Would you like to share your expertise with the collective? Part 2?

Wow, that second question mark after the 2 will NOT go away. Out, damn spot!

Anyway, I’ll start. I’m a wine buyer. Ask me anything about wine and also beer or spirits.

What kind of wine do you often buy.

Hey, I’m new here. Can you tell me when I can start a bold statement?

Literature. Ask me about book recommendations.
Seriously. I found out that half of my college credits are from English courses.

I am a typical teenager who attends public high school and also, by pure coincidence, happens to be a mod. AMA?

OK, guess I have to do that :p

I am a typical girl at my late teen who attends university and also, purely by choice, has stuffed my head with some information about the Mafia. AMA?

@Mimishu1995 Howdy! It’s not really necessary; just a suggestion to make the discussions easier to skim in this thread. Like, a controlled free-for-all, hopefully. :)

Wine stuff

I usually buy stuff from emerging wine regions. Well-established places (like Napa or Bordeaux) are big with critics and have a long and famous track record. That makes them expensive. It’s nice for an occasional treat, like going out to a fancy steakhouse, but not cost effective for everyday.

There are a lot of wines that are like the awesome little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that nobody knows about. They’re often made with their own local grapes (so not the same cabernet, merlot, chardonnay you see everywhere), which means new and exciting flavors.

Southern Italy and the Languedoc region of France are great for that. Chile is really good, too.

@PhiNotPi How did you get chosen to be a mod?

@Michael_Huntington book reccomendations

Right now I’m kind of obsessed with this sci-fi author, Kim Stanley Robinson. His novels take a serious look at a lot of the issues we have today, like inequality, corporate hegemony, the role of technology in our lives, and environmental damage. But those themes are underneath intriguing speculative fiction ideas. His books show how badly things can go wrong, but in the end there’s an optimistic, secular humanist kinda message- like, we can make a better world if we embrace reason, and if we try.

Sci-fi is cool, but what I’m mostly interested in is books about people making progress? I also like Isabel Allende.

That’s a lot of English credits! That’s awesome!

@Haleth Danke. I’m not even sure why I’ve taken that many English courses, haha
I’m sure you’ve probably heard of Huxley and Brave New World, but have you read Island? It’s the opposite of Brave New World due to its utopian setting. Another book at comes to mind is Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine, which boasts a range of characters in Mississippi/Chicago and takes place from the 50’s to the early 90’s. The latter is an underrated novel in my opinion and I specifically chose that one because the major themes are race and the Civil Rights Movement. I’ll back to you tomorrow about Allende and offer some suggestions

Oh, edited: typical girl insane asexual tomboy

Video games and horror movies.

@Michael_Huntington What classic books should I just not miss at all? Looking along the lines of stuff that is forever classic. (Gone with the Wind, for example, but I already read that.)

@Symbeline can you recommend me a horror movie without any supernatural element?

I got one that has absolutely no supernatural stuff in it, it’s called Inside. It’s a French movie, but with a good English translation. Not super ghosty powers here. It’s a slasher movie, and overly violent, but it does make an effort to tell an original story.
And, if by chance you’ve never seen Psycho, there’s another good classic horror movie without super anything. (although the guy talks to his mom in his mind, but that’s just him being crazy)
Also have you seen any of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies? The first one is great, the others aren’t too bad but they’re more on the humor side. (both remakes are decent too)

Most of what I’ve suggested are slasher movies, if you’re not into that…how about Duel? It’s what I call a roadkill movie, basically some dude is on the highway, and some psycho in a truck is trying to kill him. That’s all the movie is. Nothing else. But it works. Might be more classified as suspense I guess…but any good horror repertoire should include this movie. (and it has no gore, if you don’t like gore)

@Symbeline Ha, so your definition of “horror” is “full of gore and killing” :p

What I really want is a phsychological horror movie which focuses on the internal fear rather than external sources like ghosts and demons :) but thanks for the recommendation.

Side note: my Mafia knowledge is being ignored :’(

Ha, so your definition of “horror” is “full of gore and killing” :p
Well, pretty much. :D but seriously, check out Duel

Well…why not recommend a mafia movie for me? I had a kick of watching gangster VS cops movies a while back, but I quickly ran out. (gangsters as in youth gangs, they weren’t classic mobsters) Any good mafia movies about bootleggers wearing fancy outfits and big hats? That could be cool. I barely know of any besides the Godfather movies.

And oh crap, okay I think I just found a horror movie you might like then. Cookers. This is about a couple who steal their dealer’s drugs and run off to a remote area to cook it, sell it and then escape to Mexico. Now then…you might think it’s a ghost story, but the movie is about how paranoid the guy gets, he’s so scared that his dealer will find him. His girlfriend just tries to put up with him as he gets more and more insane. The house is supposed to be haunted, but the movie will make you question whether or not these addicts were actually seeing ghosts. and it’s creepy

You want big hats? How about Scarface 1939 version? Vintage 1930s America!

1939? I should have known that other one wasn’t actually the original. Yeah I’ll check that out, if it’s easy to find. :)

@Symbeline for books, apart from The Godfather, I would recommend Live by Night by Dennis Lehane. It’s about a policeman who falls in love with a woman from the Mafia, then joins the Mafia himself.

And some time in the future, I would also recommend my book :p. The working title is currently Betrayal. It’s about three mafiosi who infiltrate an illegal casino run by another Mafia gang. Little did they know that the casino contains many connections to their own past…

Ah! And that leads to another expertise I want to say:

I am currently writing a mod novel which uses many elements of film noir. AMA?

I’m a dog trainer if you need any help with your pooch!

@Leanne1986 If only you had asked that 10 years ago… ~

I’m an engineer with a lot of tools. I can measure or build anything.
Including @Mimishu1995 ‘s silent, unlimited capacity, underwater, curiosity gun, the SUCUC-G. All project hours will be assigned to code# SueQC. Staff, Please adjust time sheets accordingly.

I grew up Catholic. And I actually took time to study the meaning of my childhood religion and read the bible. I also know a lot about Catholic hymns.

@dxs I thought your expertise was music…

I don’t know shit about a lot of stuff, but I’m cool with that.

@Adirondackwannabe Why don’t you ask?

@Mimishu1995 Isn’t ignorance bliss?

@Adirondackwannabe Err… Just saying, since right now I have an urge to start my monologue but I just can’t find a listener :p

@Leanne1986 Dog Training Q
Two part question: Oda understands that outside is for potty. How do I get him to ask to go out? He doesn’t get that inside isn’t for potty yet. Well, kind of… He sometimes goes by the door. When I catch him in time he’ll run out to his ‘spot’ to finish.
Part 2: he walks and pees at the same time. I’m not rushing him. I sit down to show him we’re in no rush as he goes. He just started this peeing and walking trend this week. He wants to smell everything and pee at the same time. This is the kind if peeing he does inside, leaving feet of zig zag pee lines. So annoying.
Oda is 11 weeks old today.

I know about buying and selling art.

Look like my monologue scheme failed :’(

Better find another chance next time :(

@Leanne1986 (Re:Dog training)

In our household, I’m heavily involved in training our 1 year-old dog (we’ve had him for 2 months now), but my wife is only marginally committed to the whole training mission. When I walk him, or otherwise interact with him, I try to be disciplined and consistent. When my wife interacts with him, she just doesn’t want to put that much effort into it, and it’s pretty much anything goes.

My question is about how the dog is likely to process this difference. Is it asking too much of the dog to shift gears this way, or will he be able to compartmentalize what I expect of him from what she expects of him? Do we actually need to present a “united front” here, or is the double standard workable?

I hesitate to ask too much of my wife in this regard, since just having the dog around already adds a substantial layer of complication to her already stressful life.

Q: How did you get chosen to be a mod?

A: About one and a half years ago, the mod team made a post in Meta which basically asked for volunteers. I nominated myself by sending a PM to Auggie, and I was accepted as one of a few new recruits. I was actually surprised that I was selected, but I don’t know who else applied.

@PhiNotPi Can you describe your mod life a little?

@thorninmud Good question. I’m curious to hear what @Leanne1986 says on that, too. I live alone but am very, very good friends with my neighbor. She’s older and hopeless to change. When I crate my puppy to go somewhere she gets him out and does not watch him well. She thinks it’s appropriate to shit and pee on our deck because it’s ‘outside.’ He is not potty trained at all at her house, and will go when he pleases (by the door, or on the deck if the door is open). I have pulled back my potty training style to include potty pads on the deck in an attempt to still be teaching him some form of training when he’s with her. Her two year old dog still isn’t potty trained.
I can’t really tell her to just leave my dog completely alone because a) she doesn’t listen and b) I work a part time job and am gone 4–5 hours three nights a week, and I appreciate having someone else pay attention to him.
I know I should put my foot down and tell her if he’s in the crate to leave him in the crate since she is unwilling to follow my standards of training. He clearly behaves differently for me than for her.

Veterinary medicine, especially emergency medicine. To a lesser degree, wildlife rehabilitation, big cat husbandry, and conservation issues.

@Symbeline What classic books should I just not miss at all? Looking along the lines of stuff that is forever classic. (Gone with the Wind, for example, but I already read that.)

The Great Gatsby, Lolita, A Farewell to Arms, 1984/Brave New World, The Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five, and a handful of Shakespeare’s plays (Hamlet, Macbeth, the Tempest, etc). I highly recommend Lolita because Nabakov’s writing is not dense but one can still enjoy his play with words. I’m actually working on a flowchart and I’ll post it in this thread.
@Haleth re: Isabella Allende: I’ll be honest that I haven’t read Allende, but I’d recommend the works of Borges and Angela Carter (based on the “magic realism” label). Now if you’ve read those two, then I’ll recommend Bruno Schulz’s collection “The Street of Crocodiles.” One could call Schulz a “Polish Kafka,” but I like Schulz a lot more than Kafka. I recommend Schulz because I feel a connection between the Avant Garde writers like Kafka and magic realism.

@Mimishu1995 I’m more of an amateur but yeah I still know some stuff about music.

I’m a wife, mother, nurse, student, and mod. I’ve been a single mom and the wife of a soldier in active duty and reserves. We’ve been through deployments. I’ve been a nurse for almost a decade and am starting school to be a Nurse Practitioner in 2 weeks. I have three children (from 1 to 12). AMA.

I know a lot about a lot of things but only expert at a few…Concrete Repair more specifically Waterproofing of below grade structures and Formulating Adhesive Systems which are all part of my trade, my passions and hobbies I am quite good at are Gardening, Yoga and Kite Flying… Things I am expert at but no longer do Home Brew Beer and Meade or rarely do but was really good at know every thing about is Golf.

@Cruiser Regarding golf: what’s the trick to getting past the damn windmill arms?

I tend to lean toward the questions that are opinion based, or questions about your interests or whatever. Things there are no wrong answers to, because it’s different for everyone.
The things I know a lot about aren’t asked about often. Anthropology. Geocaching. Alaska. Serial killers. Vikings. All that jazz.

@GloPro You have your playing partner use their club to stop the windmill blades.

@GloPro Thanks for your question :)

Firstly, at 11 weeks it’s really important not to expect too much too soon. The bladder is not strong enough at that stage to always get it right. I usually tell my customers to expect accidents until they are at least 8 months old.

It is really important that you do not tell soda off for having an accident indoors. If you do this it can cause them to be anxious when going to the toilet especially when you are around and, as a result, cause them to ‘hide’ their toileting (often in inappropriate places). On the flip side, give massive praise when he does go outside so he starts to recognise that he gets no attention for going inside but loads of good attention for going outside (obviously wait until he has finished his business before showering with praise). If you are clicker training, click as soon as he has finished.

I would also have a word that you use when you go outside to encourage him to go to the toilet. I know people that use “be clean”, “toilets” or, my personally favourite “wee wees” (I don’t use that myself but it makes me laugh whenever I hear it!!). To begin with, introduce the word after he has been but before you reward so he can start to associate the word with the behaviour with the reward. Eventually you will be able to use the word and he will know that when he heard it, he should try and do something. I know this works for a lot if my colleagues and customers.

As for asking to go out, this will come when he is able to hold his bladder for longer and knows exactly where he is supposed to go. In the mean time, make sure you take him out after every sleep, play and meal and just wait it out until he does something. The more consistent you are with this, the quicker he will learn the appropriate behaviour. Sometimes you will have to wait for a long time, especially as he is still very intrigued by the outside world and it’s much more fun to sniff than to pee!!

Good luck, feel free to PM at any time if you need more help.

@thorninmud Consistency is very important if you want a strong good behaviour. If one person enforces a rule while another doesn’t then we have to expect the dog to get it wrong from time to time (or, in most cases, often) If everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet then the boundaries are very clear.

@GloPro this is especially important with a puppy and if he is getting mixed signals with toilet training then it will take you much longer to get him clean and dry indoors.

In my experience, dogs are intelligent enough to know who is firmer with the rules and who they can get away with bending the rules, to a certain extent. However, every single dog I work with that is having problems grasping a particular behaviour (toilet training, not jumping up or mouthing etc) it’s because of a lack of training consistency within the home.

@AshLeigh Regarding serial killer: can you tell me a less known but disturbing serial killer?

Seriously @AshLeigh, no one wants to ask about my Mafia knowledge either :(

I’m an antique aficionado specializing in glassware for 40 years now. General auction house co-owner. AMA Be warned, I know a little about a lot of antiques, a lot about some antiques. I’ve helped a few people out on-line and I’ve sold on eBay in my day.

@ibstubro Ok, now I’m going to have to get and post a picture for your comment. My grandmother gave me a piece of carnival glass that her date won for her when she was 16 (1920’s?). I don’t think it has much in the way of monetary value, but the stories she told me make it invaluable to me.

I love carnival glass, @syz. When I started collecting glass at 13, I could never afford a piece. 40 years later, the market is off and I probably own 100+ pieces. I’d be glad to look at it, and pleased to hear your grandmother’s story.

I am a musician, knowledgeable about music theory, and the science behind music and what causes sounds to be musical.

@mimishu1995, if you’re looking for ” psychological horror movie which focuses on the internal fear rather than external sources”, I would recommend the Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson.