Angel: Will you just shut up for once?! Illyria: What? Angel: My God, the speechifying. Has it ever occurred to you that now might not be the best time for when-we-were-muck stories?

'Time Bomb'


Natter 77: I miss my friends. I miss my enemies. I miss the people I talked to every day.  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, butt kicking, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


Sheryl - Mar 07, 2023 2:38:53 pm PST #21050 of 30000
Fandom means never having to say "But where would I wear that?"

Timelies all!

I've never made bread. Had some at a con where the con suite had a bread maker. I have recipes for banana bread and pumpkin bread, but haven't made either in a very long time.


Toddson - Mar 08, 2023 5:11:28 am PST #21051 of 30000
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"

There's nothing quite like freshly baked bread. And your house smells wonderful. Against the standard advice, I tend to hack off one end of a loaf and eat it still warm. With butter. Yum. And I've found bread dough is pretty forgiving; the worst you end up with is non-optimum bread. Unless, like someone I know, you put it to rise in a plastic container and put it into a warm oven to rise; then you end up with plastic and dough becoming one ... and possibly merging with the oven as well.


Jessica - Mar 08, 2023 6:02:24 am PST #21052 of 30000
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?

He needs to stay close to the surgery center until Wednesday for follow-up, so he rented an AirBnB. It’s at a farm, so he’s recuperating with goats and ponies wandering around outside his AirBnB.

That sounds fantastic!

-t, isn't a 2% raise basically a pay cut with inflation the way it is these days??


Toddson - Mar 08, 2023 6:54:44 am PST #21053 of 30000
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"

It might turn into a pay cut if it bumps you into a higher tax bracket and your take-home is reduced. Happened to me once.


-t - Mar 08, 2023 7:36:47 am PST #21054 of 30000
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration

Pretty much, Jess. Several years ago they did salary adjustments to bring our pay level with everyone in the region - they don’t call it cost of living, I forget the term they used - and it was much more significant than any merit increase they’d ever offered. So I’m impatiently waiting for that to come around again.

And I hadn’t thought of that, Todd. Something to watch for next paycheck! When I talked to my boss he emphasized all the other perqs that are part of our compensation package and urged me to be sure I’m taking advantage of whatever I can which I find kind of funny.

At least I know my company is not making record breaking profits meanwhile. That would be enraging.


Matt the Bruins fan - Mar 08, 2023 7:59:30 am PST #21055 of 30000
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand

It might turn into a pay cut if it bumps you into a higher tax bracket and your take-home is reduced. Happened to me once.

Doesn't only the portion that's in the higher tax bracket get taxed at the higher rate? I thought that's how it worked.


brenda m - Mar 08, 2023 8:44:04 am PST #21056 of 30000
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there

Yes. So you might feel the increase less than you think. But in actual dollars you’re still ahead.

Speaking of actual dollars, dog~ma for Mozzie who is out at the fancy vet in the suburbs (in Bannockburn, hi Maria!) getting CT scans. It’s possible they will rule out bad things, but his vet is worried. A vet saying “I’m really worried about him” is a pretty terrible feeling, I don’t mind saying.


-t - Mar 08, 2023 8:50:11 am PST #21057 of 30000
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration

Oh no, brenda! Dog~ma for Mozzie!


Jesse - Mar 08, 2023 10:32:55 am PST #21058 of 30000
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

Best thoughts for you and Mozzie, Brenda!!


DavidS - Mar 08, 2023 10:56:14 am PST #21059 of 30000
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

Be well, Mozzie!