a unique bubble. Here’s a YouTube of the city

TJBM likes going to Disney World and will tell us their favorite rides there.

Never been to Disney World, only Disneyland here in the west coast Quite frankly I have never been a fan of theme parks.

TJBM is not a fan of theme parks.

No, I am not. I’ve been to a theme park once, didn’t like it.

TJBM drinks instant coffee.

Sometimes, when I am overnight house sitting I take instant but the rest of the time I brew my favorite, Don Franciscos Butterscotch Toffee blend. Yummy, having some now.

TJBM likes cabbage.

I do like cabbage. I limit it, because supposedly it’s not good to eat a lot of it if you have a thyroid condition.

TJBM has something they are procrastinating doing.

Yes, trying to sync up a mammogram and CT scan in the same day so I don’t have to travel miles and miles on separate occasions. I have til Feb. 28 before the referrals expire. I hate medical crap. I’ve been so busy the last few weeks but I am planning on making the calls by weeks end and seeing if, by some miracle I can maybe get 2 appts. in the same day an hour or so apart. PITA!

TJBM hates medical stuff.

Not at all. I loooove reading about medical stuff. I have done some research on various medical stiff and it feels great. You don’t want to know what I type on Google. Maybe I just have a morbit curiosity.
TJBM is drawn to odd things people shy away.

@Mimishu1995 I meant dislike having to have medical tests. Medicine and the body are interesting but tests are a pain in the ass.

I have had that experience but luckily I have my daughter who is interested in odd things too. Her latest adventure is finding and curing museum quality animal skulls and skeletons. She just traveled a 100 miles last weekend to buy a horse skull. haha

TJBM knows you can buy carrion beetles and have them shipped to you for the purpose of cleaning/curing skeletal remains.

I do now! Now if only I had some skeletal remains to clean…

TJBM has, or knows of someone who has, another odd or unusual hobby.

I know someone that restores/re-seasons antique cast iron skillets. That’s kinda offbeat.

TJBM has to go to the bathroom. excuse me. lol

No, I got special implants so that I never have to go again.

TJBM will post from what city, state, province, or country they’re posting.

Hm… I’ll go state for 200 ... [Alex Trebek mumble mumble] ... What is the recently arid western region that is now experiencing an out-of-drought experience?

TJBM will share an out of body experience they’ve had.

For $500.00 California!

Yes, when I was giving birth to my daughter, I swear I was on the ceiling somewhere looking down at my writhing body. lol

TJBM has been in an earthquake.

Oh God you are here EC! Where are you standing right now?

I’ve been near a few earthquakes. Never too wildly close. The only one that sort of got to me was when I was working on the 24th floor of a building just before the G20. The building really swayed and we thought the building might have been attacked.

It was the day before we were to start working from home as there had been threats against several of our co-tenants. Nerves and a swaying building . Not a good mix. All made worse as I’d just finished spinning around in my chair.

TJBM will tell us why EC has been in crafting mode for a long time.

Yes. One. The Santa Rosa Earthquake, 1969. 5.7. I just looked it up. It was ten O’clock on a school night. I was on my aunt’s sheep ranch and apple orchard outside of Sebastopol in the hills about 10 miles from Santa Rosa, California, ground zero. Santa Rosa is on ancient riverbed rock, pebbles and sand, and got shook like a bowl of jello. Hills absorb earthquake shock, so we didn’t get it as bad. We all ran outside onto the front lawn which was rippling like it was liquid. The big redwood tree out front appeared to be moving sideways, but it was the lawn slipping downhill in the other direction. It felt like the world was on a big spring like a big Jack-in-the-box. If you weren’t holding on to something, you couldn’t stand. It seemed like it lasted for ten minutes, but I’ve been told it was less than one.

All our television broadcasting came from San Francisco, about 50 miles to the south. We all went inside to turn on the ten O’clock news. The were giving the news like nothing had happened then, suddenly, the studio started to fly to pieces and the news people hit the decks. The camera was panning all over the place, to the ceiling, the floor, past the news crew. Lights were falling. There was one news guy just sitting at his desk in shock and his face showed it.

And then we got hit again an hour later. None of us or any of the animals were injured. We went to school the next day like nothing happened.

@Mimishu1995, I’m sitting in my kitchen eating a sandwich after taking a well deserved nap.. When you originally asked that question I was standing on the deck of the boat fighting some major wave action.

TJBM has been in an earthquake.

He fell asleep at the keyboard? Or is he composing a new nautical tale? Oops! He’s gone!

TJBM knows where the crow flies.

LOL. Sorry. The salt air has taken it’s toll on my keyboard. Half the keys must be struck hard and often twice. It takes forever to type anything nowadays.

Now it’s @Soubresaut who falls asleep…

Wow EC! Gosh that’s an experience.

I have been in several small earthquakes, but I’ve never been aware of any of them until after the fact. Not sure if I actually didn’t feel them, or if I was in circumstances that led me to miss/ignore/overlook the tremors. So, yes and no. Mostly no. And I’m not sure those earthquakes really count, anyway. Not in a big way.

I’m not sure about where he flies, but I do know some reasons why crows are pretty fly: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/a-murder-of-crows-full-episode/5977/

Also I’m cleaning up my jeopardy reference from above because it’s bugging me now…: I’ll take states for 200. Then Alex Trebek says: “This state is the recently arid western region that is now experiencing an out-of-drought experience.” And Coloma jumps in with the (correct!) answer!

TJBM has something that’s bugging them. (Whether tremor-sized or earthquake-sized.)

(Hehe Mimi I saw that! Yes I have been half asleep all day. No salt-air wear on the keys, just me being slow. :)

I do have something bugging me. So does Coloma.
TJBM will tell what is bugging her. For me it is a daughter deep in her teens ugh!

Life is bugging me! Too much crap to worry about and deal with.

TJBM doesn’t like whipped cream.

I love whipped cream, oooh, hot fudge sundae with whipped cream and loads of slivered almonds, now we’re talkin’ !

TJBM knows someone named Mr. Horny. lol

Is that a Vietnamese name?
But speaking about odd names, I know a person named Mr. Chicken. It is said that he got the name because he was very weak as a child. He is now the headmaster of a college.
@Espiritus_Corvus no, I mean your general location. I remember you saying you are not in America anymore. Or am I missing something?
TJBM remembers a strange name.

Apollonia McGillicuddy. No kidding. First row, third from the left, Sister Mary Immaculata’s fourth grade class. She was beautiful. Red hair, green eyes so bright they appeared to be backlit. She had a really nice light carpet of freckles accross her nose. Smart, too. She was a front-rower. I was just a jock in the fourth row. Kids made fun of her name. Not me. I was awstruck from the first day she walked into class. I think she became a corporate lawyer.

@Mimishu1995, I’m in a thread of very small islands south of Cuba, like a string of emeralds in a saphire sea called the Windwards, just south of the Leewards. Mine is Saint Lucia, between Martinique to the north and Saint Vincent to the south.

TJBM has been surprised at what has become of their former classmates.

Now the bloody answer button won’t work.

So that explains the odd timezone. How do your Cuban fellows treat you? Do they have any grudge for America? Just curious. I heard that during the war Vietnamese people, especially those from the North, were taught to hate America. Anything American was immediately an abomination.
I’m not surprised by any of my former classmates generally. I can only find my high school classmates on the internet. Most of them have long left the city to other places, some have gone abroad. Some of them still manage to keep their immature behaviour alive, as if they have never changed since I met them in high school. What surprises me is how they don’t change even after being exposed to another culture. They could at least adopt some new mindset in their current countries. I only interract with you guys on Fluther and I find myself becoming a different person.
Or maybe they do change, but not for the better.
TJBM notices that some people spend time living abroad yet learn nothing.

LOL. Cuba was just a reference point for you to find the Windwards. It’s 2,000 km to the north of here. Here is my voyage down to St. Lucia in 2012–13. If you click it to enlarge, you’ll see a thin red line describing my course. It’s starts at the top of the map at Key West, Florida and takes you to Mexico, Cuba and ends at St. Lucia.

I can’t blame the Vietnamese for feeling the way you described. We were the invaders. After the Vietnam war, there were the “boat people”. They were people who had been allied with us during the war. There were hundreds of thousands of them scattered into refugee camps all over Thailand and the Philipines, waiting to be accepted by any country that would take them. They had been made stateless by the post-war Vietnamese government. The US took a lot of them.

They were incredibly industrious people. They came here with nothing. Many were fishermen. Within a very short time in the States they owned their own boats and had formed consortiums that influenced every aspect of the fishing industry, especially the shrimp fishing industry. They have always been friendly to me and I have always been extremely impressed at their successes in America.

I sailed to Cuba alone twice, once in 2012 just after leaving Key West and again two years ago. Cubans and Americans get along great. I loved the people there, their history, music and expecially their food. Cuban women have the sexiest walk on the entire planet. I was hospitalized there on my last visit and you can’t find better nurses or doctors. My doctor arranged for me to stay at a bed and breakfast while I recouperated, a beautiful old Spanish mansion in Camaguey, run by his aunt and uncle. The whole family lived there and they really took care of me.

The grandmother was the cook, Super fine cook. As I got better, I hounded her for her recipes. When she realized I knew something about cooking, she put an apron on me and told me if I want to learn Cuban cooking, she would show me, and I became her apprentice for the rest of my stay. The whole family was incredible that way. I’ll be going back late this year to see them

Oy. To answer TJAM’s question: Yes I do meet a lot of people abroad who spend more time in these places than just a vacation. Tourists get a pass concerning this.

I meet these long-time expats at the yacht club where I troll for business and pleasure, There are people who won’t touch the food here, don’t like the native music, have no interest in the native culture at all. They haven’t made any effort to learn one of the five Caribbean languages. They cloister with others like themselves and are sometimes even disrespectful of people here that are involved in government and business. They are here for the weather and even complain about that in the summertime. When they are American, I distance myself from them. They haven’t broadened their horizons any more than if thay had spent all their lives in a New Jersey dive.

Thank goodness there isn’t a lot of these types. Most people are excited to learn about how other societies deal with the joys and the problems we all deal with. Sometimes you find solutions to common problems that they could use back home. That’s always a delightful discovery.

TJBM knows people who live abroad but don’t engage with the locals.

Um, no, you are the only one I know permanently living abroad.

TJBM will tell us the first object they see near them at glance.

There are tons of things here on my desk, but the first that I see is my plush monkey toy.
It a very small, brown monkey, with his hands stitched together. This lil’ fluff sits next to my cups with pencils and notes. It’s the only plush toy I keep in my room.
Reminds me a bit of Wes Borland. Dunno why, they don’t look alike. he does look a bit like a monkey, though, but not that much.

TJBM has a song that s/he likes, despite the song being awful.

George Strait’s Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind

TJBM knows of this song

^ your link ain’t workin’, sir

Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind performed by George Strait.

That is pretty bad. He was a pretty guy but peeyew that is one stinky song.

And yes @Strauss , I’ve had the misfortune to hear it before.

TJBM likes Texas Swing and will give us a good example of it.

I do. That was my mama’s music when she was growing up in the panhandle in the 30’s.

All My Ex’s Live in Texas

I figured we should give old George a fair hearing. He’s one of the few C&W guys I like. You can’t beat that sharp, clear voice. He ain’t a bad musician and he’s a purdy good songwriter to boot.

TJBM will give a good example of their ethnic folk music.

My ex does live in Texas, Mr. Houston corporate schmoozer, I was thrilled to get the entire state of CA. back to myself when he moved about 6 years ago. lol

Here’s an example, my namesake actually.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXS8VimleiQ

TJBM is named after a song or character from a book.

No. I was name after a real life object.
TJBM thinks we will eventually run out of name

I guess we’ll just have to repeat them.

I was named for my mother’s uncle, who was named for another ancestor, who was probably named for another ancestor or two, who were named after a scholar/saint who was named after an Apostle!

TJBM knows why they’re named what they’re named.

My first name is for the Queen and both grandmothers and sort of a hurricane*. My middle name came from my grandfather who thought I should have a name that reflected my heritage (as he perceived it). It was also my mother’s first name.
.
.
.
.
* I was conceived during Hurricane Betsy when my parents were on a freighter travelling to North America in 1956 (or so the story goes). My uncle wanted to call me Betsy – my parents thought it would be ok as a nickname. My uncle always called me Betsy. No one else used it until a neighbour started using it a few years ago.

^^^^^^^^Ahem^^^^^

We have 2 senior moments above, haha…okay….

TJBM has short term memory loss.

What did you say about short term parking at the airport?

TjBm has parked at the wrong parking lot at the airport. Charged per hour and twice the cost of the daily rate lot

Noooooo, not me.
TJBM feeds their pet strange stuff.

I somtimes feed my fish live mosquitos. When I kill a mosquitos and it is still alive, I bring it to my fish and watch it jerk around while the fish make a meal out of it. I may sound like a horrible person but it brings me some little pleasure watching the fish eat.
TJBM enjoys something people are scared of.

They say that bluewater sailing can be 23 hours of terror and one hour of pure bliss. Not a lot of people can handle that.

@Mimishu1995, I’ll watch the film today. I needed to get caught up on my work and sleep.

TJBM does something people are scared of.

Face to face conversation. I can say some very fucked up stuff, and people can’t tell if I mean it or not, even when I feel like I am smirking.
TJBM has drawn water from a well by hand.
Do tell.

Yes. On a commune in Northern California called Morningstar Ranch in the early 1970’s. The well was dug in the 1890’s and produced very sweet, mountain water. They had to dip a bucket into it by rope until they got an electric pump and a huge redwood water tank.

TJBM has made their own granola.

I tried it once. I didn’t use enough oats, or used too much honey or something. It was too sticky. They were granola bars, or supposed to be.

TJBM has gone a week without computers or smartphones in the last year.

Yes. The internet is often unreliable here.

TJBM has eaten Haggis.

Not yet, but I would give it a try. From what I’ve read and heard it seems like an interesting variation on sausage using a stomach for casing instead of intestines.

TJBM is a fan of meat-in-a-tube.

I know they stuff meat in tubes for astronauts. I’m not an astronaut.
TJBM is an animal magnet I just realize that I have some kind of charm for dogs and cats. They just don’t become defensive around me like they do to other people. Recently I went to a friend’s house. She told me that her dog is extremely antisocial and will act negatively at any stranger. She didn’t even bark at me when she saw me.

<oops – my TJBM last night was lost in the edit>

___

Yup. Animals love me. I love them, but maybe not as much as they love me.

TJBM will tell us the origins of their real-life name.

Well… to tell the truth I don’t really know why I got my name either. All I know is that my grandma decided the name before I was born. My name is the name of a flower so I guess she just has a taste for that particular kind of flower.
TJBM has become interested in names.

I’m very interested in names. There is a lot in a name, y’know. I’m interested in origins and semanthics of many names. Not just personal names of humans, but names in general: of countries, places, ethnicites, languages, movements and organisations, et cetera.

TJBM pronounces gif with soft g.

I go with the hard g. Maybe it’s a local thing.

TJBM will tell us about an experience with a puppet/puppets.

I was in an improv class and we worked in groups to make puppets for a puppet show—because of the necessary shadow-puppet-prep, our performances were each loosely sketched out and rehearsed a couple of times, but they could go in any direction at any time.

The class had a large vertical screen and an old-style projector (the kind that takes the transparencies), so we made shadow puppets that would press against the screen and transparencies for the different scene backdrops.

Anyway, my group decided on making an assemble class of random fictional characters. These were the ones I made.

I designed the wings to flap—they had a separate wire attached to them. When the puppet was pressed against the screen, the wings could be pulled backwards (towards the puppeteer, away from the screen). The way the shadows played, the wings looked like they were flapping down on either side of the body.

I designed the umbrella to open and close (see it closed) with a second wire that would pull down—and then some experimenting with different ways to attach the pull-mechanism to the umbrella itself.

Those are the two photos I took before I recycled the puppets—they were a little worse for wear by that point. The wires below the picture cut-off were all mangled, otherwise I’d’ve taken a picture of the end of the umbrella mechanism. I realize now that I neglected to take a photo of the back of the umbrella. Oh well.

TJBM will tell us about an experience that changed the way they looked at something/shifted a belief they once held.

Oh gosh, a lot of shifting of beliefs in the last 15 years or so. Shift happens. haha

TJBM knows that shift happens. @BellaB Cool characters.

**Well shoot, editing time ran out and I wanted to adjust my wording to make it clear that the characters were well known pop-culture fictional characters. I just didn’t want to name them because I wanted the puppets to be recognized on their own. I think that’s clear, just the “cite! cite! cite!” part of my brain is telling me now that it wasn’t enough.

Haha yeah, I guess shift just happened—the way I was thinking about my explanation shifted, but too late and now I’m stuck.

TJBM knows that shift happens.

Shoft happens, then you adjust.

TJBM has adjusted.

I adjust everyday.

TJBM going to cook a batch of chicken drumettes this weekend.

Nope, not a fan of drumettes or chicken wings. Too much work to get a couple bites. Gimme a big breast. lol

TJBM will tell us what they had for breakfast. Banana and protein shake here.

Big rush. I had to grab a brownie and two slurps of Mt Dew.
TJBM remembers the real old Dew commercials with the gunshot.

I had to look them up on Youtube. Yes, I do remember them now. “Oh, beautiful Sal was a cold-hearted gal….” LOL. After seeing that, me thinks that Mountain Dew may have a possible plagiarism case against Yahoo.

I do remember when chicken wings were considered such a worthless part of the chicken that butchers would give them away to us kids for bait in our crab traps. I feel the same way as Coloma about chickenwings. I won’t pay for them and I certainly won’t pay a dollar and more per wing in a restaurant. That is insane in my book. My the world changes.

TJBM remembers when the butchers would give out big beef bones for free to give to our dogs when we were kids.

I do, in the 60’s grocery stores gave away a lot of stuff. I used to get crates of produce for my pet rabbits too.

TJBM has had a much needed relaxing day.

Yes. It is raining and the dogs are sitting at my feet as I type. This is one of those times I really wish I had a dutch door to Shy’s outer stall so I could include her in these quiet, relaxing days—like the one Wilburrrrrr had in Mr. Ed.

TJBM remembers Mr. Ed the talking horse.

Of course, and, I used to have a dutch door in my old kitchen back door. I loved it, except birds flew in the house sometimes. haha

TJBM remembers “Fury” and “My friend Flicka” too.

I remember them. I went to middle school with Bobby Diamond’s cousin (brother?), Gary.

TJBM will name the last black & white movie or TV show they saw.

Early this afternoon, a double feature: Monsoon, 1943 with a young John Carridine up against the gorgeous Gale Sondergaard. Then, Cette nuit là... 1958 with another absolute beauty, Mylène Demongeot—and an excellent actress—opposite Maurice Ronet. It is a great French noir recommended to me by Mimi and claimed in 1963 by director Stanley Kubrick to be one of ten best films of all time.

TJBM will tell us about the last Black and White film they saw.
(Thanks, guys.)

ahem!

Ahoy!

I watched Hotel du Nord yesterday. It is about a woman who came to a hotel to commit suicide with her lover but failed, then can’t let the lover go even after she is given many other oppotunities to start a new life. Ignoring the German occupation context that some review sources claim to associate with the movie which makes no sense to me, it is a great movie on its own. I really don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the ending. It seems so satisfying but if you think of it deeper you will notice a lot of disturbing implication behind it.
I like movies like that. No thrilling action, no explosion, no stunning CG… just a story of ordinary people, yet still manges to disturb audience in its own way.
@Espiritus_Corvus good. Now go craft an article. Oh and you need to cconsider Kubrick’s claim. I can’t find any reliable source to back up that claim, so I’m still highly suspicious whether Kubrick really said it at all.
TJBM will tell us about the laat black and white movie they saw.

Manhattan. Re-watched it recently. Lots of weird memories connected to it. Still love the soundtrack.

TJBM will tell us about their favourite vegetarian dish.

Cole slaw! I can eat bucket fulls of the stuff.

TJBM wll tell us their favorite dessert.

Oh, so many desserts, so little time…my current favorite is the baklava from a local Greek restaurant here, The Athenian. Family owned, all menu items made from scratch.

TJBM will share a favorite local restaurant.

Beefmastor yes that is how they spell it !

TJBM remembers a restaurant they went to before they were 10. La Pizza – - Culver City, California.

Two. A pizza joint named Dillinger’s in downtown Sacramento that my father took my older brther and I to. He used to take us on boy’s nights out when we were about 8 and 11, respectively. I don’t remember the pizza, but I remember the old crank wall telephone from the thirties and the real Browning maching guns with the big, round magazines mounted on the walls. The whole place was done up in the 1920’s-30’s gangster mode, right down to the jazz music and flapper waitresses. You even had to knock on the door and a guy would look at you through a slit in the door and OK you, just like a speakeasies in the Untouchables TV show, which was our only reference to such things at the time. LOL. Mimi would have loved it.

The other place was around the same time. A Japanese restaurant that my father took my older brother and I to that had food aromas throughout and food that tasted like nothing I’ve had since. I can’t remember the name of the place, but I’ve never forgotten those amazing food aromas. It was in downtown Sacramento as well, about 1959–60.

TJBM has tasted a certain food only once and has never forgotten it.

Yes, Mimi. As soon as I can get Mylène Demongeot out of my head. Her image prejudices my opinion of the film. LOL. You can’t blame me for that. It was the first time I ever saw the woman.

That jazz restaurant sounds like something I would like to try once in a lifetime!
I still want to eat loster again one day. I first tasted a loster at grandma’s home at 6. We were having some sort of party. It was the tastiest thing I’ve ever eaten. I know it is next to impossible to touch a loster again given the price.
@Espiritus_Corvus Why didn’t you pay attention to Jean Servais, the old man who played the boss? He stole the scene of the couple for me. I’m so sad ~
TJBM is stunned by an actor/actress in a movie.

There are several.
Geena Davis makes her characters seem so natural. She is mighty classy, yet gets down and dirty as well as any guy.
Samuel L. Jackson is stunning.
There are others, but I hit my stupid answer button too soon. Everything is so darn close together on this phone!
TJBM has pointy fingertips and never has trouble with touch screens.

I have regular fingertips and do just fine with touch screens. haha

TJBM has big feet.

Not for my height, I don’t think. And they keep changing the shoe sizes. When I was in my twenties I wore an American size eleven, in Sweden I was a 44 men’s. About six months ago I bought some deck shoes and the only thing that would fit me was size 13. Same with my boots, size 13½. No way. My big brother was 6’7” and he wore a size 13 and they were boats! They almost didn’t take him in the army because of his shoe size. I’m only 6’2” and my feet are proportionate to my height, if I may say so. They’ve changed the sizes.

TJBM knows whether or not they’ve changed the sizes in men’s shoes.

I have no idea, but it seems odd to change sizes like that. I’ve never heard they do that to female footwear.

TJBM will take a first book s/he can find, turn to page 159, read the first sentence, and try to figure (or make up) its meaning, regardless of the overall context of the work.

”...cinematographer Sid Hickox used a glass floor with Fellsinger’s body on it so that they…”

It’s The Encyclopedia of Film Noir, and a description of the set construction to give a special effect In the film Daughter of Darkness.

TJBM will answer the same question.

“He started with buteric acid.”
Sounds like a real crappy lunch.
TJBM will explain why they only sorta posted.

Screwed up keyboard. Also, I’ve posted this three times and it won’t take.

TJBM will take a first book s/he can find, turn to page 159, read the first sentence, and try to figure (or make up) its meaning, regardless of the overall context of the work.

Okay, I rise to the challenge. 1st book I pulled off the shelf here at the house of books is a novel called ” The Secret of Annexe 3” by Colin Dexter.

Pg. 159 1st sentence… Whaaa….? Morse’s inarticulate utterance sounded like the death agonies of a wounded banshee, and Lewis felt his sympathies going out to whichever of the officers in St. Aldates had been responsible the previous day for the lost property inventory.”

The meaning, someone is in deep shit for losing said property, whatever the hell it is. lol

TJBM has lost something recently.

I lost my mechanical pencil this morn’. It’s here in the room fo sho, but I’m too lasy to bother looking for it.

TJBM knows a way to get high without using any chemicals or known drugs.

Sure, just being in a beautiful nature setting but it is also enhanced at times with a little something extra. Like a glass or two of wine or a wee bit o’ the herbal essence. haha

TJBM hear about the Bobcat “Ollie” that escaped from the WA. D.C. zoo but returned yesterday.

I hadn’t heard Ollie returned. Nice to know he’s back home. Poor guy. I bet he was scared.
TJBM is having a lunch which does not start with buteric acid.
What does it start with?

Lunch was a while ago. It started with ½ of a spinach croissantlike thing.

TJBM has a favourite green to eat/cook with and will tell us about one use of it.

I love baked cabbage and roasted brussel sprouts. I cut cabbage into wedges, arrange in baking dish, top with thin sliced onions, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, melted butter and white pepper and sea salt. bake for about an hour covered with a tin foil tent then uncover and let it get a little roasted, onions browned a bit. Yummy!

TJBM is trying to get motivated to launch into some things they need to do.

I am resisting launch. I feel awful and I keep restarting the launch countdown.
TJBM will tell what would be their preferred destination if they launch into space. This is assuming the trip could be made, and livable conditions and landing are safe.

Pluto. It’s as far away as possible from the place I am now, and atm I feel like goibg as far as possible.

TJBM loves sitting and enjoying silence

I do, but it has been a very long time since my tinnitis was mellow enough for anywhere to seem quiet.
Pluto? There is quite a lot of universe further than that, and with nicer planets. Still, some people do have a special fondness for Pluto.
TJBM thinks harvesting ice from Saturn would be a good idea.

Uh…sure, why not? It’d be even better if we saved our own ice, but if that can’t be, well we ain’t hurting anyone on Saturn if we borrow their ice, I guess.
I like Pluto. It’s dark, quiet, secluded and not too far, but not close either. It’s a small, quiet pocket in our galaxy.

TJBM wouldn’t leave Earth if there was a chance to go to another planet.

I would go. There are cool other planets, but I find the moons of Jupiter very interesting too.
I am curious what sunsets look like from Saturn.
TJBM has a favorite book involving space travel.

No. I like science but not science fiction.

TJBM prefers biographies and true stories over fiction.

I do. I like the small details in history and biography. Even when I find a fiction author I like, I often read more about them than I do their books. Sometimes I don’t even have to like their work all that much. If they’ve lived interesting lives, I’ll dig in. Hemingway is big in Florida and I found things about him that, sadly, aren’t very falttering at all in a big way. I had a guy want to take a swing at me in Key West over some of this shit. LOL.

One person who is still alive and is incredibly interesting—much more interesting than her vampire tales—is Anne Rice, who started out life as Howard Allen O’Reilly (No, she is not transexual) and has used the names A.N. Roquelaure to publish works concerning the sexual adventures of a real life Sleeping Beauty. As Anne Rampling she wrote the story of a BDSM resort—kinda like 50 shades of Grey, only the protagonist is a female Domme and there is a lot more gritty sexuality, it is much more romantic and a much, much better story—run by a Mistress and her sub Elliot who she bought at a slave auction. IRL, to the demi monde of New Oleans in the 80’s and 90’s, these stories were no suprise at all as many had been to her parties at the mansion.

I have only one thing against Anne Rice: I hold her responsible for this idiotic Vampire Mania that we see today. I could put a stake in her heart for that. She would have made less money in the begining, but surely would have made a more lasting mark in literature by pursuing her grittier erotic tendencies instead and saved us all from interminable TV series’ like the Walking Dead.

TJBM knows a lot about a certain author.

I know way too much about PG Wodehouse. Have over 80 of his books and a half-dozen or so biographies. Love Plum.

TJBM will describe their favourite cup to drink tea/coffee/cocoa out of.

A wide, short, white ceramic cup, with an image of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, with “Snuggly” written bellow. It’s my default cup, I don’t ever use any other. I’m drinking coffee from it right now.
It’s my second cup I have had so far. The first default cup I had was also white, but with a bit different design, and an image of a black eagle on it: coat of arms of Austria. I bought it in Vienna on a school trip. Sadly, my mom broke it on accident and that’s how I got the current one. Gotta keep an eye on her not to break this one too heh.

TJBM cried over a book or poem.

Yes, I admit to that. On quiet nights. There is one poem, especially, that I can’t read now without falling apart.

Gail turned me on to a great poet I’d never heard of, Mary Oliver. She is still alive and living in Florida—very possibly in the same town as JLeslie. When Gail died, I went back to Oliver’s A Summer Day., a poem Gail said was her favorite.

The last four lines:

Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

And then my hands tremble violently and I go blind with tears.

TJBM has a favorite poem.

Damn.

Miss Me but Let Me Go. I found it while mourning for Adi. It was like what Adi wanted to tell me while I was depressed. Looking at it right now still brings some tears in my eyes.
TJBM will say something that will lighten the mood.

Hurry up Strauss, I gotta challenge I wanna to post for TNJ. ;-p

One – two – three—...

JUST TAKE THOSE OLD RECORDS FROM THE SHELF!

TJBM likes that old time Rock and roll

Thanks @Strauss. No more death talk.
I like that kind of rock and roll. Today’s rock is just too fast to follow, and too much energy to bear. But that’s just me.
TJBM is waiting for @Brian1946‘s challenge.

I guess I am, although I already know what it is.

TJBM can name a woman scientist, engineer, leader, athlete, or writer. She can be a jelly or not.

Scientist: Marie Curie
Engineer: Mariah!
Leader: Mrs. Thatcher
Athelete: well, I’m not into sport
Writer: J.K.Rowling
TJBM has another challenge.

I do.

TJBM can name the leader of their country, state, or province.

I refuse to name the leader of my country. He who should not be leader. lol

TJBM will tell us the name of their childhood pet.

I had a dog named King. I’ve posted a story about him on another thread. I’ll see if I can find it and post a link.

TJBM has a good pet story.

About my pet or others’ pets? I have a fair share of stories about pets of various people.
TJBM will choose a pet for me to tell a story.

Your fishies!

Oh yeah, my fish. I have a story of my fish in mind. Warning: graphic contents. Stop reading here if you are squeamish!
Before my family started serious fish breeding, we often left the fish underfed we weren’t irresponsible really. It’s just that there were too many fish and we couldn’t cater for them all. It was when we discovered a horrible secret: the fish would eat any newborn fish coming into existence. That’s right, when a mother fish gave birth, the baby fish became a good meal for the entire fish community, including the mother. One day a fish gave birth. We were too late to know and when we finally knew, the fish community had devoured most of the baby fish. We only managed to evacuate one tiny young fish. It died hours later after being rescued due to serious injuries. It broke my heart.
After the incident, my family had a new policy. Every pregnant fish would be put in a separate bowl and put on “birth watch”. When they gave birth, they would be immediately removed from the bowl. The baby fish would be left in the bowl until they were old enough to fend for themselves.
My fish are no longer underfed, but the birth watch remains. It turns out that the fish eats baby fish not because they are hungry but because the babies are tasty.
TJBM has another weird pet story.

I have had weird dogs.

My oldest dog, late George, was a very good dog. He didn’t bark much and was usually very calm. We all loved him, he was like a family member. Good boy died of old age, may he rest in peace.

Anyways, he did have a unique quirk. He hated only two things: the lawn mower, and one of our neighbours, which we will call Bob.

Bob has a garden that is right next to our backyard. George’s house was very near the fence, and George didn’t like Bob for some reason. Like, he really had some grudge against that man, and he had a unique way to show his dislike: he’d always shit in Bob’s garden. Like, he’d actually climb (there are some rocks there) and position himself in a way that his poop would land on Bob’s territory, and when he finishes his business, nonchalantly leave like nothing’s happened. He’d never crossed the fence and went to Bob’s land, nor did he ever attack him when he got unleashed (he was a legend in getting himself unleashed and wreaking havoc, but he never intentionally attacked Bob, nor any other human. He’d get in war with shoes and neighbor’s ducks), but he’d always go through that specific effort. To shit in Bob’s land, that was his mission.

May you rest in peace, George, we all miss you.

We had a few different dogs when George passed, and all of them seemed to have some loose screws in their heads. For example, we had one stray puppy that was the loudest and most annoying thing ever…..until you take a broom. Then he’d become quiet like a bug. He had some strange fear of brooms. He’d constantly get in the house and we had to chase him away all the time, but if we simply put a broom next to the door, he wouldn’t dare even sniffing near it.

Another pup we had spent the whole night barking at an umbrella that was standing outside. The wind was shaking it, and the poor soul thought the umbrella was a living thing! He barked his soul out until mom realised what’s going on and took the umbrella inside.

Our dog that we have now seems to be seriously crazy. She’s a real bitch, in every sense of the word. It’s the only dog that we really consider dangerous. She goes ballistic when she sees a stranger, and would viciously attack anyone if she weren’t tied up well. She’s annoying af and barks at every living thing. I caught her barking at birds several times. She had a strange bond with our late tomcat, though. At first, she hated him. Our tomcat had zero fucks to give about her though, he’d intentionally waltz right in front of her, but in just the right distance that she can’t reach him, just so he could annoy her. They got along eventually. He was the only animal she let drink from her waterbowl, or simply get near. Sometimes he’d even eat her leftover food. Oh, and she has very specific needs when it comes to food: she wouldn’t touch raw meat to save her life, but she adores pancakes and well nuts. (George adored well nuts and pears too)
Our dear tomcat disappeared one day: we ain’t sure, but it seems he was killed or poisoned somewhere in the neighbourhood. May he rest in peace too, we all dearly loved that cat.

Now our bitch is all alone in the yard, getting seriously depressed whenever it rains. She really hates rain and mud and whines like crazy whenever it’s raining. My sister is convinced that that dog has some mental issues.

damn, that was long :D

TJBM believes animals have distinct personalities, like humans do.

Absolutely, They are all very different.

TJBM ate too much yesterday.

No, not much of an appetite last few days. I’ve been down with the crud that seems to be going around. In my case it turned into my almost annual bout of bronchitis.

TJBM does not like to get sick.

I hate being sick. I don’t want people to boss me around, so when single cell rads try it I really get pissed.
TJBM keeps single cell critters as pets.

No, but most dogs classify as single celled critters. haha

TJBM is not a dog person.

Since my dog is currently sitting on my lap, I feel like I have only one response.

TJBM knows a trick for making cauliflower pizza crust hold together? (We’re having people over to make homemade pizzas, but one of the guests is low-carb so we’re trying to make low-carb crust; we’re currently in the process of experimenting with different recipes to see what works, so any tips are welcome!)

Or, TJBM knows a good joke.

I do not, I have been curious about a Cauliflower crust but have not undertaken any experimenting. @Soubresaut I m sure YOUR dog is a good dog, I just hate my my neighbors Chuhuahua, the single celled animal. lol

TJBM has had murderous fantasies over an annoying person or animal.
I know, I know, go ahead and hate me, but I seriously want the UPS guy to squash my neighbors Chihuahua like a freaking little meatloaf in the driveway. lol

No I can’t think of anyone I would have murderous thoughts over.

Cauliflower pizza crust needs an egg and cheese mixture to act as glue.

TJBM love love loves to cook and experiments often

I LOVE to cook! It’s challenging to come up with my own yummies but I can jimmy rig a recipe like no one else to meet my family’s needs.

TJBM is enjoying the sunshine after several gloomy days.

No, days of rain and gloom here, more coming, but I like it and am grateful for the drought releif us Californians have goin’ on.

TJBM is a busy little Beaver this morning.

And right in to this afternoon. I was lookibg for something I misplaced, but soon it will come down to searching through packed away boxes. UGH!
TJBM has been searching but still feels unfulfilled.

Nope, I have inner peace, just wish I had money inner bank. lol

TJBM has inner peace.

Usually. It’s a feeling that, in spite of the drama, rancor and challenges in the world, I’m at peace with myself and those important to me.

TJBM has a good movie to recommend.

Yes, the new in theaters now ‘Hidden Figures” about the black, female, mathematicians at NASA in the early 60’s. Man, talk about battling racism and sexism all at the same time. very good!

TJBM has had a busy weekend.

Yeah. I was busy sleeping.
TJBM has had an eventful weekend.

I guess so.

Saturday my husband and I drove to Sebring, FL to see our Memphis friends and to see them race. Sebring is about two hours away.

Today I took my sister to Tampa because she wanted to try skeet shooting and then we drive down to St. Petersburg so she could go to the Dali museum. It’s so beautiful there. I waited for her at the airport restaurant across the street. The airport was the first in the US to have a scheduled commercial flight. There is a very nice restaurant on the second floor. I sat outside in the terrace, and watched the sailboats in the distance, and saw a few executive planes take off.

TJBM has been to St. Petersburg, FL USA.

That was my hometown in the 90s and early 2000s. I had a nice little townhouse and private garden just off downtown in the Old Northeast Section up Beach drive just north of Vinoy Park. It was an oak tree canopied neighborhood on the bay, in the old mansion district. It was an eight block bike ride to work on Central Avenue and my boat was in that marina you were staring at on the south side of The Pier, which is that ugly concrete upside down pyramid. It was a great small city to live in.

If you like the Impressionists of the 19th century, you’re just a couple of blocks from the Museum of Fine Arts at the base of the Pier where they have a permanent collection of Monets, Renoirs and other masters. They also have a permanent collection of ancient ceramics and always have interesting visiting collections. And some really great coffee houses and restaurants are right across the street on Beach Dr.

If you dig Chihuly Glass go a couple of blocks to your NW to the St. Pete Morean Arts Center at 720 Central Avenue where they have a large permanent collection of Chihuly’s work there. For about twenty bucks, they will sell you one of his smaller pieces, a vase, or a scupture. It’s a great little museum and art school and all of Chihuly’s pieces that are sold there are his donations to the school and the money goes to keeping it and the museum alive..

If you want to experience formal High Tea in the afternoon done right with tiers of little sandwiches and pastries on silver service and attended by waiters in tuxes, head west down Central to the beach, turn left on Gulf Blvd and go south until you hit the Don Cesar Hotel. It really is fabulous and formal in a beautiful old Florida Hotel setting. Their Sunday Champaigne Brunch is also worth it bigtime. Lobster, entrecote steak, prime rib, omeletes, oysters Rockefeller, tons of fruit, eggs any way you want them, canadian bacon, juices and endless champaigne. As much as you want. Both the teas and the brunch ran about $50 a head when I lived there. But trust me, it is really nice to eat like that in such a beautiful setting on the water with formal service, even though it is a buffet. You won’t be sorry, Leslie.

This isn’t the tourist stuff. This is what the locals do.

TJBM has had formal High Tea.

No. Perhaps I should.
Dunno. I simple English tea with ladies all in floral print dresses seems more my speed. Maybe a couple of long hair chihuahuas in the room, a snobbish persian cat lurking somewhere, and an English drizzle chasing just a hint of chill into the room. The drift of ruffled curtains follow occasional whistles heard coming from blossomed tree branches outside.

TJBM will serve the tea, and some tasty little finger sandwiches, and petit fours.

I drink tea, but rarely serve tea. Especially, not a formal tea service. The club for Brits here does a meeting once a week or once a month (I don’t remember) dyring afternoon tea time. Also, where I used to live in Boca Raton, FL the Morikami museum will teach you about a formal Japanese tea service, and you can participate while learning.

@Espiritus_Corvus I’ve been everywhere you mentioned except the glass museum. I thought about going yesterday, but was too lazy. I have seen some of the pieces though, including the huge chandelier in one of the ballrooms at the Vinoy.

TJBM will tell us about an intriguing place.

^^Thanks I forgot to put TJBM on my answer.

TJBM will tell us about an intriguing place.

The Salvador Dali Museum, which is in St. Petersburg, Fl.

High Tea…served every Sunday at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver.

TJBM is up too early.

I was, but I went back to sleep.

TJBM drinks coffee every morning.

Every morning and every afternoon. Strong Cuban Bustelo or Pilon. It’s my last vice and they’ll have to tear the cup from my cold, dead hands…

TJBM will tell us about their favorite stimulant.

Coca Cola, but I almost never drink it now. I quit almost 20 years ago. Yesterday, I cheated, while lounging on the restaurant verandah overlooking the blue waters and sky, and it was delicious!

TJBM?

I did it again.

TJBM wasn’t born in a hospital.

False. I was born in a hospital but my mother almost didn’t make it, there was a snowstorm that night.

TJBM was born in a barn.

False. But I was born on a gurney on the way to the birthing room. Nurse didn’t believe my mom when she kept saying I was coming.

TJBM has a mild headache. Mine won’t go away.

No, but my thumbs hurt. haha

TJBM has the random aches and pains of middle age.

True I guess. I don’t think it has to be normal for middle age. I think I have other things wrong that maybe could be much better, and I could have fewer aches and pains.

TJBM is in a time of flux in their life.

Yes, I have been for the last 4 years almost but now, am finally, slightly settled again. Life..periods of stability and periods of transition.

TJBM has gotten stuck in the giant size format of Fluther before. I just posted a Q. in Meta, I can’t figure out how to flipping exit the super size format here. haha

Oh my! No, I haven’t, nor have I the skills to help you with it.
TJBM can walk on their hands.
(All fours in a drunken stupor does not count.)

Not anymore, I’m old now. haha Still stuck in super size here..WTF, I ahve done evrything and nothing is working.

TJBM hates computer shit. lol

I don’t hate the stuff, but I agree that it can be frustrating.

@Coloma scroll down to the bottom of where you’ll see a link that says “Mobile”.

TJBM has found a solution.

Yes! @Soubresaut told me to press Ctrl and the minus sign and I was able to zoom in again. Damn cat did it and I had no idea how to escape the land of giants. I am so happy now. haha

TJBM is happy after solving a problem.

Aw shucks! And yep! Happy after solving a problem :)

TJBM has pets who get into or cause problematic situations.

I don’t, but my neighbor’s cat begs to go out, then doesn’t come back until they’ve gone to bed. He sits outside my door and cries because I sleep lighter. I let him in, then he goes back home in the morning.
TJBM has a helpful neighbor.

Yes, I do. I have a car guy that can check out car weirdness for me and others that can check on my pets etc. if need be.

TJBM can’t believe they ate the whole thing.

Oh <urp> dear. I ate almost an entire box of grape tomatoes with my sesame ring. I’d have to store a few in my cheeks if I wanted to claim I’d finished the whole clamshell. Hydroponic tomatoes are so delicious this time of year.

TJBM has been waking up at an unusual time (for them), and knows why.

Only to go to the bathroom. haha No, I slept 10 hours last night, I have been behind on my sleep this week. Last night was my 1st night home after house sitting all last week, it was great to seep in my own bed again.

TJBM is being very lazy today.

No, but I am having fun. My neighbor’s youngest little girl came over. We’ve been playing, giggling, and watching movies.
TJBM STILL likes to watch the Aristocats.

Sure, I love all the old and new animated Disney films.

TJBM loves the Budweiser Clydesdales.

I really do. When I was little kid I dreamt of being a muscle bound Conan the Great in fur breach cloth, a bow strung across my back, spear in hand and atop a huge buckskin Clydesdale.. Invincible.

TJBM had a similar fantasy when they were a kid.

Yes. Hard to pick just one. Action, romance, you name it. lol

TJBM remembers their first childhood crush.

Ruthie. She was auburn-haired with a pixie cut, big blue eyes, a bit chubby in a very cute way, dimpled, friendly, about three feet tall. She shared her toys with me the first day of Mrs. Easterday’s kindergarten class. She lived down the gravel lane and they had this big blue talking macaw. Ruthie was cute and sweet, but the macaw cinched it for me. I’ll never forget either of them.

TJBM remembers their first childhood crush.

I do. A native american boy that was about 14 when I lived in Santa Fe N.M.
He tossed me up on his stunning big paint horse for a ride. I was about 5 and seriously fell in love with him, and of course, his horse cinched it for me. haha

TJBM remembers their last dream.

LOL. Funny you should mention that because I rarely remember my dreams, but last night I had one. I was about to place a sticker on something and suddenly realized it was the wrong label and I reacted with a jolt so violent, I nearly fell out of bed. Wierd. I don’t remember what led up to that and have no idea what it was about, but it sure woke me out of a sound sleep.

TJBM can remember the best dream they ever had.

It seems that my best dreams always contain some sort of thrilling action, me running and shooting people, unknown threats and surprising twists. And in most of them I’m not myself, but some other character. In one dream I was a cop, and I needed to solve a murder of my chief’s wife. At one point I needed to enter an empty building to collect some evidence. It was said to be where she was last seen. I then realized that the building wasn’t completely empty, and I had to fight with some dudes and wipe them out of the way. The duded managed to destroy everything and all I could get was a picture of a woman. When I presented it to my chief, he suddenly stopped talking and walked away from me. I somehow found out that the woman was the daughter of a businessman. Oh, and one more thing my best dreams have in common: they are always too long to fit in a single night sleep.
A classmate of mine once dreamed about being a detective solving crime in Sherlock Holmes style. The dream scared the shit out of her with “blood and dead bodies”. I thought it would have been awesome if it had been my dream :p
TJBM is excited that they never know what they will dream about.

No. Most dreams I remember are scary. I never look forward to dreaming.

TJBM wants to have pizza for dinner.

Actually, I’m jonesing for a cheeseburger, with extra bacon,
tomato, lettuce, toasted bun, chocolate shake (the real kind), followed by a big bowl of orange jello.
TJBM has faced the wrong end of a gun.

Yes, actually, I had a psycho ex postal worker neighbor that once waved a rifle in my face threatening my dog that had stolen one of his chickens. The chicken was fine, my dog just carried it home and left it by the backdoor. lol Life in the country.

TJBM has internet connection issues when it storms.

Thankfully no.

TJBM is going to bed feeling like it’s going to be ok.

I just got out of bed. I dreamt about hearing a very loud “pop” sound and seeing an alien with huge eyes staring at me. That is actually nothing out of ordinary in my dreamland.

TJBM dislikes garlic.

Oh contraire—it’s in almost everything I eat! I was raised on the stuff. Sometimes just for kicks I’ll decide to go without garlic, and it’ll be like a seasoning all its own… (I promise, though, you wouldn’t know my love of garlic from smelling me!)

TJBM senses something in the air.

I do, but I do my best to ignore it.

TJBM agrees that Keanu Reeves is way hotter than Brad Pit.

No doubt about it!
TJBM will describe what kind of superhero they would like to be, including any superpowers they would have, name, clothing, etc.

I don’t like superheroes. I would rather be a medieval character if I have to choose. I could be a wizard with black magic who travels the world.
TJBM would like to be a fictional character.

Aren’t we all, already fictional characters in our own lives? haha

TJBM is in the middle of a crazy, windy storm

Nah, it’s pretty calm, for better or worse.

TJBM is left handed.

I am! A sign of genius right? haha

TJBM is half brilliant, half scattered.

I’m definitely half scattered. I don’t think I’d call myself half brilliant. I’m not feeling brilliant at all lately. I’m just fine with that.

TJBM has snow on the ground where they live.

No, it’s 72 *F outside right now.

TJBM knows the name of their Postal delivery person.

Melvin. He stops in for ice tea on his rural route through this part of the island on hot days. Interesting guy from an interesting family.

TJBM has lived near the border of a militarily hostile nation.

I can see the US from a very tall building here. I think that counts.

TJBM is ready for the weather to settle down.

I am. I have been loving all the storms but jeez, I have been procrastinating grocery shopping and eating crappy for the last week, and tromping out in the wind and rain sucks, I finally just went shopping and bought some good food again after going for the mexican takeout and junk this last week. Ugh…I need to detox.

TJBM needs to detox.

Detox from eating badly. Right now I’m under the weather, so I’m not eating much anyway.

@BellaB Sucks that the US is considered militarily hostile.

TJBM didn’t take a shower this morning.

Yes I did. It is imperative that I shower every morning and night. There is no way I can otherwise live in this humid climate. It is the last trace of civil comfort before I go completely native.

TJBM has gone native a time or two.

Hmmm, I think I am, all the time.
My people came to this continent so many thousands of years ago, pretty sure I am. Sometimes I wrap a blanket around my shoulders and leave myself huddled while I go fly with an eagle.
TJBM has flown with birds.

I have ran and flapped with my geese yes. I didn’t actually get off the ground but the simulated flapping was a nice touch.

TJBM has gotten air born before on purpose or by accident.

Yeah, I’ve told the story like three times here about when I got a superman cape and tights for Christmas when I was five, then jumped off the barn roof.

I went hang gliding a couple of times in my twenties when it was a new thing. I got into kite surfing for a couple of years, then backed off when I realized I just didn’t have the need to push it to the edge anymore.

TJBM has pushed it way beyond the edge and is here to tell about it.

Yes, and I have the scars to prove it. Pinned left shoulder with a fancy little bone sling they made with a piece of my collarbone from one of my wild horse wrecks some years back and a subsequent surfing crash that resulted in being slammed into the bottom of the ocean. Exactly what the ER report said. haha
I have a fucked up ankle from years of water skiing and a dent in my forehead from popping a wheelie on a dirt bike and flipping into a tree.

I was, literally blind for about 10 minutes, cracked forehead, concussion.
Every school picture I took from about age 7 through Jr. High school I had a fat lip or black eye or chipped tooth from something. I was a wild child
I have almost drowned on numerous occasions when rafting in rough waters but the last 10 years or so I used to joke that the only white water I see now days is from the turbo jets in my hot tub. lol

TJBM was a wild child.

Oh the tales I could tell! But (thankfully) I escaped with most of the bones intact and minimal scarring.

TJBM has a scar or two they consider a badge of honor.

I consider most of them a badge of honor. For better or worse, they are our battle ribbons. Here’s my list. After I posted, I realized I forgot a few. LOL. How droll of me.

TJBM has one scar that their are particularly fond of.

Sadly I have no scar that I am proud of. My scars always associate with bad memories. The worst memory is the scar on my hand. You can find the story on the same thread. Child abuse in kindergartens is only made known recently in my country, but the scar is a proof that it existed way longer and not many people wanted to admit it.
TJBM has a righteous story.

@Mimishu1995 Yes, I just re-read that. That is sad. But it is a battle ribbon. It is a mark of a unique experience that you have survived. Scars aren’t necessarily reminders of fond memories. They are your marks of survival—proof that you have been there.

One of my all-time favorite scenes in a film

No stories tonight. I feel like shit. No TJBM either. Can’t think straight.

TJBM will wish that @Espiritus_Corvus feels better soon.

Oh God EC!
TJBM will do something that makes EC feel better.

I’ll do something…voodoo? Hoodoo? Maybe a little remote chakra balance?

TJBM is familiar with the practices I mentioned.

I am. I was thinking more along the lines of massage therapy, and some pressure points.
TJBM carries a crystal with them.

No, I’m not a believer in superstitious stuff.

TJBM is getting psyched up to trudge out in the rain soon. Ugh, make-it-stop! haha

I did my rain time last night . Went out and chopped out the ice resulting from the freezing rain and cleared the storm sewer down the street. My sweater is still wet from all that adventuring. It’s steaming on the railing upstairs.

TJBM is staring down a business card for something they need to do.

Just one thing to do? I’ve got cards for a ton of things to do!

TJBM wishes they had the money to go to the theater. Instead of all the things to do!

I have tickets to go to the symphony in a week and a musical a month from now. Right now I’m home with a fever and feel like it will never end, so I’m hoping I’m better by the time of the symphony.

TJBM goes to the gym every week.

No, but I’d like to go to the symphony or theater with @Seek!

TJBM has had a theater party before

I have no idea what that is, but I bet it’s cool.

@Espiritus_Corvus You ok, captain? “Maybe this or this will cheer you up.

TJBM agrees life is like a sitcom.

No, it’s like a comedy/tragedy, depending on the minute/day/week/month/year. In a sitcom all your problems and dilemmas are solved in like 22 minutes, minus commercial breaks. haha

TJBM is hungry but nothing sounds good to them right now

Not hungry right now as I just had two mini chicken sandwiches. Like homemade club sliders.

TJBM has recently booked an appointment they’d been putting off.

Haha, how’d you know? Well..I tried to get through yesterday to schedule a couple medical tests but I gave up and didn’t leave a message because I hate playing phone tag. I will try to get through to a real person again tomorrow. I really don’t care if I’m a little overdue for a mammogram. If I have breast cancer just cut them off, their useful life is over anyway. No longer functional or ornamental. lol

TJBM thinks that womens breasts should just fall off naturally after about age 50, kinda like a deer shedding its antlers. Done with these, just leave them in the woods somewhere. haha

It’d sure add a new dimension to “trophy hunters”.

TJBM would agree that hunting should be limited to harvest or population controls.

Wait, are we talking animals now, or breasts?
@Coloma, better yet, like lizard tail, drop off if somebody grabs em uninvited, to grow back later. With a willing participant we could keep trading for new. In the case of mashers, well, I guess nobody would grab em if they knew they were going to drop off.
Imagine, cheerleaders coming to afternoon class lop-sided, lol.
TJBM lives in fear “it” might drop off everytime they pull it.

Id be s grossed out if Setanta’s finger dropped off. That’s why I don’t pull it.

TJBM likes who they are these days.

^Haha Yes, I do. I have always liked who I am. I am a nice, fairly bright, humorous and decent human being.

TJBM is a decent human being.

Decentish. I do give warnings when I’m about to be less than pleasant.

TJBM is enjoying decluttering.

No, no declutteration for this guy.

TJBM has yet to experience the worst of this winter’s weather.

We’ve been told that there will be a cold snap in about three weeks. Given the freezing rain/snow we’ve had this winter, a cold snap could make me snap.

TJBM does not love winter sports the way they once did.

True. I’m waiting for the spring’s worst cold period. Oh, seems like it is coming right now.
The weather isn’t as interesting as the legend behind it. Legend had it that there was a God of Weather ruling the world. He had a beautiful daughter, and she fell in love with a human being. She granted permission from her father and descent to the human world with her husband. One winter she wanted to gave her husband a coat as a gift. But she was clumsy by nature and by the time she finished making the coat it was already spring. The weather wasn’t cold enough so she asked her father to make it cold again so that her husband could try her gift. He agreed and gave spring another cold period. So now you have it, an out-of-place cold period in the spring.
TJBM has an interesting story behind a state of weather.

Yes, I have a story from the Seneca People, original inhabitants of the Northeastern US before the European incursions…
The Spring God is…young and very muscular. He loves to wrestle with the winter winds, and even enters Ha tho’s [the Winter God’s] lodge, and teases him to desperation, while his faithful ally, Thaw, plays havoc with the ice and snowdrifts outside…

When Thaw comes in mid-winter, he comes suddenly, and begins to wreck the icy blankets that Winter has placed over the earth.

Winter then knows that Spring is coming, and exerts all his magic to freeze the world again, and to make his reign even more terrible.

Time passes, and Thaw returns, bringing his master Spring. A fight ensues, and eventually Winter is defeated, and withdraws to his home country in the North.

source

TJBM has other folk tales or legends to share.

I had a legend of how Vietnam was formed.
Long long ago there was a dragon who rule over the sea. He met the daughter of the Heavenly God and fell in love with her. They settled down on the land and the woman gave birth to a worm with 100 eggs. 100 humans hacked out from the eggs. After a while the dragon man became bored with his life and returned to the sea. The woman took her children to the sea shore and waited for him to return. Out of pity for the woman, the dragon man stepped out of the sea and told her they could no longer be together. The woman became depressed but they agreed to share the children. 50 children went with the dragon man to the sea, and 50 others stayed with the woman on the land. The children grew, worked, and reproduced, and so Vietnam was formed.
... Yeah, I know it’s boring. Just some soapy love story that could put you to sleep. What I found strange is that the children were supposed to be all male, so how the hell did they reproduce? And even if there were female, how could they reproduce with each other?
TJBM is concerned for @Espiritus_Corvus lately.

I’m here, Mimi. I’m just feeling like shit. Lurking, mostly. I’m in the hospital watching TV and sleeping a lot. I’m OK.

Your stories aren’t boring. I’ll ask one of the nurses for a Caribbean tale. St. Lucia has Papa Bois and Mama D’Leau legends, the forest man and river woman. They protect the island from enimies and warn the animals from hunters.

TJBM has another folk tale or legend.

@Espiritus_Corvus Oh God. I hope you get well soon. Get lots of rest and sleep. I’m watching you.

Thank you, Mimi. About the Dragon God of the Sea. Does he have anything to do with your Dragon Bridge? What’s his story?

You mean this bridge? No, they are two different entities. It’s just that someone thought my city is so close to the sea and a dragon was meant to symbolize the sea spirit coming to help people
And another legend for you. This is meant to explain the origin of rain and flood.
There was a king with a very beautiful princess. The king wanted to find a suitable husband for her, someone that at least had some special skill to offer and so far no one had met his standard. One day two men showed up. They turned out to be the Sea God and Land God. The king was so confused, for both men had so much to offer. He then asked the men to bring him some offerings the next day the offerings weren’t something a human could get btw.
The next day the Land God came with the offerings and got the princess. The Sea God was late and became infuriated. He looked for the Land God and started a war, with lots and lots of rain. To protect humans, the Land God had to raise the land up, creating what we called today “hills” and “mountains”. The war lasted several days until the Sea God got tired and retreated. The Sea God has never let go of his grudge since, so every year he makes rain and flood to fight the Land God.
TJBM has another folk tale or legend.

Slavs believed in a god called Svarog, that creates the world and controls it in his sleep.

Svarog is the god of fire. He is believed to have created the sun and the sky, where he lies. He also created the rest of the world too, when he fell asleep. In his dream, he created humans and gods, and animals, and everything else. He is believed to be the most powerful god, because all the we know about is a part of his dream. The Slavic depiction of the end of the world was when Svarog wakes up and his dream ends.

He is not much mentioned in general, all we know about him is this, collected from some ambiguous fairy tales and poems. Slavs worshiped and mention some other gods way more often, but they firmly believed all of the gods are ultimately Svarog’s creation, a part of his dream.

TJBM has another folk tale or a myth.

If this world is Svalrog’s dream, then guess he is having a big nightmare and he is ready to wake up in any minute.
How about the story of how my country fell into the hand of China? It is documented in history, but there is still a myth of how this happened too.
There was a time when my country’s relationship with China became sour, and China wanted to conquer our land. China had plenty of military power and we were on the verge of losing our land. The current king was worried and prayed for the heaven for a solution. One night he dreamt of seeing a giant turtle. The turtle broke one of its claws and gave it to the king, telling him to make a bow out of it. The king woke up and found the claw on his hand. He followed the advice immediately and the bow proved to be the ultimate weapon, defeating China in just one day.
The Chinese king decided to take a step down and negotiate with the king. They came to the decision to let their children marry each other for the two countries’ peace. The real intention behind the marriage was to get the Chinese king’s son to find out the secret behind the king’s sudden victory. The daughter was blinded by love and told her husband everything about the magic bow. The son waited for a quiet night, stole the bow and replaced it with a fake.
The Chinese king got the bow and started another attack. The other king was so confident about his bow that he ignored the soldiers’ warning. When the Chinese army came to his castle, he used the bow, only to realize that it was a fake. The king had to flee his castle with his daughter in a hurry. The daughter, still blinded by love, wore a coat made of goose’s feathers and spread the feathers as they went to signal her husband for a resuce. The king ran to the sea and called out for the giant turtle for help. The turtle emerged from the sea and angrily accused the daughter of being the traitor. Shocked and angered, the king decapitated his daughter and commit suicide by jumping into the sea. The son followed the feathers and found his wife’s corpse. Stricken by grief, he went to a well and commited suicide.
TJBM finds plot holes or other illogical things in folk tales.

Yes, my mind does tend to notice inconsistencies and non-sensical things. I, recently laughed when, in a movie, I noticed they substituted an african lion cub as a cougar cub. I’m sure a lot of people didn’t catch that. Some philandering mama mountain lion action goin’ on there. haha

TJBM has been to New York City.

Many times. When I was very little I lived in a suburb of NYC and we would take the train to visit my aunt several times a year, who lived in the city. Plus, every Christmas season we went to see the nutcracker at Lincoln center, and other times my mom or grandmother would take us to a museum.

As an adult I still go to visit my aunt, and my sister has lived there for many years also.

TJBM likes cooking, but hates the clean up.

I clean as I go so not too bad. I’d rather do that then be faced with total carnage when I’m done. haha

TJBM uses a salad spinner.

Uh, uh. Those devices and other gadgets take up way too much space. I’m old school with the fork and spoon. Learned how to do it the fancy one-handed way with a flourish as a waiter in table side service. Mustn’t bruise the lettuce.

LOL. Mimi, on this side of the IDL, we would call that a Greek tragedy. Everybody dies. Very democratic. Great stories from you and Sneki. I love the dog narrative also. You have had strange animals, Sneki. LOL.

TJBM likes the short stories of Zora Neale Hurston