I find myself using "portugal" and "armadillo" in real life.
I know this feeling, yes.
I don't.
You gone learn today boy.
I think I have occasionally. Not very often though.
I won't say them out loud that often, but I'll certainly type them even outside an Exilian context.
I have started a new exercise system: political leaflet delivery! This obviously involves lots of walking, but also all sorts of positions to get at letterboxes (bending, reaching up, squatting down) and often noticeable physical effort in holding the flap(s) open while getting the leaflet inside. I get to do this at least weekly until the EU referendum :)
Good stuff :)
Meanwhile I'm teaching (sort of) undergrads for the first time ever tomorrow - I've been asked to cover the last session of a Tolkien course run by the guy who teaches me Greek. So hopefully that will go well! Spent this evening testing a risk style boardgame made by Francisco, one of the PhD Byzantinists, which was fun - my Thessalonians carved out a pretty good empire in the Aegean :)
(https://realztenisfanz.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/sips-tea-meme-honey-boo-boo.jpg?w=604)
Wut?
(https://i.imgur.com/AC4kOWY.jpg)
If you're not drinking tea it's my damn business :P
Some stats for this evening:
- 2.5 hours' almost continuous walking
- total distance probably 4-5 miles
- 262 leaflets delivered
- all fingers intact, despite several highly-sprung letterbox flaps, and one highly-strung dog
Jubal: good luck with the teaching!
Quote from: Jubal on March 20, 2016, 09:56:23 AM
I won't say them out loud that often, but I'll certainly type them even outside an Exilian context.
Well to be fair I always type the naughty words on here and the filter just changes them so I wouldn't really have a reason to develop this habit.
Edit: Also I like bourbon and you could put it in your tea.
Happy Easter, Portugalers! ;D
Happy Easter, all :)
First Exilipost with the new machine!
It looks the same as the old one. ???
Jubal has a new laptop. It seems to be interacting with the forum software just the same way as his old laptop, which is probably a good thing.
It is another HP Pavilion
EDIT: Sorry Jubal i clicked modify instead of quote and deleted most your message Any idea how to undo? :D
Subtle troll was too subtle. :P
Or just right rather since the ploy worked. :P
Quote from: Jubal on March 27, 2016, 12:32:43 PM
It is another HP Pavilion
Had one of them for many years worked amazingly well, but i ran it into the ground with the amount of gaming i did lol. It still works but the heats up like crazy. Love my new laptop though.
I'm hoping the new one will have fewer heating issues than the old one, does seem to have been an issue with the series but hopefully the modern ones are better at that. I don't do too much high powered gaming either, I guess.
Meanwhile, I have had a day in Nottingham, including some beer in (reputedly) the oldest pub in England. It's built into the cliff-face under the castle. No sheriffs, though, and the only people with bows and arrows were statues.
The sheriff is in Rottingham. ;)
I wonder how many oldest pubs in England there are... I'm willing to bet it's at least well into double figures!
Quote from: Glaurung on March 28, 2016, 06:00:52 PM
I have had a day in Nottingham, including some beer in (reputedly) the oldest pub in England.
What you doing in my local! :o i live right next to the Old Jerusalem could of joined you for a pint ;)
Also in Nottingham there's the Bell Inn which claims to be the oldest Inn in England and about 2 mintues down the road from the Jerusalem there's the Salutation which also claims to be the oldest pub as well lol. (Salutation is a complete goth punk pub though and nowhere near as good).
As Jubal says so many pubs claim it as its almost impossible to verify, though from what i gather the Jerusalem is regarded as at least one of the oldest due to the caves its built into dating back to the old castle.
Quote from: Gmd on March 29, 2016, 03:48:51 AM
What you doing in my local! :o i live right next to the Old Jerusalem could of joined you for a pint ;)
D'oh! I wish I'd posted earlier about what I was going to do. On the other hand, I didn't really decide until yesterday morning that I was definitely going to go Nottingham for the day - if Storm Katie had been much worse, or I'd felt more tired, I would probably have stayed at home.
As for the Olde Trip to Jerusalem, I went there because it's known as one of the oldest pubs in the country. As it turned out, the beer is not bad either - I only had one, but with more time and energy I'd happily have tried more.
I'd definitely like to go back to the city and the Trip; if I do, I'll try to remember to post here first.
Did you try the olde trip ale by any chance? They brew it there at the Jerusalem. Its a nice dark ale my personal favourite :D
Alas, no: I said I wanted something dark and the barman recommended Intrepid Brewing Company's Porter. That sounds like another reason to come back :)
I'm totally flat today :( Went up to Lincolnshire yesterday with parents and brought a vanload of stuff from my Grandpa's old house. I have a number of pulled muscles, and I'm exhausted, and I then predictably managed to spend my morning getting sucked into a stupid political argument. Bleeeeeh.
Here's some unexpected news (http://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2016/april/royal-albert-hall-partners-with-cern-to-bring-hadron-collider-to-the-uk/) from the Royal Albert Hall, posted a week ago.
That's one of the better ones I've seen from this year :)
Oh good, they might make a black hole just large enough to suck up london before it disappears. And yes that's how physics works.
What's so wrong with London?
It's really full of people and it's too damn big.
That is a fair point, tbh.
All cities are. Destroy them all.
Are you *sure* you're not a White Walker, CG? :P
Well, it did snow in Ohio last night.
Spoiler
(http://i.imgur.com/V4J4fCl.jpg)
Selfie game is strong :P
Hello people!
How are you doing? ;D
I'm well, thanks, and enjoying the start of spring in the UK. I'm spending a lot of my time at the moment walking around Cambridge, pushing leaflets into letterboxes for the Liberal Democrat Party. Hopefully this will encourage people to vote accordingly in the local council elections in early May.
How are things with you?
Well, I had an interesting evening out today - met up with four of the other Byzantinists, got a (very good) Greek takeaway, and then went to an Orthodox hymn concert at Birmingham's Orthodox cathedral. The concert was... interesting, there was a lot of very Greek vocal wibbling and I didn't understand more than occasional words for obvious reasons (ancient Greek looks more similar to modern Greek than its pronunciation is, especially the vowels - in modern Greek most vowels have mutated to a short "i" or "ee" sound, and when I say most they even pronounce "u" as "ee"). It was very impressive stuff nonetheless, and at least got me properly out the house for the first time in a week :)
At first I was like "Hodor", but then I was like "Hodor".
Much leaflet... many ink... so LibDem... Wow!
If Hodor Hodors when no one's around does Hodor even Hodor?
The only answer to that is surely "Hodor".
Also, paper filing is annoying and I am so tired that I'm getting kind of light headed, which may not be a good thing.
Born to be mad.
And I still didn't bloody well sleep :(
Bloody well sleep or bloody sleep well?
My syntax was correct.
Exhausted Jubal is exhausted :(
I hope you sleep soon.
I don't think you bloody well slept nor slept bloody well.
Studying is boring an weirdly tiring considering I'm doing absolutely portugal all.
All of Portugal is more than you think with all the colonies and stuff.
Quote from: Pentagathus on April 15, 2016, 07:13:34 PM
Studying is boring an weirdly tiring considering I'm doing absolutely portugal all.
Quote from: comrade_general on April 15, 2016, 07:30:24 PM
All of Portugal is more than you think with all the colonies and stuff.
This exchange should be on one of those inspirational posters :P
This is very creepy to watch.
Yeah, looks it, might give that one a miss!
I just watched until it struck, which didn't take long, and then when it broke apart and sank.
Well, in good news, finally got my hosted networks and my printer functioning on the new machine :) And my backup is sorted (excepting that the video library and modding stuff aren't uploaded because they'd take damned forever - going to have to do that somewhere with less hopeless internet) so most things are working again now!
Sounds good, especially the backup bit - you can never have too many backups.
Meanwhile, I have just voted by post for the first time in my life. It's an odd feeling: there's none of the familiar and reassuring ritual of the polling station: having my name checked and a ballot paper issued, marking my vote with a stubby little pencil on a string, and then putting the ballot paper in the ballot box. Instead, I get to sit at home and do it all at the same desk as I am now typing this! It also means I'm relying on Royal Mail as an essential component of the process, which doesn't entirely fill me with joy.
The other parts of the democratic process continue unabated: once again I've spent a good part of my day pushing LibDem leaflets through letterboxes. Aside from the hailstorm, it's been quite pleasant.
I'm now in Norfolk for a couple of days; I was visited by my sister for the last couple which was nice, we visited Winterbourne House (which is attached to the University) and also cleaned my house a lot! Going to a folk gig with parents tomorrow, then back on Monday.
Haters gonna hate.
What are haters hating?
Folk gig was good, was the band's farewell tour though so last time I'll see them which is a shame.
Your timing was awful, I have just got back from norfolk a couple of hours ago.
Sorry :(
Are you graduating this year? And will you be in a less remote part of the UK afterwards?
No and I hope so.
I'd go for more remote.
What, Shetland?
Sh!tland?
Hey Shetland is amazing it's like the only place my political party can reliably win in Scotland any more.
Must be nobody living there then. Yeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhh dootdodooo...
I mean, it is one of the lowest constituency populations in the UK, so you're not wholly wrong.
So who else is excited for another year of Indians baseball?! ;D
(http://media.masslive.com/redsox_impact/photo/blue-jays-indians-baseball-2f96709150a31758.jpg)
I might be if I had the slightest clue who that team even are :P
C-L-E-V-E-L-A-N-D!
"This video is not available" :( May be a country restriction?
Dammit.
DD?
On my way to Oxford, busily proofreading these questions!
Oxford, Ohio?
Does Ohio have a version of every major UK city? :P
Every state does. Sometimes more than once. :P
We should make a copyright claim :P
You did. In the 18th century. It didn't go well for you.
I suspect that we'd have done less badly if we'd just switched from taxation to franchising fees to the colonies...
No franchising fees without representation!
Oh and fun fact one of the little towns near me was once called Oxford. ;D Now it's called Killbuck which is cooler.
Hey someone just discovered anticapitalism. :P
But yes Killbuck is better and more original :)
Woo! I'm about due for another trip to the best coaster park in the world! ;D
Looks intense!
Do you Americfolk also use the term coaster for a mat you put your tea mug on? Because I did a double take at the idea of a coaster park for a split second. :P
Aye. It's just short for rollercoaster in the sense I used.
Pretty sure we use the term coaster to mean rollercoaster here as well Jub
Probably, yes, I just never get to talk to people about rollercoasters :P
Well come to the states and we'll go. :)
I'm not sure if I'd take well to rollercoasters...
That said, I guess there is only one way to find out :)
I suggest you sit next to an annoying child the first time you rollercoaster, that way if you spew you can find it amusing because you'll be spewing on someone who deserves it.
We should release a compiled book of Exilian Life Advice someday :P
I'm wondering whether I should start a new thread, with the title "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the train". I've been in Spain for 4 days so far, travelling around by train as usual, and it's rained, often quite heavily, every day. The temperatures aren't marvellous either - 15-17C (low 60s F). Typical British weather, in an untypical part of the world.
It's been quite warm here! Though I haven't been out in it much, and I'm mostly just annoyed at the high pollen counts still. I had a grim nosebleed when I woke up this morning, which was unpleasant and meant I had to wash my bedsheets (which I'd literally done a day previously, just to maximise the inconvenience).
It was really sunny and warm and not very windy here today and I had my last exam and it was a good day.
Nice! Are you free for the summer now then?
No
What does life hold for you now then pray tell? :)
I've got a lab placement up here, should be interesting and is definitely good for the experience but it means not much holiday for me.
Ahh right
Yeah, holiday is basically not going to happen for me this summer except maybe the odd weekend.
Such is life. Hopefully I'll actually get funding for this placement though so I can afford to holiday a bit when I have the time instead of having working holiday. Life should still be decent, especially if the weather keeps it up.
Good good :) I'm thinking I might take some time off in October, but will depend on my general living situation then etc.
Well, I am basically going to spend the next two weeks pumping tea into myself at an excessive rate and crying over incomprehensible blocks of ancient Greek that I'm theoretically meant to know how to read :( Not even confident of scraping a 2.i at present.
ARGH EXAMS
Ah, you too? How many do you have/when are they over?
Scrape joobs, scrape like your life depends upon it.
I'm spending a lot of time looking at words and then looking up what they mean. Sometimes unsuccessfully, which is annoying.
So guys, this place seems a little quiet...
How are you all doing? ;D
Busy working and slaving. How are you Wolfie?
I'm doing my best, but yes, we need more chatter!
I've got a Greek exam, a conference, and a house hunt coming up in the very near future, and a lot of Exilian stuff to do, so I'm a bit stressed/swamped at the moment honestly.
I'm neck deep in work. :P
But I'll be more active next week when I get some free time. :D
I guess we've all got similar problems right now...
House hunt? I missed that part to be honest... Do tell more Jubs. ;)
His house keeps running away and hiding.
Dunno, that actually sounds interesting...
My lazy old house just sits there all day long doing nothing at all.
My house lease is shared with some undergraduates, so it's a one year lease that ends at the end of June. After that I ideally need to find somewhere that I can rent myself on a more flexible lease.
And so another day on the rails in Europe begins. This one should be fun: three national capitals in one day. I'm starting in Vienna, I'll be in Budapest at lunchtime, and I'm staying in Zagreb tonight.
So far, so good: I'm now in Budapest. I have three hours between trains - my vague idea of wandering around the city has evaporated in the rather warm weather, and I am now sitting in the shade on the station platform, watching the trains come in and out. I think the carriages for my train have just arrived, though it's about 50 minutes until it's due to depart.
sounds fun, for what it is. are the train trips as interesting as the destinations?
Yes, they are for me. I enjoy watching the world go by outside the window. Some journeys are spectacularly scenic; others much more mundane, but always with the chance of a surprise - a castle, or an old town, or something happening beside the railway.
watch out for vampires while you're at it!
And vampiric vegetables, too, though I'm not sure if that myth exists much outside Serbia...
I think there might be more immediate problems, though not for me. We've reached the border station for Croatia, and a full passport check is in progress on the train. Several non-EU citizens appear not to have visas for Croatia, presumably having not realised that it's not in the Schengen zone, and the Croatian police are not letting them in to the country. There's also a Hungarian soldier with a gun keeping an eye on proceedings, though I assume he's there to keep undesirables out of Hungary, rather than in.
I admittedly hadn't realised that Croatia isn't in Schengen either, huh. Hope it doesn't delay you too badly!
About 25 minutes, which I guess is not bad. The visa-less people were still on the platform when we left. Then, a couple of minutes later, was the fence with the gate at the border - opened for the train, and presumably closed behind it. I knew the fence was being built, but it's different actually seeing it. I think it's the first time in my life I have passed through a fenced border :(
Yes, I don't think I've ever really seen a "border fence" as such.
Anyway, at this end, exam looms in the morning. Wish me luck, it's likely to be an utterly grim experience and I'm definitely going to need it!
Good luck! May all your Greek be elegantly translated.
Thankyou! I think "vaguely correctly" is about the upper limit of my ambitions, but we can but hope.
In medical news, I seem to be coughing up All The Phlegm once again :(
Time for a title change!
And oh dear - hope you feel better soon!
I feel well, thanks, especially now that I've managed to have a decent night's sleep. I'm just fed up of the ocean of goo trying to make its way into the world, bit by bit, via my larynx :( I should be OK again in a few days.
I should have been thesis working today, but realised I was too braindead for that so I've been restocking the Exilian twitter with scheduled tweets.
I peeled a rat's brain and mushed parts of it up into a cellular soup. Good times.
How do you peel a brain? Does it have an outer membrane of some sort?
Did you then eat the soup to gain the rat's knowledge?
It does indeed have an outer membrane, or rather outer membranes, the meninges. I did not drink the soup, the rat was only one day old so it's knowledge was presumably not worth drinking. I put the soup on some silk.
A-ha. Presumably the meninges are the membranes whose swelling causing meningitis - when they swell up, then can't expand outwards (because of the skull) so they expand inwards, squeezing the brain. Squeezed brains don't tend to work very well :(
Next silly question: why did you put the rat brain soup on the silk?
Because otherwise it gets the hose again. ;D
Spoiler
It puts the lotion on its skin!
No hoses cowman, I didn't even eat the rat's kidneys with fava beans and a nice Chianti.
It puts the soup on the silk to assess how well cortical neurons grow on that particular silk, to be used as a control for assessing how well they grow on the silk with DHA being present. And ultimately to see if addition of DHA can overcome the effects of an inhibitory environment.
I finally seem to be in a fairly prolonged crash-phase after my weekend away; I've got an annoying sore throat and my brain is pretty non-functional for any useful purposes today :(
Penty: OK, I think I understand. Certainly silk seems like an inhibitory environment for neurones to grow in, as opposed to more conventional places like brains, or at least places with a circulatory system to supply nutrients.
Jubal: I fear I may have infected you over the weekend :( If so, I'm very sorry.
I don't think the symptoms are terribly similar to yours, it's a sore throat but it's not inducing coughing - I was around a lot of people at the weekend, more so than usual, and could have picked it up in any number of places.
OK, hopefully I have defeated the evil virus's plan to conquer the world.
Painted a house today.
I got out of bed today.
No G, the silk is being tested as a potential guidance scaffold (across the empty cysts formed in spinal cord injury), the inhibitory environment will be made by using chemicals.
It turns out making these silk dishes is even harder when you're focusing hard on sneezing all over them.
OK, thanks for the explanation: it makes a lot more sense now.
It puts the brain sludge on the silk.
There's lots of mad going on around here.
(http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/fmrw/images/6/6c/U-Mad-Bro.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20121016210028)
Meanwhile, I'm just about recovered from being ill, which is good; I'm hoping to get on with some Exilian stuff along with tidying my house a bit over the weekend, then start on work properly again (at long last) next week.
Add Jubal.
I've had flu all week and i just want it gone. uni is over for the year and i just want to drink and party :'(. everyone is out and im just in my room drinking wine and coughing up green stuff.
Sounds boss m8.
Cleveland Cavs won the basketball championship tonight. First time a professional team in Cleveland has won anything since 1964 and that was football. Last baseball championship was 1948.
(http://www.sports-logos-screensavers.com/user/Cleveland_Cavaliers.jpg)
portugal yeah Cleveland!
A friend of mine showed me this: ;D
I was ill for a few days but now I'm better. I bought a very much reduced gammon hock on Saturday which was very exciting, I also had a good weekend for other reasons but gammon hock tho.
I was ill for a few days and now I'm just knackered. Need to go tramp the streets of Birmingham tomorrow too, going to do my bit and push some leaflets through doors.
Cleveland Indians baseball just won their 14th game in a row, a new record for Cleveland, after a 19 inning game! Baseball usually only lasts 9 innings for those of you who don't know. Since the Cavs won the basketball title it seems that has inspired the baseball guys. A win from them would be magic.
It's that time of the year again, fellows!
Such a fantastic movie. Several of the main actors had actually been PoW's.
Happy shoot the British day! :)
But please don't shoot this British, I'm to pretty to die.
(https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/q85/s526x395/13592199_963150663797122_3629257732498190390_n.jpg?oh=f63c8b615efc36c298eb1bd7a9c2f6f1&oe=5832A579)
Not hard; it still isn't cool :P
Hehheheheheh ;D
(https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/s480x480/13592169_1114078525302464_727836249650483466_n.jpg?oh=7be93bb8d4a20c114df31244f94759fe&oe=57F6CEB3)
Why nobody posting be? :(
Busy.
All 3720 members? :(
Apparently so. :|
Well, bugger.
I'm back! ;D
I can confirm that I was super busy until today.
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/b5/8f/8c/b58f8c46b281c0b54a218fd5b14da32b.jpg)
I tried to choose the sloth life but life moves too fast :/
Sloth like is amazing
I feel like being a sloth would be pretty preferable at the moment certainly...
I've always been a fan of sloth life.
And all things goat-like too.
I recently was reading about goat taxonomy on Wiki, there were several more species than I'd realised exist.
So how's everyone doing?
It has been awfully quiet here lately...
Yeah that may be my bad :/ I'm coming towards the tough end of writing my thesis, so there's a lot of work going on there, and also organising ExiliCon (and the Atheniad, which has been a hopeless flop :/ ). Hopefully I'll get back to working on the site more soon, but as usual I'm pretty stretched. My last few weeks have just been hellish - I had a ten day stretch where I was ill and also had to end up unexpectedly dealing with or processing almost every unresolved emotional problem in my life, then a week after that of working until 1am every night to make a deadline on my thesis work. That was Saturday and I've been pretty collapsed since then!
Focus on the important stuff now Jubal. ;)
I'll try to post more these few days to keep things moving.
And good luck with your thesis. ;D
Nothing is important silly wolf, all existance is meaningless and fated to end.
All posting is much appreciated. :)
Nihilism is unappreciated. >:(
Darth Nihilus.
Quote from: Pentagathus on August 23, 2016, 07:44:23 PM
Nothing is important silly wolf, all existance is meaningless and fated to end.
Ah, nothing fills a lonely evening like the sweet smell of gloom and despair. :P
Quote from: Jubal on August 24, 2016, 01:14:55 PM
Nihilism is unappreciated. >:(
Doesn't matter, nihilism doesn't care.
Well, nihilism can go bury its metaphorical head in metaphorical peat.
Random snippet: today is the first day of year 225 in the French revolutionary calendar. Happy New Year!
They surrender.
Are those like bigger revels?
Guys how do you initiate banterous chat with strangers online? Preferably without seeming weird, I'm trying to use tinder again at the moment but small talk online is just so tedious.
Invite them to Exilian :P
More seriously, no idea. I actually tried tinder at one point but basically got no matches and the few I did get didn't bother talking so I gave up.
What kind of people are we talking about here?
I just don't know how to handle online communication.
And I'm actually a social butterfly.
Ah armadillo I matched with a girl in my class and we just realised it. Urgh, I try and avoid talking to anyone in my lectures as much as possible so this could be awkward.
Females cowman, females of varying types, but largely students since there are so many students here and students tend to be sluttier than the rest of the population.
Also just sticking to the bare minimum of small talk before doing if they want to meet in meatspace seems to be working. I'm not calling it meatspace though in case they think it's some weird euphemism.
It is a weird euphemism. It's a weird euphemism for reality.
Or what we believe to be reality. But it's not sexual, which is what I meant by weird.
Female units? Just send pictures of puppies.
Also sexual is not weird!
Quote from: Silver Wolf on September 27, 2016, 10:35:07 PM
I just don't know how to handle online communication.
And I'm actually a social butterfly.
Totes opposites of me, bro. :P
Quote from: Pentagathus on September 27, 2016, 11:59:45 PM
Also just sticking to the bare minimum of small talk before doing if they want to meet in meatspace seems to be working. I'm not calling it meatspace though in case they think it's some weird euphemism.
And then you make the visit to the butcher shop.
(that was a weird sexual euphemism)
Skip the small talk go to pub
Well, depends on how good the pub is, one suspects.
If I'm there it's good.
Well, you'd better make sure you get down to Cambridge for the convention in order to ensure the quality of the pub afterwards :P
Damn you've got me there.
Is it just me who finds the American tendency to use Sr. and Jr. as actual parts of people's names kind of adorably odd and quaint? It still seems to be very much a thing and I'm not sure why.
I know people who use the II, III, IV, etc.
Does this sound/come across as antiquated or pretentious or odd to anyone? Or is it just considered totally normal?
I find it weird that you would give your kid your own name. How lazy are these people?
It doesn't really come up unless it's a formal thing; signing name, below picture, etc. Seems pretty normal I guess. I have a cousin who is the third of his name but we always called him by his middle name. Never really knew any Juniors except for Walt Jr. on Breaking Bad and Henry Jones Jr. but everyone called him Indiana. ;)
Yeah, I noticed it today because a professor from Texas signed himself off in an email with the "Jr." which is just super unusual anywhere outside the US.
Wouldn't get a second glance from me.
Least u can sometimes sound like your from game of thrones. Guy, third of his name, rightful king of the andals, the first men and protector of the realm.
I'm not sure when there was last a James in my family... in the paternal line we only go back like 4 or 5 generations and then someone got mysteriously disinherited so we don't have any idea who the family were before that.
In other news, setting up as self employed is difficult, and finding a PhD supervisor is also difficult.
You're starting a PhD?
I want to start a PhD next year. I need to find someone who'll supervise one in order to do so. :/
Don't you need to find funding too? I know for me that would be the tricky part.
Also I'm seriously considering applying for the PhD position that my personal tutor has going next year. But I don't really want to study anymore. I just want to do stuff.
Yes, but that's the second stage - I need to find someone to supervise me in order to start applying for a place, then when I have a place I can apply for funding.
That's weird, for science stuff the supervisors advertise funded PhD opportunities. And sometimes they advertise unfunded ones for the few portugalwits who are willing to do that.
Yeah, basically in the humanities the supervisors don't really need PhD students, except maybe to make them teach undergrads; we don't contribute to their research work and they don't have a research team in the same way as it common in science. As a result it's often the student who has the idea, then looks for a supervisor.
Merry Christmas one and all!
Spoiler
Lovely Christmas "tacky". :)
Back in Norfolk now, much present wrapping etc to be done :)
Yay! Get that done so you can help me with VM! :)
Also, new thread name.
Good stuff! And yes, dear goodness we haven't changed the thread title in like a year, that's awful, sorry!
Is the title going to be star wars related, as long as Disney are milking the mighty cash cow every year until its dry? Cuz i have no objections. Even in 20 years with "Star Wars XVIII Darth Jar Jar Binks' revenge. Wesa getting personal this time, mesa thinks."
Yes.
We can branch out - "Make It Snow, Number One" would be a valid alternative for the season :P
Set phasers to stunning.
Hey guys and gals!
I've made my Warhammer blog and written my first battle report today!
I also won a local Warhammer (9th Age) tournament last week.
Check it out on one of these sites if you're interested:
http://theforgeofwar.blogspot.hr/
http://www.the-ninth-age.com/index.php?thread/22537-den-of-the-silver-wolf/&postID=541663#post541663
So how have you all been doing? ;D
It seems like I've been absent for a very, very looooong time.
(http://thebuzz.dianejameshome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ent-lord-of-the-rings.jpg)
Making my yearly post early ;)
I still have a near one post a day posting rate!
@SW Nice! :) Make a separate thread about your blog in the Warhammer section, then I can link to it in our next monthly newsletter!
@Storm Hullo - hope you're doing well! :)
Here's the second battle report if you guys are interested, this time Warriors of Chaos vs Chaos Daemons (WDG vs. DL) :
http://theforgeofwar.blogspot.hr/2017/01/panonnia-minor-2016-tournament-game-2.html
All good here wolfie.
Good to see u storm! see you next year :P
It's good to still see you guys around these parts. ;D
Oh and here's the third and final battle report, Warriors of Chaos vs Dwarves (WDG vs. DH):
http://theforgeofwar.blogspot.hr/2017/01/panonnia-minor-2016-tournament-game-3.html
If I'm ever in Croatia we'll have to have a game, reading this is making me miss playing! Actually if I'm moving to Vienna (which might well be happening in the next few months) this might be more possible, it looks like I could get the train from Vienna to there for around £100 or so (Glaurung will probably know what's optimal transport wise!)
But yes, definitely put a thread for your blog in the WH section :)
You've piqued my curiosity :) and I've just checked some options on the ÖBB (Austrian Railways) (http://www.oebb.at/) website. Even for today, it's offering Sparschiene ("advance" fares in British terms) at 59 euros, roughly £50; if you look further ahead, it might end up cheaper. It will need a bit of planning, though, to get the best set of connections.
EDIT:
ÖBB link added.
The Man in Seat 61 (http://www.seat61.com/) might also be useful, though he's not so detailed for journeys not starting in the UK. The journeys from Vienna page (http://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Vienna.htm) is not obvious from the front page.
That's pretty do-able :) Something to look forward to if I move over there...
Quote from: Jubal on January 08, 2017, 11:34:20 PM
If I'm ever in Croatia we'll have to have a game, reading this is making me miss playing! Actually if I'm moving to Vienna (which might well be happening in the next few months) this might be more possible, it looks like I could get the train from Vienna to there for around £100 or so (Glaurung will probably know what's optimal transport wise!)
But yes, definitely put a thread for your blog in the WH section :)
The tricky part is that I'll be leaving soon too...
I'll be staying in Czech republic until June (1.6..2017.), so it could be hard to organize a game, but the good thing is that I'll be staying in České Budějovice, a town very close to the Austrian border (and Vienna). So at least we can finally meet in person. ;)
I still regret the fact that I could not make it when you were visiting Dubrovnik.
But if we somehow manage to find the time, you're welcome to stay at my place and we could organize a few games or perhaps a small tournament at my local club (you could freely use one of my armies or the ones available at the club).
I'm not sure when I'm moving yet - could be as soon as March or as far away as October (if it even happens at all, that's dependent on whether the Austrians can pay me). And if I do move I'll potentially be there for three years, so there'll be plenty of time to work something out!
What are you doing in the Czech lands? :)
That actually sounds great Jubal. That potentially gives us a lot of time to organize something.
Oh, I'm going on an Erasmus+ traineeship. ;)
I'll be staying there for a few months.
Ooh, fun, hope you enjoy it! :)
I'm doing one funding application this week, it's very stressful and I don't know if I'll get it finished on time :(
I wish there was more time in a day or that the social convention of a day was increased at least D:
Amen to that one *flails and panics about everything*
Nah I like sleeping. Less time in the day!
But more time in the formal day could just mean more time in bed.
Nah, don't sleep during the day. Sleep at night. Human, not rodent.
I think the differing definitions of day may be an issue here...
Quote from: Pentagathus on March 02, 2017, 07:24:39 PM
Human, not rodent.
Or possibly biologist, not mathematician or computer scientist.
As a historian, all I can confirm about time is that it's no longer the thirteenth century and there are lots of strange shiny gadgets everywhere and not enough epic poems.
Well if you say so Jubal, but i aint been outside in a while
It's dangerous out there, friend. And they don't even let you carry longbows around any more :(
What!? No longbows?!! How are we meant to deal with bandits?
Halberds, mostly.
Boiling oil. Makes everything nice and crunchy.
Boiling oil tends not to be super portable unless you have a fairly advanced pump system though (at which point you may as well be using a flamethrower...)
I'll stick to long range weapondry myself. Crossbows will do.
Right, starting to recover from an exhausting week or so. Next jobs - start back on language learning more seriously, work out accommodation for Vienna, sort out a lot of Exilian stuff inc. articles section & elections...
I just finished university. so ive got all the time in the world.....oh no im scared
Well done on finishing! :) I handed in my corrected MRes thesis last week... and now it's only a few weeks until I start my third degree, I fear I may be rather addicted.
(Lots more time for Exilian posting now then!)
Quote from: Gmd on June 13, 2017, 02:52:40 AM
I just finished university. so ive got all the time in the world.....oh no im scared
Good luck with whatever's next, or indeed working out what comes next. Yes, it can be scary, but it will work out in the end.
Thanks! I hope so. But who knows :(
You'll be alright, and we'll happily give any advice or moral support that we can :)
For now, election stuff has started so remember to sign up so you can keep your jobs, guys: http://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5175.0 (http://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5175.0)
Or it will be awful and you will feel awful forever and ever gmd.
I should probably start doing stuff again, I've been obsessively playing a computer game. There is a fair bit of violence in it, but so far I haven't had the urge to stalk the streets with a blade in my hand, will let you guys know if this game makes this kid a monster though.
Which game, dare we ask?
Gothic 2.
Hum, never heard of it.
Went to a little private Doctor Who convention today for someone's birthday - was good fun, met some nice people. Possibly drank too much but I can still type OK so can't have been that bad I guess!
I have heard of it.
I graduated on Tuesday, still very much unfazed about the whole thing, parents were proud and I feel a bit bad because I know there's nothing to be proud of about this. Took very little effort, in fact I out less effort into my honours year than any other.
Oh well.
Well, congrats on getting all degreed up and stuff :)
Also, time for a new WBU title. I wasn't feeling very inspired so I just made a Tolkien reference.
I don't get the reference.
"Seven stars, seven stones, and one white tree" is the original quote (the seven stones being the palantiri, and the stars & tree being those on the flag of Gondor).
Roughly, the symbols of the Numenorean kingdoms in exile in Middle-earth.
Getting closer to leaving Birmingham. So much to sort out, and so much stress on the way :(
Good luck Juub!
And see you there. ;)
Yes, I'll be in touch definitely, always happy to have visitors or go explore some new places! :)
I'll explore your new places winkeyface.
Let's not go there, or we'll end up having to go over the time you bit my nose again.
Just a bit of random news...
I've been thinking about running a large scale D&D Warhammer Endtimes campagin recently.
If I actually manage to arrange it, being abroad and all, I'll try to post some sort of report/story log following my band of adventurers in the Old World. ;D
Ooh, yeah, definitely! :)
Also, people should post in the WBU more here - I keep having things I want to post, but I don't want to just be doing multipost conversations with myself all the time :P
I would like to share a completely random observation...
I've been recently playing around and updating models for M&B TEATRC mod:
(http://i63.tinypic.com/34xnvhe.jpg)
Now that I look back, M&B and it's modding communites and the quality of open source packs have improved immensely ever since Warband came out. And so did I, which is kind of neat.
Very purdy. I'm really rather stoked for bannerlord, despite the fact that I probably won't get a chance to play it for a loong while even if it's released soon.
Yeah, looking forward to that, mainly because it probably won't require a computer upgrade. 9 years old and still going strong. :)
They've released alot of footage but no release date in sight D:
How's everyone's lives going, anyhow? After being in Vienna for quite a few months, I might actually be able to apply for my PhD in the next few days (that is, to formally be enrolled as a student): I haven't been able to previously because Birmingham were being super slow with paperwork. Fortunately my pay comes from being an employee not a student and that is all sorted out, but it'll be good to be able to actually start on the taught credits I need for my degree and suchlike. I might also be going to the US in May, and need to start chasing people for funding for that...
Oooh Josh and I were hoping on going to the US soon, could you chase up some funding for us too? :p
I don't know if I'll even get funding for me. :/ They're not super generous with travel grants...
https://goo.gl/images/xN93qJ
I'll probably be going to Canada in a year or two as a part of my PhD programme. :P
- - -
Anyways, I've been doing some modeling during my free time at work:
Spoiler
(http://i68.tinypic.com/29wnya1.jpg)
This time I'm playing around with Faradon's OSP models, just mixing them up for more variety.
Nice work! :)
I've mostly been working on a children's book I'm writing by way of creative projects. I want to get it done this year, but it's going to be a very long haul, I've got about 10,000 words down and I think the final thing will be about 60,000...
I really cannot wait to read that... :)
Sorry I've not been around so much lately... I'm struggling to keep up with things. My database is starting to take shape rather better, which is good, but I keep finding lots of new issues and types of data - wrestling chronicles into a database-friendly format is no easy task, alas. :(
This is supposed to be fun rather than an obligation, isn't it? So if you need it, of course you would take some time off... :)
(https://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/agYppxv_700b.jpg)
I like that sentiment (particularly because it would mean that funding for wildlife organisations trying to repopulate our forests with wolves would probably increase through that... ;D) Sadly though, I suspect that not a lot of people would be up for that... :/
Well, I'm now 24. I'm tired and underwhelmed by it so far.
Happy birthday buddy, 24 is okay but 25 is actually decent so like, good things ahead :D
Yooo
Welcome back, comrade :)
Has it really been 10 years...
No, I'm just pulling your legs :P
(Yes, it seriously has: check the date on https://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1.msg1#msg1)
10 years ago Marcuses sent me "the noise". He's going to hate me for posting it publicly as I usually just remind him of it every so often in private. ;D
Well. Goodness. That happened.
Welcome back CG, you old fart. :P
We missed you. ;D
^ Ditto the wolf.
Right, I'm very tired. Good job on the tenth anniversary thing, guys. We made it. :)
Baseball season officially begins today!
(https://res.cloudinary.com/teepublic/image/private/s--pEwjzOvc--/t_Preview/b_rgb:191919,c_limit,f_jpg,h_630,q_90,w_630/v1482985487/production/designs/1001381_1.jpg)
That means you're legally allowed to shoot baseballs now, right?
Yes.
It's Hug a Medievalist Day today :) Not that this has done me much good, but ah well.
Does anyone remember what I used to have in my sig?
Don't think so, sorry... :/
Having some fun updating outdated models for TEATRC using mostly Crusader: Way to Expiation resources.
I've gotta say it's one hell of an OSP pack.
(http://i66.tinypic.com/25tkxty.jpg)
I'm almost 100% percent done with the Ormeli unit roster, all I need to to is make a few normal maps and some lod models.
Nice! :)
I'm in Salzburg, I've had a pretty grim trip: I've been at a long meeting which was 97 percent in German so I couldn't contribute and really struggled to follow anything going on. And my Airbnb room is next to a kitchen with a very noisy fridge that reliably does its cooling cycle every hour and makes the wall vibrate when it does so :/ This is a very pretty city, but I think I'll be glad to get back to Vienna after all the stress around this.
Das ist nicht so gut, ja.
I've been to Salzburg a few months ago. It's really nice and there's so much to see.
There's even this one bar where you pay for drinks according to your desire.
Or skip paying altogether if you just want to see the world burn. :balrog:
But if you're up to it I recommend seeing Hallstatt.
Hallstatt is absolutely glorious.
(https://www.austria.info/media/17083/thumbnails/medres_00000024034-hallstatt-im-salzkammergut-oesterreich-werbung-Pigneter.jpg.3161850.jpg)
Also, has anyone noticed how basically any picture involving a flail (even if used as a farming tool) always looks like some sort of demented ongoing duel?
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Threshing-with-flail-RSJ.jpg)
Stay tuned for today's episode of Clunky farming tools, cracked skulls...
It is a demented duel: mankind on the one side, nature and mankind's own stupidity lurking on the other :)
Been to Skye recently. Skye is good
(https://scontent-vie1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/30710391_1589917154453800_3012869199652454400_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=4ecfb9c2b764ae5e10b123b40ffc4c5f&oe=5B66D2B2)
Napoleon... on a llama farm... ;D
Majestic :)
Feeling pretty burned out again after the Salzburg trip. Lots of stuff I should be doing but I'm just *really tired*. I missed a work meeting today because I was exhausted and feeling, I can rearrange it but I still feel bad, it really gets to me when I'm feeling too rubbish to work normally.
Ok so who's buying my house? I'm sick of this armadillo.
Does your house have an armadillo infestation?
Yes. Please buy. You love armadillos.
I hear they make good helmets
Hey, no helmetifying cute animals on my watch. Even armadillos.
I would totally buy your house, CG, if you could move it to central Vienna for me and throw in the necessary land here to put it on :P
Meanwhile the university is doing its best to murder me by burying me in paper and I'm too tired to dig myself out of it this week :/
I'd sue them for some tree environmental thing.
I'm trying to keep as much of it electronic as possible. I still keep having to print things out, sign them, and scan them back in again :(
I'll send you a deed to print out and sign. :)
I drove to Connecticut yesterday. Wasn't expecting all the endless forest through Pennsylvania but then it's like what did I expect there to be between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
What're you doing in CT? :)
Visiting a cousin/doing some work at their house.
Was good?
The drive was a pita by the end. The house is nice though and there's a lake with a boat.
Pita? :P
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Nablus_souq_pita_118_-_Aug_2011.jpg/1200px-Nablus_souq_pita_118_-_Aug_2011.jpg)
Glad you're somewhere nice :)
Yes that pita.
I'm hanging out with the general manager of The History Channel if anyone has any shows to suggest.
If they want something on medieval Georgia, they can drop me a message any time :P
I'm finally going to see the big apple tomorrow.
Meh, you kids today.
I've seen plenty of big apples back in the day...
*scratches arthritic back*
Oh just die already you old bastard.
Can confirm; New York is a city.
Shocked by this revelation, I am.
Not Yoda you are... :P
Short I am, and green, yes. Someone else, you were expecting? :p
Someone wise maybe :P Also, do I need to remind you that you are taller than me?
Wait a long time for wisdom in these parts, you might...
I made my peace with that when I discovered that I can only mostly communicate with humans on this planet... :P
Mein Führer! ... I CAN WALK !!
...you've been watching Dr Strangelove?
Mr. President, we must not alowww a mineshaft gap!
Ah, tradition :)
It's not easy being green.
Yeah, tell me about it.
Well, it seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things. And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water - or stars in the sky.
Has anyone here heard of Final space?
One season, ten 20+ minute long episodes.
I've been on a binge-watching spree today and it's fantastic.
Rewatched The Shawshank Redemption for about the 50th time. Inspired by recently visiting Malabar Farm, where some scenes were filmed. Also the prison used was the old Ohio State Reformatory nearby in Mansfield, Ohio. Still convinced it's one of the greatest films of all time.
I seem to have had a weak stomach for about a week or two now - even things like ordinary caffeinated teas seem to be upsetting it, it's really annoying :(
I get that too when I look in the mirror.
That's not a weak stomach in your case, that's just some of the ducklings in the middle of the trenchcoat shifting around :)
Also, good to see you!
How did you see through my disguise. We always have the hat and glasses on aswell.
Good to be seen! Wait wut.
I've definitely seen you without a hat. You make very good wig choices when you go without it though :)
My Windows start-up screen is taunting me with camelids at the moment. It comes up with a picture of a random animal, on a bleak hillside high in the Andes, and then asks, "Is it a llama? An alpaca? Even a guanaco?". Then comes the great reveal: "No, none of them - it's a vicuña!"
Alpaca, guanaco, vicuña? I've never heard any of those words in my entire life mate.
Alps, guacamoles and skipjack tunas have nothing to do camelids.
It's all a conspiracy, I'm telling you!
They're all around us!
wearing trenchcoats >.>
Have you been selling trenchcoats to strange mammals again?
Going to Vienna comicon today. Wish me luck, it's probably going to be absurdly crowded in there :/
When's Vienna exilicon?
Please don't tempt me to organise another convention, I might do it! And I always end up messing them up :(
Oh whatever :P
Well, we did lose money last time, and I felt like a bunch of the people there were kind of annoyed at me for not getting more people through the door :(
I think what I would like to do next year is maybe taking Exilian stalls to other conventions, if I can find ones around Vienna that would be suitable.
Happy Thanksgiving urverybody!
Turkeeeeeeeeeee.
I found this quite interesting (and the comments are a blast):
Christmas continues. Very sleepy. How is everyone?
Not bad. Tidying up around my home.
I'm at my aunt's. Much meat eaten, much wine drunk. Much resulting sleepies. I can't do any game dev or writing because my laptop is at home and people aren't wanting to play games or do riddles so I'm just flumphed on the sofa.
It's nice to have a day like that sometimes. :)
I just built a carport at my place so I added some gravel inside of it and cleaned up the old carport junk, split some firewood, made a holder for the firewood in the house, cleaned up leaves and bark bits, washed the car... so I'm pretty tired as well now.
Battling through hordes of guests and way too many meals per day. :D
Sigmar preserve us!
Why do you have many guests? Big family, or are you working someplace?
Just binged through The Last Kingdom. It's pretty badass.
Has anyone else watched it or are familiar with the material? I know Joob has read some of the books.
Quote from: Jubal on December 27, 2018, 12:20:12 AM
Why do you have many guests? Big family, or are you working someplace?
A small, but largely disorganized family so we've had tons of separate visits instead of one big gathering this year. :P
It felt like a siege.
Quote from: comrade_general on December 29, 2018, 03:23:57 AM
Just binged through The Last Kingdom. It's pretty badass.
I've been looking for something to watch, actually.
I'll give it a try today. ;)
I'd definitely recommend the books too - they're nothing hugely fancy in terms of prose style or anything, once you've read one Bernard Cornwell book you've sort of read most of them, but I'm always happy to read them even so - they're just really good straightforwardly played sword-swinging adventure stories, backed up by solid historical research. He's very good at writing battle scenes too; IIRC the sort of close-pressed fights he evokes were a major influence on the devs of M&B for the feel they were aiming for.
(He's also done a high medieval series, the Grail Quest books, which I really like).
Quote from: Silver Wolf on December 09, 2018, 06:20:21 PM
I found this quite interesting
So all those times I had pease pudding on toast i was actually reenacting without even knowing it? Sweet.
The last kingdom series is pretty awful in terms of costume design and the battles and generally all of that stuff until iirc halfway through the second season when the quality starts to pick up for some reason. The third season was pretty great.
Books were good too, haven't read the latest ones but from what I remember they do kind of turn into main character vs guest star viking villain of the week so I'm not really tempted to get back into it.
Christmas was good tiring also.
Quote from: Silver Wolf on December 29, 2018, 09:04:53 AM
I've been looking for something to watch, actually.
I'll give it a try today. ;)
Excellent! Don't listen to Pent he's just drunk. :P
Oh no he wasn't.
He does recommend the series though, just be warned of great silliness.
What're you all doing to see the new year in?
Sleeping.
New computer obtained! I now have a secondary, much smaller/lighter laptop, which given the amount of travel I'm doing will be very helpful - it's literally half the weight of my other one so much easier to just chuck in a bag and take to places :)
Quote from: Jubal on January 02, 2019, 04:34:00 PM
New computer obtained! I now have a secondary, much smaller/lighter laptop, which given the amount of travel I'm doing will be very helpful - it's literally half the weight of my other one so much easier to just chuck in a bag and take to places :)
And so a new era of modding begins! ;)
I've been pretty sick after the New Year celebrations and it seems like I caught a flu.
Not weird at all though, as everyone seems to be sick these days including my whole family.
That also gave me a chance to go through all three season of The Last Kingdom.
I like the story and the characters, but I have to agree about the costumes.
Most of them make absolutely no sense, being leather cuirasses and loose chain mail aventails dangling around on top of clothes being more of hindrance rather than having any actual use.
Also what the heck happened to those viking swords?
There are numerous instances in the series in which men get themselves stabbed by completely blunt swords with rounded tips.
Why would you even make a weapon which has such an obvious flaw? Is is because people usually tend to be misinformed about swords and assume that's what actual combat-ready swords looked like? The only reason for that is safety during historical reenactment.
You're over analyzing, Wolfer. ;) At least it's not nearly as bad as something like 300 gave us. lmao
Quote from: Silver Wolf on January 04, 2019, 10:34:14 AM
And so a new era of modding begins! ;)
I am wondering if my modding days are over - I've not really done any in a while. That said, my next standalone game will appear in closed beta in the next few weeks :)
A classic.
Reminds me of everything I do, especially the relationships.
In other news, this is apparently my 3000th Exilian post. Thanks for all the fun (yes, even zapping the spambots and doing the accounts :) ) and here's to the next 3000.
Congrats! We'd be giving you triumph points if we still did those :P
I note you're also now Exilian's ninth highest poster, and only 500 posts shy of the top five! (Though Cara is also storming very fast towards the top ten, so may overtake you on the way somewhere...)
First post of February! Even though it's still January here. :P
We should probably change the thread title, we've had this one about a year. Any ideas? :)
Portugal it all. :)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9QCgqQdmr0M
Only phoenixguards will get this.
I understand it because khan introduced me to The Big Lez Show and The Mike Nolan Show. :)
Happy World Pangolin Day! :)
:pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin: :pangolin:
(https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2014/03/14/13/rexfeatures_1893149a.jpg?width=1368&height=912&fit=bounds&format=pjpg&auto=webp&quality=70)
Looks like I might have to swtich from the plan of doing updates bimonthly to quarterly, which isn't ideal but I am in no state to produce an issue right now :(
I've finally started working and receiving a stable paycheck, so I might be able to help out starting next month. ;)
Any help with any Exilian stuff would be amazing - I feel like things are likely going to start falling to pieces a bit in the next few months otherwise, I just don't seem to be able to keep up without buggering up my health any more...
My research proposal powerpoint's "research questions" slide currently reads "What."
This feels oddly apt.
(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/173/576/Wat8.jpg)
Yup. That.
In today's news, does anyone else have those evenings when there's just nothing you want to eat? I've opened and closed my fridge several times but it's the same stuff in there each time and none of it seems appealing. Cooking feels like a tiring option in general as well.
Nah I like most food
I like food too. Except when I don't, apparently. :/ It's more the effort that's offputting though I've now made myself start making supper.
Also, new thread title :)
The effort can be offputting sometimes, though I find that hunger generally overcomes it eventually. If the "in house" options aren't appealing, I suppose I'm lucky in that I have a supermarket open until midnight 5 minutes' walk away, and a range of pubs doing good food until 9 or even 10pm - though these too require some effort, and the same "activation energy" barrier applies.
No, I have evenings where I want to eat something, anything but have nothing to eat. :P
Happy Irish Day folks!
Chase snakes all day
That sounds like it should be a euphemism but I'm not sure for what...
Quote from: Pentagathus on March 17, 2019, 05:08:25 PM
Chase snakes all day
But there are no snakes in Ireland! :P
Yeah but none of us live in Ireland
Or DO WE... (dramatic music)
I've been to Ireland once, it was nice.
Same.
I passed my thesis proposal presentation :)
I had two conditions placed on me by the panel in addition to the general pass grade, one of which was "do at least one module of Byzantine history" - which is, uh, a bit of an interesting one considering that's what my literal actual Master of Research degree is in, but oh well, it'll be an easy few credits I guess...
Had a few days UKside, now heading back. Big scary sky tube leaves in 15 mins or so :)
Try not to die.
The big scary sky tube has apparently reached the ground again, intact, at the expected location, and about 10 minutes early; hopefully the same is true of all the people on board. I presume Jubal will report back once he's gone through all the usual airport processing.
I am back at Exilian HQ my flat :) I appear not to be dead, and my fellow passengers also seemed to be still in the land of the living as hypothesised.
Two weeks back in Vienna now and then, excitingly, I'm off to Frankfurt! Less exciting, I need to get back to getting my hands dirty with front end programming on my supervisor's project. It will not be fun at all, but that's the job for the next few days...
It looks creepy as hell! Love it :D
HYPE
Winding through the hills of central Germany on my way to Frankfurt, today. :)
I'm extremely tired, it's been a really tight packed last few days. I hope I'll enjoy the new city, though!
Sounds nice, enjoy dem hills bro.
Hot dogs are always delicious.
I've hardly eaten today from general nervousness. I also know nobody in this city which feels weird. Hopefully both edible and friendly/humanoid Frankfurters will be found in the coming days :)
I read that as Frankfurters which are both edible and people and I was a bit disturbed. I suspect that was the wrong way to read it. But hatching a plan to eat another human would be a very good reason to be nervous tbf.
Shockingly, I'm not planning to eat any humans. I'm fairly sure there will be plenty of more appealing and less legally and morally problematic foods on offer :)
Indeed I'm hoping to pick Glaurung's brain for recommendations...
Quote from: Jubal on April 10, 2019, 10:29:14 PM
Indeed I'm hoping to pick Glaurung's brain for recommendations...
I'm glad you qualified that phrase - I'm quite attached to my brain and would very much like it not to be picked, whether for eating or any other purpose.
Quote from: Jubal on April 10, 2019, 10:29:14 PM
I'm fairly sure there will be plenty of more appealing and less legally and morally problematic foods on offer :)
Yes, I can assure you that is so. As you're in Germany, many of them involve some combination of pork, ham, sausage, cabbage, and potato, but I think Frankfurt is sufficiently cosmopolitan that you'll find other things too.
Nomnomnom
I am yet to have much Frankfurt food experience still, I am bad at going touristing when already super tired (and my damn wrists seem to be flaring up a bit again after a fairly good couple of weeks) but lidl has at least provided some basics. All hail lidl.
And here's a couple of pictures:
(https://i.imgur.com/uFqcdTu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/wEXucfh.jpg)
Complete with bonus hoppity crow friend :)
(https://i.imgur.com/6LUOqSH.jpg)
More local wildlife - respectively, Egyptian goose family, Egyptian goose chick, Treecreeper, Squirrel, Fieldfare :) Quite pleased with some of these photos!
(https://media.mastodon.at/system/media_attachments/files/002/101/435/original/ce86a9148324f4f0.jpeg)
(https://media.mastodon.at/system/media_attachments/files/002/101/436/original/5337823f96b6dfdb.jpeg)
(https://media.mastodon.at/system/media_attachments/files/002/101/455/original/f1dddf564f8823e4.jpeg)
(https://media.mastodon.at/system/media_attachments/files/002/101/446/original/04a0ad9e265aa31a.jpeg)
(https://media.mastodon.at/system/media_attachments/files/002/101/476/original/dbe52292c352d491.jpeg)
Loving the one with the squirrel! :D
Thankyou! There's another nice squirrel shot to start this next set, I found where its hole was and got a picture of it peeking out :) Also featuring in order: buzzard, jay, wood mouse, and tortoise, all from the parks of Frankfurt :)
(https://i.imgur.com/xCgLDrM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8nT9toB.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/v2dLprI.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/e4aiPJ2.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/JjN6mzS.jpg)
I'm trying to switch to yahoo as my default search provider because today google pissed me off with its censored search results while I was searching for examples of jokes.
Oh, what did it censor?
I use ecosia and duckduckgo as my two main search engines usually - ecosia is kinda nice in that it's eco-friendly, DDG is quite privacy centric.
Happy Independence Day, fellow Exilianites :moo:
(https://i.imgur.com/wXcFO96_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)
Happy indie day :)
I have finished four very hectic days of medieval-ing and am now v sleepy. It was good though!
This looks amazing. Nastalgia and actual footage just like the first one. Heavy breathing.
Who should I interview next for Exilian Articles? Ideas welcome :)
Meanwhile, I plough through much much paperwork. Submitted more than fifteen different bits of documentation this week to help claim the 1500+ euros that my university owes me, some of which is unpaid from over a year ago now. And I've got a paper to write which I didn't know about in advance, because they didn't tell us the conference was going to do a published proceedings until we were literally at the conference. All rather frustrating and I'm feeling very stressed about it all. :/
Quote from: Jubal on August 09, 2019, 05:40:46 PM
Who should I interview next for Exilian Articles? Ideas welcome :)
I think you should interview :moo: Get to the bottom of what he's up to
Then :caradilis: to make her less of an enigma
Those can probably be arranged, I think :)
I've got several articles to finish as well - another part of the Problem of Focus, a Warhammer characters discussion, and yet another Unexpected Bestiary... not sure which of those I should prioritise next!
Meanwhile, I went to see an Irish folk duo this evening and they were good, so that was nice! I'm going out tomorrow night as well for pizza with the Byzantinists, so it's going to have been a busy week for evening events. Possibly the most interesting was Tuesday - Central European University is moving some operations to Vienna because of their issues with the Hungarian government, so they did a Vienna-side opening of their medieval department which had some interesting talks.
So tired. Dratted election. Also had a laptop, my main umbrella, and my washing machine die within five days. Things really aren't going awfully well here :(
Happy Christmas, one and all! I hope everyone is having / has had / will have a good day.
And to you! :) It's been good here.
Happy new year and indeed decade, Exilian :)
Happy period of years beginning with 202!
Yay for being in the second ever year to start with 202, joining 202 in thst honoured list!
Yay indeed! Happy New year
And, duly, thread rename!
What did you all do for New Year? :)
I drank until i forgot. Also shrek was there.
My new theory about dogs is that dogs are such good boys because all the evil and hatred that might have been in them is discarded as part of their excrement, which explains why dog mess is Absolutely The Worst Thing Ever. Yes, I did tread in some this morning.
(To add insult to injury, it took me long enough to notice that traces of it got onto things other than my shoes, so I've just had to spend ages disinfecting a ton of stuff just in case and I still feel discombobulated and squicky from it.)
I have an exam on Monday and I think I've entirely forgotten how to do exams in the last few years. Halp.
I'm no help! I think it helps if you remember things and write some of them down while avoiding the existential dread of doing an exam.
Yeah, I've done a fair amount of reading and some practice essays. Trying to rest a bit this evening because it won't help me to go into the exam burned out. 90 mins for a paper like this feels like a real sprint after being used to three hour exams as an undergraduate. There's no culture of telling people about the format or having past papers available etc here, so it feels like I'm going in strangely uninformed compared to what I'm used to from the UK exam system, but I suppose everyone is in that boat.
Good luck; I hope it goes well.
And the university computer system failed to register me so I couldn't do the exam, so I've gone home and hid under a blanket feeling pretty wretched instead :( Not the best of weeks.
Oh no! Very annoying :(
Are you able to re-register, or sit it at another time?
Yeah, second sitting is in a month so it's not world-ending. Just really really miserable at a time when I desperately need to not have so much stuff hanging over my head. :(
Urgh the worst to get worked up for nothing D:
I'm just knackered now. Still got this exam yet to come, got to start marking final projects and also get on with writing next semester's course which I have no idea about. And I broke a plate today, and I still don't have a working washing machine.
I'm trying to write a bit today, my writing group is doing an anthology again and I'm trying to do a short story for that but I'm feeling pretty uninspired.
A logical premise my brain assembled today:
Axiom: Friendship is magic
Axiom 2: Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic
Conclusion: Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from friendship.
I have a new washing machine! It is capable of washing clothes! Huzzah!*
EDIT: I realise I should really say that I presume it's capable of washing clothes, based on its now proven ability to wash other similar fabric items. I have however only done bedsheets so far so who knows, it may object to clothes in unexpected ways when I try that.
Yay! Happy laundry processing!
Meanwhile, I have found a new time-sink, in the shape of a Thomas Cook European railway timetable from 1989. I am finding it all too fascinating to compare the rail networks and services of 31 years ago with the current ones. A great deal has changed, mostly for the better - rail services have become faster and more frequent in many parts of Europe. Even the timetable book itself now shows more routes, more trains and more stations.
I like trains.
Speaking of trains, I think I'm going to visit Bratislava next month. :D
Are you still coming to Canada sometime in the future Wolfman? ;D
That was the initial plan.
I will try to squeeze in a visit on my third or fourth year, but it also depends on available funding at the time.
I'm signed off work ill this week. Feeling very very tired more than anything.
Watching some classic eps of Unsolved Mysteries. The soundtrack... Robert Stack's voice... still scares the armadillo out of me. It's funny reading the comments that so many others are also traumatized from watching this as kids. We can't help but feel like a murderer, ghost, or alien is right behind us while watching. :')
Mm, not a programme w have in the UK, but I definitely get the thing of there being bonus chills from a soundtrack that really affected you as a kid.
(Like for me, pretty much no show opening will ever get more dramatic than Gerry Anderson's Stingray, largely due to nostalgia bonus).
I'm scared. :'(
I now think I may actually have damaged a tendon for my intercostal muscles, given the persistence and nature of this chest pain I'm having. Which means I could be stuck with it for a month or two. Not least since I can't really rest it easily without stopping breathing, which frustratingly apparently has other health risks involved. Just taking regular ibuprofen and hoping it helps. :/
In nicer news, despite recent illness I got a 1 in my exam of the PhD course (a generic/undergrad module on Middle Eastern Medieval History, so tbf I did have about five years of advantage built up on the topic matter). And plans for my next travel adventure seem to be finally just about in place (flying out very early on Saturday). :) And I'm 26 next Thursday. Time really does fly...
And regarding flying - my body is shouting "why are we awake" at me, and I'm begrudging a bit flying with Turkish Airlines which I'd usually try to avoid (I didn't book my own flights for this trip), but I have at least made it to the departure lounge for the first of my flights. I hadn't realised how quiet the airport would be at this time, I didn't need any time at all to get through it, but better safe than sorry and the Istanbul change is slow (3hr layover) so should be comfortable.
Are you going to Iran?
Nope. Carthage. Which I am now in :)
Hope you have a good time!
Tortured joke I just thought up:
what do you call an ex playboy model, anti-vaccine activist that likes to harrass Rome over the alps?
Spoiler
Jenny McCarthage
Unacceptable.
Carthage was indeed nice :) Expect photos and a write-up when I get time.
Meanwhile, I'm 26 today! Which I think means I'm literally double the age I was when I first joined Mixed Mods, Exilian's short lived predecessor.
Happy Birthday Jubal!!
HPBDJBXXVI!
Quote from: comrade_general on February 25, 2020, 12:40:44 AM
Watching some classic eps of Unsolved Mysteries. The soundtrack... Robert Stack's voice... still scares the armadillo out of me. It's funny reading the comments that so many others are also traumatized from watching this as kids. We can't help but feel like a murderer, ghost, or alien is right behind us while watching. :')
I think I remember watching this as a child...
Thanks for the birthday wishes, all :) Had some people round this weekend, made some khinkali which whilst not exactly classy quality were still pretty edible, and made cake as well.
And now, not really having rested since the Tunisia trip, I embark on the next hell-run of starting teaching a new course and delivering three talks in as many weeks. Urgkh. Wish me luck!
Well, we completely missed Exilian Day for the first time in years :/
Quote from: Jubal on March 21, 2020, 02:14:56 PM
Well, we completely missed Exilian Day for the first time in years :/
Oh bollocks, but it's no wonder considering everything that's happening at the moment... :(
But in other, more positive news...
After getting my Bannerlord beta key and playing just one game I can say that it's everything I ever dreamed of.
:knight:
Oh crikey, I keep meaning to look into that. Agh. Too many thing too little time.
Right now my hot water isn't working properly which is the worst thing on top of everything else :(
How are we all? We seem to be having a quiet few days...
I'm doing great, just enjoining some alone time. Needed some rest from work and seeing people.
How about you? :D
Eh, my hand pain was doing better for a few days but it's now flared up again :( But I have some new plants and hit a good milestone on my book writing project, so that's good I guess.
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HIDIKD6eknc/maxresdefault.jpg)
Happy Glorious Twenty-fifth of May, for Truth, Justice, Freedom, Reasonably Priced Love, And A Hard-Boiled Egg :)
(Also happy Towel Day, since they coincide)
In UK news, today it has been Too Hot.
We're starting to hit full-on Too Hot weather here in Vienna too, after what's mostly been an unusually cloudy and wet summer so far.
I'm starting work again next week :( At least I assume I am, though I haven't actually recieved official confirmation that the paperwork has been sorted for it yet...
Fortunately for me (and, I suspect, much of the UK), the Too Hot has gone away again. Yesterday the temperature was up to at least 32C (90F), and with a forecast of 34C (94F) - today it's a much more comfortable 24C (76F). Something's not right when I have to close the windows because the quite vigorous breeze coming in is noticeably hotter than the air inside :(
As ever my flat is at least fairly consistent in temperature, if not in humidity or general functionality!
I'm planning on venturing out to a medieval market in the morning, so hopefully I will manage not to totally fry at that. I suspect it'll be quite a quiet event overall, and it's at Castle Liechtenstein just south of Vienna which I've not been to before (the historic seat of the family that later ruled the eponymous Alpine country or something like that, I think).
I spent today clearing up plant mess, see the kitchen garden thread for details :/
This property ad comes with an unusual bonus:
Garden
Extremely well maintained private gardens lie to the front and the rear of the house. The large rear garden has a sun-trap patio accessed directly from the kitchen and the family room. The rest of the garden is laid to lawn with wide herbaceous borders. There is also an external store and a shed. The resident tortoise, which has lived at the house for over 70 years, will remain at the property.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81732169.html
:)
"I for one welcome our new chelonian overlords."
Exilian tea/pub has begun! You should all have an invite link via email but shout if you don't :)
I'll be on for 8 got a few chores to finish up!
Great - pub has now begun, though it's currently still me waiting for humans to appear!
Sorry jubal I messed up and had promised to meet my friends for a quiz tonight. I hope more people showed and you had a good time? I'll be there for the next one!
I'd intended to join for the pub section, but the flat had an impromptu socialise in the evening
And I just forgot entirely, and didn't check e-mail or the forum any time after about lunchtime yesterday. I'm sorry, especially as I was the one who said it would be a good idea in the first place. I seem not to be doing too well at one-off events at the moment, and I'm not yet properly in the habit of setting a reminder for myself.
No worries :) We had six or so people at peak: HanSolo, Eadgifu the Fair, dubsartur, myself, Spritelady, and Anonyman all dropped in, as did three or four non-Exilian folks. So turnout was reasonable I think, and there was history chatter and swapping of D&D stories and book recommendations and things like that which is all good.
I'm thinking we'll run another in three or four weeks' time?
I'd be down, I'll be sure to make sure i'm actually free this time
Nice bit of news from my research group today - we secured an ERC consolidator grant, which are the big guns as far as humanities research goes - seven figure sum of money, so we'll get four or five additional people in the group sometime next year which is a sizeable expansion. :)
Congratulations, and good luck with all the new folk when they arrive.
Yes, finding people with the right skill-sets I think may be a whole other challenge.
Noice!
Incidentally, Penty - why the new user account?
Ditto Glaurung's question. Also we can merge your accounts if you want.
Quote from: Jubal on December 09, 2020, 11:46:40 AM
Nice bit of news from my research group today - we secured an ERC consolidator grant, which are the big guns as far as humanities research goes - seven figure sum of money, so we'll get four or five additional people in the group sometime next year which is a sizeable expansion. :)
Very very nice. :D
Quote from: Jubal on December 09, 2020, 01:25:30 PM
Yes, finding people with the right skill-sets I think may be a whole other challenge.
What is the right skillset? I may know some people who have a history degree and previous programming experience.
Anyone got 750k lying around? Nice new option for a future Exilian HQ is up for sale :P
(https://a474e529956d3f647bbe-176bf680c52b8eef039a9b1f404db0cb.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/production/84693/banner/980x550_LON200048_01.jpg)
https://www.struttandparker.com/properties/the-solent
QuoteWhat is the right skillset? I may know some people who have a history degree and previous programming experience.
That plus wanting to do a PhD in something medieval and East Europe/Middle East related is probably the right skill-set for the doctoral-level posts!
Quote from: Jubal on December 22, 2020, 12:46:09 PM
Anyone got 750k lying around? Nice new option for a future Exilian HQ is up for sale :P
Alas, it's in inshore waters, so we can't do a Sealand with it :(
Don't worry, with the way the UK is going we'll have legalised private law in free ports and have government funded privateering going in a year or two down the line in any case. :P
A first try, with apologies to the late Stan Rogers (http://stanrogers.net/the-music/song-archive/barretts-privateers/)
Oh the year was twenty twenty-two
How I wish I was in Wor'ster now
A franchise deal came in the mail
To a two-time bankrupt fresh out of gaol
Chorus: God damn them all
I was told, we'd cruise the seas for Norwegian oil
We'd launch no drones, shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on an ReykjavÃk pier
The last of Johnson's privateers
The Job Centre passed round the call
How I wish I was in Wor'ster now
For sturdy hands for his patrol crew
To tell the wogs just what to do
*chorus*
His coast-guard cutter was shipshape indeed
How I wish I was in Wor'ster now
When she hit the water in Mad Maggie's day
And she still cost all that the bank would pay
*chorus*
On Brexit Day we put to sea
How I wish I was in Wor'ster now
Took a whole week out to the Orkney ways
Pumps a wheezing like the COVID days
*chorus*
Drained our credit for diesel and we sailed again
How I wish I was in Wor'ster now
When a lumbering dragger hove in sight
We uncovered the Bofors and we made to fight
*chorus*
Her holds were full with English fish
How I wish I was in Wor'ster now
And Steve with the drones saw them hauling their nets
But we couldn't overhaul her and we'd be there yet
*chorus*
Then the wind came up and the engines went down
How I wish I was in Wor'ster now
The pilot got high on cut-price skunk
And the GPS took a salt-water dunk
*chorus*
Captain took the launch while we were below
How I wish I was in Wor'ster now
Our cutter floundered in a rocky bay
And the local coppers took us away
*chorus*
Now here I stand in my fiftieth year
How I wish I was in Wor'ster now
Passport's no good, there's debts at home
So I'm schlepping boxes of hand sanitizer foam
*chorus*
music and finger-snapping (YT) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKDtTygydHo)
Quote from: Glaurung on December 09, 2020, 08:29:33 PM
Incidentally, Penty - why the new user account?
I forgot my old password and the email account I had for it must have been an old one.
Quote from: Pentagathusosaurus rex on December 23, 2020, 07:23:26 PM
I forgot my old password and the email account I had for it must have been an old one.
I think we can fix this. I'll have a check and message you.
Cool cool cool
Welcome to 2021, friends :) How are we all?
I am starting the year as I mean to go on: hung over and eating beans on toast
It strikes me that maintaining a state of being hung over is actually very difficult: at some point you either have to drink again (at which point you're not hung over on account of being drunk) or it'll wear off...
I suppose I should not have said "I am starting the year as I mean to go on" bit without some extra explanation.
For example now I am neither drunk nor hung over - and the most recently consumed item was an egg and cress sandwich, which is completely bean free.
Here is the full explanation, so everyone is clear:
I am starting the year as I mean to go on: Occasionally suffering the effects of drinking alcohol, for example I am currently hung over; and indulging in my love on beans on toast, for I am currently eating them.
I might have beans on toast for lunch now.
2021 has been much like the end of 2020 so far. At least Cobra Kai s3 finally came out, and I do believe Disenchantment has a third season out very soon too.
Buuuuuuuut it seems like this strain of the ole covid is spreading round these parts pretty happily, doubt we'll be out of tier 4 anytime soon.
I need to decide if we're doing pub this month. Not sure right now: if we are, I guess it should be Thurs 28, I just don't know how up to things I'm feeling at the moment. I'm really struggling to keep up with everything and getting a lot of anxiety dreams and not feeling awfully well, which isn't a nice combination really.
Quote from: Jubal on January 15, 2021, 05:21:19 PM
I need to decide if we're doing pub this month. Not sure right now: if we are, I guess it should be Thurs 28, I just don't know how up to things I'm feeling at the moment. I'm really struggling to keep up with everything and getting a lot of anxiety dreams and not feeling awfully well, which isn't a nice combination really.
I'd maybe suggest giving it a miss this month then? Removes a thing that needs doing from your plate
I think your conference is in early Feb so maybe it would be good for you to just arrange a small private chat not a full booze-up?
I'm going to try and do more Discord-ing in the next bit I think. Though I will definitely get back to meetup organising in February come rain or shine, probably third week of the month.
Also, I got my new box of FFP2 masks today so I can go out to use shops and things again. I don't honestly know how much difference these things are likely to make - I suspect that the bigger problems come from people not wearing the things properly which a change of style won't help - but maybe they'll improve things a bit. Austria's case numbers continue to slide sloooowly down but it is very slow.
How's everyone else doing?
I am starting to think that BC should have adopted a COVID-0 strategy like many other regions in Canada :( The provincial government's consensus-based approach has avoided a disaster with over 1,000 deaths per million population like in the USA or Spain, but it seems like many people are getting tired of restrictions and case numbers are no longer dropping. Regions like South Korea or Thailand or New Zealand have kept deaths well under 100 deaths per million population. Immunization will not be complete until roughly September, assuming there are no big problems with vaccine production or the new variants.
Making progress on my embroidery, copyeditied a magazine article, and sent a journal article to the next venue.
That sounds productive at least! I'm mainly working on end of semester work at the moment, not much to mark yet but I've got work for all the seminars I was doing, and a bigger paper waiting to be written which I've promised to finish by mid-March. And work on the Tunisia project I'm involved with is starting to ramp up a bit, too.
Then maybe next semester I can get more done on my thesis? Maybe?
I did at least get out for a short walk today.
A peculiar pain in my academic book ordering is that whilst my academic books are as expensive as anyone's, they do come with a slightly different pricing structure whereby the postage is nearly ninety percent of the cost:
(https://i.imgur.com/UqlvjFQ.png)
Are they being posted from Mars?
The Caucasus, which may as well be Mars as far as the postal services are concerned!
Shipping right now is just plain expensive, I gave up ordering anything from the United States. I just sent something to Russia for 50 CAD airmail or 25 surface.
In happy news (I hope), I was vaccinated this morning. No apparent immune reaction yet, but it's only been three hours.
Oh, excellent! Very happy to hear it :)
Also we seem to have passed Exilian's birthday for the year without much of a murmur - sorry about that, it's been busy lately.
Quote from: Jubal on March 20, 2021, 05:07:33 PM
Oh, excellent! Very happy to hear it :)
Thank you. Some side-effects have now kicked in: some pain at the injection site, a rather interrupted night's sleep, and possibly a high body temperature. But all expected for something triggering the immune system.
Quote from: Jubal on March 20, 2021, 05:07:33 PM
Also we seem to have passed Exilian's birthday for the year without much of a murmur - sorry about that, it's been busy lately.
Not to worry - I think we've all been busy. I'd also more-or-less attached the celebratory stuff to the pubmeet this Thursday.
Hope the side effects clear soon :)
In further happy news, I'm about to have my first haircut since October. I expect to be walking home with a bit more spring in my step!
EDIT: I think I now understand how sheep feel after being shorn.
My last was even earlier and I am basically now Chewbacca. And lockdown has veen extended here - I'm struggling a bit and playing rather a lot of Dragon Age to keep my mind off things (which has the unfortunate effect of me not managing to do nearly enough of everything else that needs doing...)
I decided the Bob Ross look was not for me and have also got my haircut. Things are fine here, life hasn't changed much for me since lockdown was lifted but I have been to the occasional gathering. Hopefully I'll be more sociable soonish.
Oh yes and I've been working outside the last few weeks which was nice until hayfever decided to say hello. Apparently nettle tea helps with allergies and it did seem to help a lot yesterday. I've ordered some capsules of nettle extract because I'm too lazy to keep gathering nettles and also they taste disgusting
At least I have the right hair for my talk which has Giorgio "I'm not saying it was aliens ..." T on the first slide
I will probably get it cut before a forthcoming job interview.
Case rates are finally subsiding in Austria due to increased vaccine rollout. Sometime in the next week we should drop below 10,000 active cases nationally for the first time since October, at current rates of progress.
I can't say I feel like I'm definitely ready for the world to speed up and be normal-er again though, I'm quite worried about that bit.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-grpDl-8FuLg/TvOEhOorA0I/AAAAAAAAHsQ/lP_ETu5O_l4/s1600/Lilac+flowers.+%25284%2529.jpg)
Finally got back into BJJ training recently after more than a year off, on my second class back I stayed for the sparring session and received a rather heavy knee to the chest from a fairly inexperienced but rather large, strong and heavy dude. It was a little painful at the time, and rather annoying considering that BJJ is a grappling sport with no striking involved, but hey ho, it is still a combat sport. Unfortunately it became a lot more painful when I woke up, still went to work thinking it was just a sprain or bad bruise, had a look at it when I got home and realised that my ribs had actually moved out of place. Called 111 yesterday for some advice, they told me to go to the emergency department and not to eat or drink anything until I'd seen a doctor, so I did that after work, waited for at least three hours in total and found out I had a small pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and possibly some broken ribs but possibly not because they don't usually show up in x rays. Great.
I was also rather tired, hungry and dehydrated so I bought a load of crappy highly processed junk food on my way home and ate too much last night and didn't drink enough so now I feel like sheeet. I also have to take at least next week off work because my current job is all manual labour. Oh and I'm paying £60 a month for my membership at this BJJ gym and I need to give a month's notice in advance when cancelling, hopefully the dude will offer to freeze the membership for a couple of months though cos otherwise I'm going to pay a hell of a lot for one single session XD
Ooh rough Pentagathus. Beware those gyms and martial arts schools which make it hard to cancel your membership!
Wary I am.
Still haven't heard anything back from the owner of the gym.
Yikes. Hope the ribs get better soon :(
I'm pretty knackered after last week's conferences - and also really annoyed about a new issue, namely having ordered a book and had the large academic publisher who sold it to me fail to inform me clearly about the likelihood of customs charges - said charges being to the value of half the price of the actual book. And then responding to being asked about this by quoting their Ts & Cs at me and then just not mentioning the fact I'd also said that the book had some light spine damage on delivery!? So Wiley books are very much in my bad books right now and I'd advise against ordering from them unless you want to be kicked in the pocket quite nastily.
I agreed to write a chapter for a book from Wiley because I knew the editor. Eventually someone in their office in India sent me an email with an unsolicited email with a link to their rather aggressive contract and not attached polite nothings. I sorted it out (looked up their address online, emailed them asking if they had sent it) and requested some changes such as spelling my chapter's title correctly. The Wiley representative said he would ask his boss and then started sending daily reminder emails to sign. After about six months of politely asking for a decision on the contract changes, unsigning up to the reminder emails, getting spammed again and repeating the representative had the editors withdraw my contribution (!) during the pandemic (!) still never having said yes or no and never having acknowledged that they had not got the title correct.
Ah, apparently I did get an email from the gym owner on monday but my email inbox decided not to load any new emails for a day or two. Strange. He offered to freeze the membership but it seems like he's cancelled it after not hearing back from me. The ribs are definitely getting better at least, hoping I can be back at work next week but I might still need to take it a little slower.
And on the truly bright side I have ordered no books from Wiley. Huzzah! I do need to buy a new anatomy book though I believe.
Well I've just had the week from hell. Fractious meetings, people pushing deadlines back and asking for work on totally unreasonable timescales, inconclusive meetings that needed to conclude things on a schedule, having to deal with a student issue inconclusive AND fractious meetings, and then on Friday night I managed to trip over my dustpan, breaking it, knocking myself on the head and damaging my arm which I still can't move normally (I've not lost range of movement, there's no break, it's just very sore and will take time to heal).
Generally feeling really rather sorry for myself today :(
Have some sympathy. And some mead, though you will have to supply the mead yourself
Oops, forgot to announce the meetup this time :( Still going for another couple of hours though (link should be in your inboxes) if anyone wants to drop by!
Am now doubly vaccinated as of yesterday :) Feeling a bit woozy today but not too bad. May have ended up on a YouTube binge of watching bits of the 1990s Sharpe TV series rather than working for much of the day, but could be worse.
major contra indicaiton of the covid vaccine is sharpe fan. be careful
I'll let you know if I accidentally end up with the symptoms of being shipped off to Spain with a company of green-jacketed riflemen. :)
YT showed me some of the old Sharpe too. I used to borrow those on tape from the library. "Major Lennox answered with his life sir!"
I have also been reading some of the 16th century military writers like Smythe and De La Noue (http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A05074.0001.001). More Anglos should read them, because the Elizabethan interventions in the Wars of the Low Countries and Ireland are the ancestors of the types of wars we fight now.
Well, the past week involved:
- My landlord, who gave me no details to contact him for two years, saying he can't reduce my rent for problems because he wasn't told about them. Spot the problem here.
- A literal plague of moths, so I had to throw out about ten kilos of birdseed.
- My beloved Panasonic Lumix TZ90 camera breaking (my favourite I've ever had - I've ordered the same model as a replacement already, though given my luck with sales lately I have zero faith it will actually arrive without problems).
- A four storey tall vine falling on my garden and crushing sixty percent of my plants
- As a result of the above points, me getting even further behind with work
And at this point I'm just wondering which deity I've pissed off. Or deities. Maybe a smallish pantheon somewhere?
Well most of the last post's round of problems have improved - I paid a painful amount of money to my landlord, the moths are not gone but seem a bit more under control, I finished clearing the vine last weekend and I have a new TZ90. Unfortunately I'm now extremely tired, the big Tunisia project I've been working on is overdue and I'm ending up running myself hard into the ground trying to finish it, plus having two looming conferences both of which are not proving organisationally very fluid to the point where I literally don't know when my talks will be for either of them...!
Just had the amusing moment of getting out of a meeting on social media regulation policy to discover that Facebook appears to have beaten our endeavours to the punch by going offline. Funny old world :)
In news of great joy, my laptop (roughly 2 years old) has just told me it's ready to upgrade itself from Windows 10 to Windows 11. I'm now wondering whether I should let it do this, and would appreciate people's views.
I haven't been offered an upgrade on any of my machines yet, so I can't give aqny concrete advice.
That being said, if it's anything like the 7 > 10 upgrade then that went quite smoothly for me.
I suppose it depends on if you are in the middle of something that you don't want to interrupt with "Oh where did that thing go?" thoughts, or being assailed with information about all of the shiny new features.
Happy Christmas to all of you folks who celebrate :) Looking forward to seeing some of you on the 29th!
Unfortunately I am working on the 29th. Fortunately I will be earning money on the 29th after 3 years of unemployment!
Correction: I am working on the 31st not the 29th, but I am seeing a friend tomorrow so if I can drop in it will only be for a few minutes.
Well, would be nice to see you briefly if you can make it, but if not, don't worry :)
Happy New Year, Exilian :)
Happy new year? 🎉
And a regular title change. Quite a limited one this time...
In today's news, I decided to take advantage of the current lovely weather in southern England, and have a day out combining a trip to the coast, lots of history, and some hill-climbing. The chosen destination was Dover Castle. It's a historical palimpsest - perhaps more so than any other single historical site I can think of. It started as an Iron Age fort; the Romans added a lighthouse (still standing) and the Anglo-Saxons a church (reconstructed by the Victorians). The Normans added some typical fortifications, and Henry II and successors built a great square keep and surrounding walls. After that were further periods of construction and reconstruction, corresponding to the defensive needs of successive eras of warfare, right up to the Second World War.
I last visited in 1990, when parts of the site were still (!) in military use; I think the final military withdrawal was only in 2014. I can highly recommend it: the views all around are impressive, and the history is fascinating.
Oh, and the hill climbing: Dover town centre is almost at sea level; the castle is on a hill-top at well over 100m above sea level, and the tour of the keep involves a climb up to the roof, which must be another 20m further. Lots of unaccustomed exercise for this fenland dweller!
Dover castle is definitely a place I'd like to visit, is the reconstruction and decoration still ongoing or was that just for a temporary display?
I've been in Zambia for the last couple of weeks, was very good. Saw some stuff, did some things, ate some foods. 10/10 would go again.
Unfortunately there were no direct flights from here and the traveling has left me pretty knackered, and my mum caught covid shortly after I left and then possibly fractured her ankle just before I returned, so there isn't much rest for me right now. Back to school tomorrow too.
Quote from: Pentagathus on April 19, 2022, 08:56:41 AM
Dover castle is definitely a place I'd like to visit, is the reconstruction and decoration still ongoing or was that just for a temporary display?
The reconstruction I was thinking of was all historical - changing it from a medieval castle to a Napoleonic-era artillery fortress, and then digging out an extensive network of tunnels in the First and Second World Wars. There's one medieval tower that's currently closed for maintenance works, but otherwise I think everything that English Heritage (the owners) intend to have open is open.
Also I was wrong on the dates: the final military withdrawal from the castle was in the early 1980s. 2014 was when the church within the castle ceased to be the "garrison church" for the local military forces. My previous visit was in 1990, and I'm fairly sure some parts of the site were still inaccessible then.
Quote from: Pentagathus on April 19, 2022, 08:56:41 AM
I've been in Zambia for the last couple of weeks, was very good. Saw some stuff, did some things, ate some foods. 10/10 would go again.
Unfortunately there were no direct flights from here and the traveling has left me pretty knackered, and my mum caught covid shortly after I left and then possibly fractured her ankle just before I returned, so there isn't much rest for me right now. Back to school tomorrow too.
Zambia sounds interesting - what did you do?
Sorry to hear about your mother - I hope she gets better quickly.
I was visiting someone there so spent a lot of time with her in Lusaka, just seeing some of her haunts and did some coupley things. We also took a trip to Livingstone and did some more touristy stuff, got sprayed by the sprays of Victoria falls, took a short cruise on the Zambezi, went for a game drive etc. Got bitten by mosquitos. All good stuff.
Ooh, I didn't realise you'd got a human to do coupley things with now - congrats, and I'm glad you had an interesting time! I've never been to sub-Saharan Africa (furthest south I've been is Tunis, which is about as not-south as Africa gets). And ditto what Glaurung said, hope your Ma is better soon.
I've not been to Dover Castle either for that matter: I am however doing some travelling next week which I'm trying not to be terrified about (mix of travel + social anxieties wrapped up into one).
Meanwhile today I finished a first draft of my PhD thesis. There's still a LONG way to go with it, but it's a milestone of sorts I guess. I've been feeling really rough lately: hoping next week's travel gives me a bit of a break and gets me feeling marginally more human.
Congrats on the first draft! Imagine that will help you relax a bit.
Hello from Venice! I really should haul myself out of bed to go explore the city, though on the other hand I'm also monstrously tired at the moment.
Hello from Cambridge! Rather less exotic, alas.
Yes, I would suggest getting out of bed: an espresso and a walk around in the open air might help with waking up, and you can always head back to your accommodation for a nap/siesta after lunch
Play some funky music. Or whatever it is that gets you going. Sometimes just getting up and moving is enough to wake up.
Could also try something like https://youtu.be/pL02HRFk2vo
Having said that, I then ended up on my feet and exploring the city for most of the next eleven hours. This was partly because a lot of Venice has awful access to public seating (and poor accessibility generally) - I mean, I can see how fixing a lot of the accessibility issues would cost money, but having a few more benches and planters in some of the public squares would be really helpful, hurt nobody, and improve the look of things.
Anyhow, have seen some stuff, will report in full when I get to writing the travelogue :)
On public seating: I think the answer (at least in Venice) may be churches. There are many churches; I think a lot of them are open to the public, and they almost always have pews or seating of some sort. I expect they're OK with people sitting down for a while even if they're not actively praying.
Also: I'm very much looking forward to the travelogue.
Yes, though more and more churches are acting as art galleries and museums and have entrance fees, so I suspect that calculus may have shifted over the last decade or so.
Unfortunately the travelogue may be shorter than hoped as I've come down ill, either with exhaustion or mild food poisoning, so I got very little done today and tomorrow doesn't look great either. Either way, my guts are in a pretty unhappy place and I'm feeling rather sorry for myself. I fear I may not be very good at this holidaying lark.
Sorry to hear about the illness - very frustrating, I'm sure.
If it's any consolation, I've had this too, on occasion - tiredness, heat, and a change of diet seem to be risk factors. Also local tap water, even in countries where I would otherwise think it perfectly safe to drink, so I'd suggest sticking to bottled water if you can.
I think the mostly likely immediate culprit was actually a seafood risotto purchased on Torcello - but yes, I don't have the most robust digestion at the best of times due to my various chronic issues and I'm sure the sudden major change of life pace can make one much more susceptible to upsets.
I am feeling a bit healthier today, got out for a walk on the little island of Certosa, and finally saw a friend of mine who I'd hoped to spend a good amount of the week with but who's unfortunately been down with post-Covid migraines and suchlike until this point. Trying to work out if I have the energy for another city walk before dinner.
At the start of this (academic) year, at the obscenely advanced ago of 27 I began studying Physiotherapy full time at my local university. It was pretty intense, and often rather stressful, but I had my last day of teaching today and was really looking forward to starting my first clinical placement next week.
Unfortunately it seems I failed a practical exam resit, which means I've failed the year and have to leave the course. It really rather sucks, I had been planning on starting this course for so long before I actually did, largely delaying because of my dad's illness. I really don't know what I'm going to do with myself next right now.
Also the extra annoying thing is that I knew the correct techniques in the exam and proscribed an appropriate exercise to treat the problem my model was supposed to have, but I failed because I couldn't explain how stretching induces a change in muscle length at a very detailed physiological level. Oh, and because I didn't pick up a portugaling water bottle that was left under the edge of the plinth. And then somehow I failed even harder in the resit because I'm a cock.
Ahhhhhh.
Euurgh.
Eeee.
:(
Oh, no, I'm really sorry to hear that, that's very rough :( And seems overly harsh as a system, honestly. I've no good advice on hand, but very much here if it'd help to chat at all.
In "exciting news and the return of recurring villains" at my end, my landlord has resurfaced - or rather one of his minions has, asking me to pay them a thousand euros for energy bills and telling me to add 140 euros a month for energy costs to my rent.
My contract is bills-inclusive and always has been and they know that: I mean, I knew they were terrible landlords, but at least with the furore last year they were asking for money that nominally I sort of did owe them. This is a whole new low. I mean, it's an easy one to resolve, I guess I just write back pointing out that my contract is bills-inclusive and the cost is therefore their responsibility. But it's still jaw-dropping, frankly.
I may be able to resit the rest and then maybe go on my placement and move into year 2 or maybe go on a placement and then take a year out and then move onto year 2, if I can provide valid extenuating circumstances but idk that I've got any good ones.
We'll have to see.
Your landlord really does suck.
Quote from: Pentagathus on June 13, 2022, 06:25:12 PM
I may be able to resit the rest and then maybe go on my placement and move into year 2 or maybe go on a placement and then take a year out and then move onto year 2, if I can provide valid extenuating circumstances but idk that I've got any good ones.
We'll have to see.
Your landlord really does suck.
Try some vague words about COVID and the current world situation? Most programs need students more than the students need them.
I agree with dubs that family and study/life disruption due to the pandemic still seems an absolutely fair call in attempting to provide extentuating circumstances. May depend how bureaucratically anally retentive the system is, but I've certainly signed off students dropping out of courses in the last year or so for "pandemic reasons" pretty much without thinking about it.
And yes, Keynes' thoughts on rentierism have definitely been springing to mind lately.
I was looking after my mum for a while after easter because she caught the covid in april and then broke her ankle as she was recovering, I could try to claim she had longer term health issues but I'd be bullarmadilloting a little.
I could also try using my own mental health issues as an excuse but I have to provide proof and I'm not seeing my GP until two days after the deadline for submitting the ECs. I'll email someone about that and see if they can allow me to submit it a little later.
I'd include both - even if it's "only" for a few weeks, looking after a family member is a valid circumstance causing a gap in your studies. And MH stuff is very valid too, if you can get the time leeway to discuss it with a doctor.
Quote from: Jubal on June 14, 2022, 10:49:39 AM
And yes, Keynes' thoughts on rentierism have definitely been springing to mind lately.
There are also the old Georgists who noticed that if you let them, landowners will absorb all growth in the economy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgism
Yes - the Lib Dems have always had a Georgist streak, so it's a philosophy I'm moderately familiar with.
The newsletter may be a few days delayed - am in the UK in advance of a big medieval conference, so I'm stressing about conference prep and also covid and it's all quite a lot right now.
Hope everyone is doing well!
O deer. Do you have the covid or just stressing about the possibility of having the covid?
I am just stressing about the possibility - tested negative again this morning so I'm OK so far. It's just that it's spreading super super fast, and I don't want to have to rework all my travel plans and other such stressful things which would obviously have to happen if I did get it, so it's sort of the secondary anxieties of "don't want to let people down" and "don't want to deal with travel stress" as much as the more direct "don't want to get ill" (though that's still a thing too!). It's made more complex when I'm in the UK because I don't really have an obvious base to isolate in here any more, I couldn't stay with parents while having Covid given the risk to my Pa.
Sorry to hear that James, had a similar situation here.
Eye sea eye sea, it definitely does add to travel stress. Hope it all goes smoothly. How are your folks doing?
Parents are okay, thanks :) I stayed with them for a bit before the conference and we went to listen to nightjars (which are cool and very weird) and had a day at the seaside with some nice birbs and suchlike. My sister just had Covid recently which was pretty rough, but she seems to be better now.
I'm now back in Vienna after a reasonably successful conference - I did a talk, a storytelling performance of the medieval Georgian epic The Knight In Panther Skin, helped run the Medieval Caucasus Network reception, and ran the conference storytelling circle. Also saw some people for the first time in ages/met some people I've only known online (incl. Eadgifu the Fair, of this parish, and a couple of the folks who come to Coding Medieval Worlds events).
Unfortunately some of those people now have Covid so I'm curled up at home nervously waiting to see if I'm going to get symptoms developing...
Well, I didn't get Covid after that conference. A lot of the intervening time has been quite high stress though, I'm currently in the joys of the Austrian unemployment system and firmly concluding that I should just have taken the financial hit of not having the unemployment money pittance paid to me, given that the amount of time they're mandating me to spend jumping through hoops vs what they're paying me is an absurd ratio and the stress is really messing me up.
There are some hopeful signals re me finding a job, but I probably can't post more on that until it's been properly signed off, not wanting to count chickens etc...
Fingers crossed.
On the topic of chicken counting, my mother has finally admitted that having an adult non-neutered cockerel with her handful of hens may be a bad idea now we have 22 new chicks (plus 2 dead ones and 5 young chickens from an earlier hatching).
That is a delightfully Norfolk problem to have :)
How're folks doing generally?
Folks are generally ok. Dog is very curious about the one chick we have had to bring inside a couple of times to warm up and look after in the mornings.
Awh. :)
I think I'm going to email in sick for tomorrow's AMS-course session. My throat's swollen from the constant muscle tension so a three hour speaking class feels like it might be even more hell than usual.
I went to comicon today. An error, in retrospect, I'm shattered and it was too noisy and I got little from the experience, though it was nice to see the people I went with.
Things otherwise are smoothing out: new job starting in two weeks, plans for finishing PhD are going okay, and so on. I'm still pretty wiped out (ended up off ill for a fortnight after making the above post) but I'm glad of the increased stability.
And a happy Christmas to those who celebrate! :)
Hello! How's everyone doing? :D
Things have been hectic here for the past year.
Quote from: Silver Wolf on January 23, 2023, 12:27:29 PM
Hello! How's everyone doing? :D
Things have been hectic here for the past year.
Nice to see you! Things are hectic here too - trying to plough on and finally get this PhD finished, working on the edits atm. And having a lot of bureaucracy dropped on me.
What's been the hecticness at your end? :)
Quote from: Jubal on January 23, 2023, 11:12:17 PM
Nice to see you! Things are hectic here too - trying to plough on and finally get this PhD finished, working on the edits atm. And having a lot of bureaucracy dropped on me.
What's been the hecticness at your end? :)
Well, the same basically. I've been trying to finish my thesis and Erasmus exchange, all while looking for a new job and finally taking my driving exam, renovating my grandmother's flat and so on. Very, very hectic.
I did a pub quiz today which included Jordan Peterson as an answer in a round about science educators and I am possibly irrational levels of annoyed by this.
What happened to the little chat bar at the top of the forum home page?
It was removed as per this vote https://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6491.msg147972#new
Booo
Down with this sort of thing!
Quote from: Silver Wolf on January 27, 2023, 05:49:13 PM
Quote from: Jubal on January 23, 2023, 11:12:17 PM
Nice to see you! Things are hectic here too - trying to plough on and finally get this PhD finished, working on the edits atm. And having a lot of bureaucracy dropped on me.
What's been the hecticness at your end? :)
Well, the same basically. I've been trying to finish my thesis and Erasmus exchange, all while looking for a new job and finally taking my driving exam, renovating my grandmother's flat and so on. Very, very hectic.
I think a lot of people feel pressed right now because some systems are starting to work again, but there is a backlog from the first three years of the COVID pandemic, and other systems are still not functional or barely functional (eg. healthcare). So some things are rush rush while other things which they depend on are slow or nonfunctional.
Quote from: Pentagathus on February 22, 2023, 07:04:31 PM
Booo
Down with this sort of thing!
Yeah, the logic being that nobody was using it very much and it made the forum look more rather than less deserted most of the time. If we get back to having a good amount more activity and people are using things like this general chat thread so much that we need to reinstate it to help keep the flow, then of course we'll look into it. We're... a little way off that, right now.
Quote from: dubsartur on February 22, 2023, 10:11:06 PM
I think a lot of people feel pressed right now because some systems are starting to work again, but there is a backlog from the first three years of the COVID pandemic, and other systems are still not functional or barely functional (eg. healthcare). So some things are rush rush while other things which they depend on are slow or nonfunctional.
Yes, I think that's fair to say. Healthcare in Austria is fairly functional, but trying to support people in worse situations can be exhausting in and of itself. And I think there's a burnout backlog too where people have pushed themselves through the last few years, some better than others, but in many cases that's taken a toll that they haven't had any additional space to recoup.
This week I'm mostly gearing up for Coding Medieval Worlds at the weekend... life in general feels like it's ticking along, but in a slightly odd limbo, where things both must change soon and yet the change keeps not quite feeling any closer. It's an odd feeling. I have only about a year and ten days left of my twenties, most of the second half of which has been swallowed up between a PhD and a pandemic, and it's hard to know how to feel about life sometimes.
What about food and drink? Or housing prices? Food prices and rent are rising rapidly in Canada and squeezing the people who work for a living or have fixed incomes.
Heating and electricity prices are supposed to be crazy in the UK. But its confusing because old and corporate social media tend towards catastrophizing or channeling Dr. Pangloss.
I was 33 when I became Dr. Dubsartur and that seemed pretty early (long undergrad degree + first career + 8 years in graduate school, 7 of those years paid). Its been five or ten years at least since I saw a path to getting any of the basics in life like a job that pays a living wage, my own place to live larger than a studio apartment, and a life partner.
Its hard to imagine how I could relax until I have some idea how I will earn a living or find people to do things with face to face.
Quote from: Jubal on February 22, 2023, 11:24:57 PM
Quote from: Pentagathus on February 22, 2023, 07:04:31 PM
Booo
Down with this sort of thing!
Yeah, the logic being that nobody was using it very much and it made the forum look more rather than less deserted most of the time. If we get back to having a good amount more activity and people are using things like this general chat thread so much that we need to reinstate it to help keep the flow, then of course we'll look into it. We're... a little way off that, right now.
Well this is a prime example of the deep flaws inherent with democracy. I propose that you choose me as Exilian's first benevolent tyrant so I can save you silly geese from making such awful decisions in the future. Bask in my golden aura dear subjects.
Quote from: dubsartur on February 23, 2023, 12:31:42 AM
Heating and electricity prices are supposed to be crazy in the UK. But its confusing because old and corporate social media tend towards catastrophizing or channeling Dr. Pangloss.
Kind of, government (eventually) imposed a price cap on energy but it only applies to households, so businesses are generally paying obscene rates now. Petrol and diesel prices finally came down recently, still a lot higher than pre-pandemic but significantly less than they were at their height.
Inflation is generally higher than wage increases have been, though I'd say worker shortages have made it easier to find entry level and lower skilled work, and anecdotally I've seen significantly higher wages for the kind of casual manual labour work I tend to pick up.
Quote from: Pentagathus on February 23, 2023, 04:47:37 PM
Quote from: Jubal on February 22, 2023, 11:24:57 PM
Yeah, the logic being that nobody was using it very much and it made the forum look more rather than less deserted most of the time. If we get back to having a good amount more activity and people are using things like this general chat thread so much that we need to reinstate it to help keep the flow, then of course we'll look into it. We're... a little way off that, right now.
Well this is a prime example of the deep flaws inherent with democracy. I propose that you choose me as Exilian's first benevolent tyrant so I can save you silly geese from making such awful decisions in the future. Bask in my golden aura dear subjects.
I'm pretty sure last time you tried this one, you ran for an Exilian election explicitly to be a steel booted tyrant. Are you going soft in your old age? :)
On the other stuff: aye, AFAICT the UK's labour shortage is semi-cushioning some people from the living costs problem - the people being hit worst are people with very static incomes aka benefits or reliant solely on state pensions. In Austria we've had a clear rise in the cost of living but I don't get the sense it's causing huge scales of new hardship, the government has invested quite a bit in trying to cushion people. I think for me the pressures are more related to my particular job and status than society-wide: the precarity of job and immigration status is hard, and like Dubsartur I'm kind of not seeing much path to a balanced social life or sense of stability, though I may be in a somewhat more favourable position work-wise. The pandemic is still a bother for me, too: given how hard Covid hit me last October I am now having a phase of not really wanting to go out and see people so much, given how high case rates are in Austria.
At the moment I think I'm reaylly just trying to haul myself to the end of the PhD and then see where things are, but I worry I'm not planning forwards enough.
Steel booted, golden handed.
Quote from: Pentagathus on February 23, 2023, 07:18:16 PM
Steel booted, golden handed.
Should be your signature quote, really :)
Quote from: Jubal on February 23, 2023, 05:38:52 PM
On the other stuff: aye, AFAICT the UK's labour shortage is semi-cushioning some people from the living costs problem - the people being hit worst are people with very static incomes aka benefits or reliant solely on state pensions. In Austria we've had a clear rise in the cost of living but I don't get the sense it's causing huge scales of new hardship, the government has invested quite a bit in trying to cushion people. I think for me the pressures are more related to my particular job and status than society-wide: the precarity of job and immigration status is hard, and like Dubsartur I'm kind of not seeing much path to a balanced social life or sense of stability, though I may be in a somewhat more favourable position work-wise. The pandemic is still a bother for me, too: given how hard Covid hit me last October I am now having a phase of not really wanting to go out and see people so much, given how high case rates are in Austria.
At the moment I think I'm reaylly just trying to haul myself to the end of the PhD and then see where things are, but I worry I'm not planning forwards enough.
Yeah my understanding is that each COVID infection damages your immune system, so subsequent infections have higher risk. Its hard and confusing to plan group events now that so many people have stopped taking basic precautions like wearing a N95 or better mask in crowded indoor areas and running powerful air filters. Viruses can evolve to resist medicine or vaccines but they can't evolve to survive intense UV radiation (or whatever).
Well, this has been a pretty exhausted sort of week as post-CMW weeks seem to be. But it's nice to be getting back to some game dev, and if my intercostal muscles would stop being inflamed I think I'd be feeling comparatively positive about life. Hoping to see some people at the weekend for my birthday, which will be a risk on the Covid side but it's at home and I've asked people to test in advance of coming.
15 years?! I can't believe Exilian has been around for half my life.
I've been running it for over half of mine! Yes, it feels pretty strange to consider. Especially as it was originally meant to last like two weeks "until Mixed Mods came back". :)
I got a not-lego dinosaur from my friend Katherine and her tiny human Bee (the latter of who I wrote Little Moorhen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on8M4xqK1Rc) for when she was born) when they visited recently and I'm sharing it here because dinosaurs are cool.
(https://i.imgur.com/JeVEGG7.jpg) | (https://i.imgur.com/I6rF7UI.jpg) |
Quote from: Son of the King on March 18, 2023, 02:41:40 PM
15 years?! I can't believe Exilian has been around for half my life.
Still remember the day I found it while looking for M&B mods. :D
Quote from: Silver Wolf on May 17, 2023, 06:13:29 PM
Still remember the day I found it while looking for M&B mods. :D
I remember the day I found an empty patch of internet :P
Is there a what are you watching thread? Because I've been watching season 2 of Wheel of Time and it is much, much better than season 1. Season 1 was good enough to get me to read the books, but season 2 is actually a very enjoyable adaptation which imo even improves on the story at times.
There is not as far as I remember, please do create one!
Merry Christmas folks! ;D
Happy Christmas to all who celebrate! :)
Happy birthday Jubal! :D
🎉🎉🎉
Thank you both! :)
I spent the day running away into the woods to become a cryptid mostly.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Syringa_vulgaris_-_Kragujevac.jpg)
The Glorious Twenty-Fifth Of May cometh round again, for those who remember. :)
Happy Cyril & Methodius Day!