And that’s a real dagger tucked into his sash. (I learned a bit about fighting Sikhs from reading Neal Stephenson’s Termination Shock, and watching a load of YouTube videos.)
I know a couple of blokes like this. Great stories, but pleeeease I have things to do. I wouldn’t mind so much if it was a conversation but it’s a monologue, with barely room for a “good grief” or “oh gosh”. One of my friends now just says “I’m off, bye” and walks out, in the middle of a story about crocodiles in the Zambezi or whatever.
I have always called a light top with a full zipper to be a jacket, however the people I’m surrounded by insist on calling it a sweatshirt. I’m prepared to be wrong, just wondering if I’m the only one.
The first time I ate in a restaurant I was about 12 I think. It was a fancy Italian place. When I saw the dishes of (green, pimento-stuffed) olives on the table I was excited to try one. I’d only ever seen pictures of them in American magazines - this was mid-60s New Zealand, Coca Cola was exotic. I put one in my mouth, and almost gagged, the flavour was so completely awful. I spat it into a napkin.
Fast forward to today, and I would gladly hoover up the whole dishful and ask for more. My favourite olive is a big fat juicy Kalamata. I also love tapenade made with black olives. The only olives I dislike are the flavourless cardboardy lumps sometimes passed off as olives.
I have friends who are Afghan who have had arranged marriages so this led me to be curious to ask, why does this practice still persist into the 21st century?
I know a young man who headed back to India for an arranged marriage. I expressed my extreme surprise that he would agree to marry someone he’d never met, and he said he trusted his parents to choose someone compatible. “After all, they know me better than anyone else.” I remain baffled, honestly. He seems an otherwise savvy, modern person. But there you go, happy to commit to a stranger.
I dread to think what kind of bloke my parents would have picked for me…
To those from the Western hemisphere, it’s always fascinating to hear that some homes and businesses from the times of the Greek philosophers still have inhabitants, and then you remember that the Western hemisphere is itself not without its own examples, for example some Mexican villages still have temples from the times of...
Almost all the ads I’ve seen on Prime video are for other Prime movies. They never appear during a natural break in whatever I’m watching, just burst right in in the middle of a scene. They elicit zero positive emotions, and I am about to cancel my subscription.
I still use my iPod Classic. I can plug it into my car for when I’m out of FM range, and I have a Bluetooth adapter for it that plugs into the headphone socket & lets me listen via my hearing aids. It’s better than a phone for me, because the mobile signal is weak where I live, and most of my garden is out of WiFi range. It fits all my music and still has room for podcasts.
My experience tells me that if you eat it, you’ll spend the next several hours vomiting. Your friends who also ate it will go out dancing and have a fabulous time.
I was talking to a female friend and young Arnold Schwarzenegger came up on conversation. I pulled up a picture of him and spent a long time looking at it. Then said "I am trying to decide if he is attractive....
No, not attractive. That’s a man who spends a LOT of time in the gym, looking at himself in the mirror. He eats and drinks weird stuff and possibly is on drugs that make him angry. Not my cup of tea.
Single about 25 years. I’m 71 and I absolutely love my life. I have lots of friends and a very active life, but I love coming home and being alone there. Before menopause I had a strong libido and terrible taste in men, so I had a lot of truly awful relationships, with endless drama.
It’s kind of by choice I guess, though I don’t get offers. A few years ago a guy gave me the eye and I contemplated it, until I caught sight of his bare feet. Oh dear god no. Self-care is important mate, you need to see a podiatrist.
The main con of being single for me is not enough hugs and cuddles. The pros are too many to give up for that though. I get to decide everything and make plans based on what I want. I can fart loudly, talk to my potplants and be lazy without Someone rolling their eyes, it’s bliss.
I do hug my friends (and family when they visit from far, far away), I’m very huggy. Cuddling is another level of intimacy though. I do miss it, a bit.
My farts are so loud you probably heard me earlier and thought it was a car with engine trouble.
Could anyone recommend me some good boots that have good arch support that wont give me blisters. I have flat feet (no arch at all) and regular shoes give me blisters and hurt my legs because they don’t support my non arched feet. I’ve had much better luck with boots but the brand I usually buy from Amazon (northwest) no...
I was going to suggest proper orthotics as well. Mine were expensive but have served me well for years. I move them into whatever shoes or boots I’m wearing. They don’t work with sandals sadly.
Someone said that to me just the other day! That saying “no problem” implies there might be a problem. Crazy. I’m thinking of switching to “well it was quite an imposition on my time and energy to help you out, especially given you’re not paying me, but I’ll let it slide this time because you seem like an ok person and I’m in a good mood” just to annoy them.
Below are books I’ve read over the last year, with notes about on what I thought of them. I started this list just to remind me what the books were about and if I thought they were worth reading. As the year went on, my notes became a little more substantial. The list was for me, but I thought I’d share in case it’s useful...
I’ve started reading Hominids already and finding it interesting but the writing is annoying me - there’s some lacivious drooling over the lead scientist’s lacy bra, plus details of her appearance, while her male assistant is merely “gawky”. It seems a quick read though so I’ll hang in there. (Speaking of Neanderthals, the Kim Stanley Robinson novel Shaman is set at a time when we coexisted, very interesting speculation on their mentality and interaction with our mob.)
Next on my list is Leckie - I loved the Ancillary trilogy and am looking forward to more Radch.
Avtar Singh Mauni, owner of the world's longest and heaviest turban. (lemmy.world)
Please stop (lemmy.today)
Is it a sweatshirt or a jacket? (lemmy.world)
I have always called a light top with a full zipper to be a jacket, however the people I’m surrounded by insist on calling it a sweatshirt. I’m prepared to be wrong, just wondering if I’m the only one.
4 year anniversary + my poorly received first comic [OC] (feddit.nl)
cross-posted from: feddit.nl/post/15257613...
Do you like olives?
I need to settle an argument I started. My argument: olives are gross....
Why do arranged marriages persist in many cultures?
I have friends who are Afghan who have had arranged marriages so this led me to be curious to ask, why does this practice still persist into the 21st century?
How old is the oldest building in the town you live in?
To those from the Western hemisphere, it’s always fascinating to hear that some homes and businesses from the times of the Greek philosophers still have inhabitants, and then you remember that the Western hemisphere is itself not without its own examples, for example some Mexican villages still have temples from the times of...
Prime Video subs will soon see ads for Amazon products when they hit pause (arstechnica.com)
As if the Prime Video app couldn’t get any worse.
I used an original iPod in 2024, and it was pretty fun (www.spacebar.news)
The most perfect toadstool we found in Jämtland [OC] (lemmy.world)
Women of Lemmy Can a Guy be too muscular to be attractive?
I was talking to a female friend and young Arnold Schwarzenegger came up on conversation. I pulled up a picture of him and spent a long time looking at it. Then said "I am trying to decide if he is attractive....
How long have you gone without being in a romantic relationship?
How much time have you spent being single?...
Socks are coming along (i.postimg.cc)
Slow but steady progress on my socks...
Why is coloring your face considered racist? (lemmy.world)
People in comments of this post pointed out coloring your face black is racist....
Recommendations for boots, Male with flat feet (feddit.uk)
Could anyone recommend me some good boots that have good arch support that wont give me blisters. I have flat feet (no arch at all) and regular shoes give me blisters and hurt my legs because they don’t support my non arched feet. I’ve had much better luck with boots but the brand I usually buy from Amazon (northwest) no...
What happened to "You're welcome!" as a response to "Thank You"? It's not even included in the canned answers on an apple watch. Have we as a society abandoned it?
I hear “No problem” far more often.
What documentaries feel the most like strolling through a calming art museum on a pleasant spring day?
i wanna go to a real one but they’re open like 5 hours a day...
Notes from a year of reading science fiction and fantasy [potentially minor spoilers]
Below are books I’ve read over the last year, with notes about on what I thought of them. I started this list just to remind me what the books were about and if I thought they were worth reading. As the year went on, my notes became a little more substantial. The list was for me, but I thought I’d share in case it’s useful...
What's the best advice you've ever received?
New Zealand shown from the International Space Station (files.catbox.moe)