@Walterbird sadly I have to agree with you. Alas even the goat has to blame himself. Bad hammi!

@phendrick Gone but not forgotten.

@phendrick yes as the goat, I accept blame for the PASSAGE OF TIME. Only because I am not Dr Strange with the time stone. Yes, that is my defense.

@werehatrack
/giphy goat blame

haha love those dreadlocks

@hammi99 @werehatrack yeah mon!!

@hammi99 @werehatrack

Miss Nicks! [1][2]

@werehatrack Beautiful plumage… But does he enjoy kippin’ on his back?

@hammi99 Avocado Goat ProTip: At the end of your sentence, let the mods know you want your VMP badge back instead of the dead goat.

@hammi99
I blame you for your avarice.
I’ll get you that coin “sometime”.
Maybe.

@f00l blame accepted. Anyone who says money cannot buy happiness . . . simply never had enough money HAHAHAHAHA
/giphy Scrooge mcduck

@hammi99 See now you may have given meh an idea of what you make next to put in irks or otherwise irk off people who didn’t get one. @snapster

@f00l @hammi99

Anyone who says money cannot buy happiness . . . simply never had enough money

Or they had way too much, and had no clue. Some people find happiness in different places than others. Much depends upon personal circumstances and local environment; if you chanced to live in a place where lack of money did not cause stress, then having it might well be irrelevant. Good luck finding one of those.

For most, though, the cessation of worry that comes with having just the right amount of money is a big facilitator in letting happiness happen.

@Kidsandliz @snapster if so, goal accomplished!

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @snapster

Happiness … Or … $?

$ … Or … Happiness?

Hmmm.

/giphy money

@f00l @Kidsandliz I don’t understand why they are mutually exclusive. I happen to have both so it’s quite satisfying

@f00l @hammi99 OBTW, repeating a vid…

@Kidsandliz
That sucks big time.

@Kidsandliz Do you live in a third world country or a red state?

@Felton10 @Kidsandliz Yes.

@Felton10 A third world country surrounded by a red state.

@Kidsandliz That is even worse.

@Kidsandliz sorry about that. As the goat, I take the blame. However, you should do what I do - I have a water distiller (which ironically broke this morning so ordered another one on Amazon), and lifestraw filter pitcher. One or other, don’t need both. I use distilled water for my nespresso machine to reduce gunk.

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz I suspect that a distiller connected to the jackson water system would ingest the stream of water from the pipe, try really hard to deal with it, go into Red Alert status and start a countdown to a warp core breach.

@hammi99 @werehatrack HAHAHA The fatal flaw in your reasoning is that any safety system is even working. One night, not so long ago, no one showed up for work at the Curtis Water Plant, no one realized that and they had a fire no one knew about.

@hammi99 Does that kill bacteria? The problem right now is turbid water with bacteria in it that bleach won’t kill.

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz Distillation doesn’t just kill, it excludes everything that isn’t dihydrogen monoxide. All that coes out the other side is water; no impurities, no nasties.

@Kidsandliz @werehatrack gonna try to consolidate responses in one response:

• if the water plant is down… ahh well, I have my bottle water supply and emergency bug-out water supply (current, the stash lasts 6 days for 2 people); good news is, where I am (NYC), I have a couple rivers of disgusting water that I can sanitize (see below)

• yes, distilling water kills bacteria, viruses, etc, because it is only the steam that condenses back into water form: this is the ONLY true prevention or safety against a chemical or biological attack to water supply; P.S. @Kidsandliz saying dihydrogen monoxide is a fancy way of say H2O lol

• also, I have aqua purification tablets, UV wand (kills 99.999999% of bacteria and viruses, I think I may be missing a few 9’s in there) and LifeStraw; in a zombie apocalypse, I fully intend to use all three. No sense in surviving zombies but dying from water poisoning eh. And in such a case where the bug-out bag is really required, obviously no electric distiller, although you can do the old fashioned survivalist method

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @werehatrack

Does reverse osmosis do the trick? Or distilled is better?

@f00l @Kidsandliz @werehatrack I do not believe reverse osmosis is the same. It does remove some bacteria but not all and not viruses or other water contamination. It’s mostly mean for hard/soft water and particles. Look up reverse osmosis on Wikipedia for explanation. Because if it’s on the internet it must be true.

@werehatrack In Jackson, everything is for sale, and not one damn thing is worth buying.

@werehatrack And this was supposed to be a reply to the thread above. My phone’s app interface actively encourages this error.

@werehatrack HAHAHA you shouldn’t even be driving on 20 between 55 and 220. That is a danger to life and limb and the pot holes and crappy patches just make a bad situation worse - not to mention changing lanes without using turnsignals, whipping around other vehicles and crossing multiple lanes in 2 second flat, left and right exits close together and 55 is channeled through there too so lots of traffic and not enough lanes… The rest of mississippi sucks for other reasons…

@werehatrack I would bet it’s still safer than water in Mexico, or to quote @Kidsandliz, dihydrogen monoxide LOL

@hammi99 It is @werehatrack who used the term dihydrogen monoxide. BLAME for forgetting who said what. You might need to get some new batteries from your fridge to recharge your brain.

@Kidsandliz @werehatrack ugh. I have to blame the goat for mixing up the source. Oh look, I just earned myself an IRKcoin!

@werehatrack Firstly, congrats on a successful purchase. Secondly, as the official GOAT this month, I DO NOT accept nor recognize UNBLAMING. Because that would imply I have to cough up one IRKcoin each time. UNLESS, I change the rule such that for each blame and unblame, I am to receive an IRKcoin. Yes, done.

@hammi99 @werehatrack Wait wait wait - there is actually an irk coin.
https://www.abc.bi/thread-13589-1-1.html

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @werehatrack
Wow, good find. Only it’s Russian, so if it ever has any value, it probably doesn’t now!

IrkutskCoin(IRK)

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @Kyeh Fortunately for my semi-plausible deniability, I named it IRKoin, all one word, no “c”, and everyone has misquoted me. And nobody paid any attention at all to the fact that it would be entirely virtual, and 100% guaranteed worthless.

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @werehatrack
I haven’t misquoted you, just remarked on the Russian version that came along a while ago, apparently.
Me, I’m still planning to pay in quatloos.

@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @werehatrack it was I who decided I liked IRKcoin better than IRKoin. However, I want the real thing similar to https://a.co/d/6LHT6ae

Thus, I feel justified in changing it to IRKcoin since I want physical coin not virtual worthless imaginary stuff

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @werehatrack
But you don’t need it!

I happen to have both* so it’s quite satisfying

*money and happiness

@hammi99 @Kyeh @werehatrack

Only it’s Russian, so if it ever has any value, it probably doesn’t now!

Hahaha - neither would an IRKcoin or IRKoin except in irkdom mehdom

@hammi99 @Kyeh @werehatrack Well that physical coin is only worth $3.77 so you are all set since you have plenty of happiness money you can stock up to give out to those of us who blame you. See in this rite of passage you are paying your way accepting blame and so need to pay us to be sure you get enough of it.

@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @werehatrack except that is a Bitcoin and not an IRKcoin . . . make me an IRKcoin for $3.77 and done.

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @Kyeh

make me an IRKcoin for $3.77 and done.

Mumbo-jumbo-Falk-Columbo, you’re an IRKcoin.

We’re welcome.

Where’s our $3.77?

@werehatrack Hmm, I’ve never felt the need to vacuum my sticks. Have I been remiss?

@macromeh Sticks and stones both need regular maintenance.

@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @werehatrack

Mumbo-jumbo-Falk-Columbo

Didn’t work - I don’t see IRK’s face nor his ass engraved on the coin, only this big fat B for bullshit …

@werehatrack Good point - I would not want to be left defenseless should words not suffice!

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @werehatrack
What a greedy goat!

@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @werehatrack
nope, not greedy. Just trying to keep pace with transitory inflation. A goat’s gotta eat!

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @werehatrack Or put fancy skincare products on its hide!

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @Kyeh Or it gets the hose?

@Felton10 So, Mrs @Felton10 is a hamster?

@Felton10 And, yes. Blame has no correlation to unblame.

@Felton10 Chickens fart, so I don’t see why parrots could/would not also. Especially one with such a rich and exotic diet.

@Felton10 @mike808 Yes, the event itself can be both a blame and unblame but as noted, because blame has no correlation to unblame, that doesn’t cancel out - I still am owed two IRKcoins for that same event.

@hammi99 @mike808 Well then cancel the blame-besides it was my wife’s blame anyway and as I understand it payment has to come directly from the person who initiated the blame-not second hand.

@Felton10 @mike808 I will easily accept payment via IRKcoin HAHAHAHAHA

@hammi99 @mike808 Too late-already asked her if the blame was worth paying for and she said no-she will just have to live with a farting bird.

@Felton10 @mike808 ahh well, win some, lose some

@Felton10 @macromeh Can corn make you fart? I had some tonight.

@Felton10 @macromeh @Walterbird

@hammi99: @Walterbird blames you for the possibility of farting birds.

@Walterbird will make payment in BirdFartCoin.

@f00l @Felton10 @macromeh @Walterbird as long as the BirdFartCoin is exchangeable for at least one IRKcoin!

@Felton10 @macromeh Hmm I wonder if Felton10 @Walterbird is in 5th grade. I used to run an overnight, week long, 5th grade, science school camp. That age group is obsessed with the bodily functions/noises of themselves and animals… They asked, you know, logical questions, like: Farting ducks - are they then jet propelled briefly? What if a skunk farts when they spray? If a flock of birds all fart at the same time can they make a cloud or knock an airplane out of the sky (the last asked by a worried kid whose family went on planes a lot)?

I used teaching them how to make farting noises with their armpit and hands as behavior bribery and how to use their hands (blowing into them) as a musical instrument to play songs. I am sure their parents hated me when they came home knowing how to make “interesting” noises. They also got to carry around big rocks if they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. .

@Kidsandliz @macromeh You hit the nail on the head-my wife has said for years I have never grown up. Why would my son give me a chia poop for father’s day. I agree with George Carlin who said farts are funny. They are shit without the mess.

@Kidsandliz Can you snag some noise-cancelling earbuds at a cheap deal-a-day website?

@Kidsandliz
Here, have a synonym roll.

Just like grammar used to make.

@Kidsandliz before I accept any blame, I have to first figure out where you live. What city/state?

Ok assuming we’re back to the Jackson, Mississippi from on top:

NOT TO make this political, but if this is true:

The Political Climate in Jackson, MS is Strongly liberal.

Hinds County, MS is Very liberal. In Hinds County, MS 73.4% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 25.1% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.5% voted Independent.

In the last Presidential election, Hinds county remained overwhelmingly Democratic, 73.4% to 25.1%.
Hinds county voted Democratic in every Presidential election since 2000

THEN, I do not accept blame given your choice of domicile. LOL

@hammi99 And in the surrounding counties (Madison and Rankin) that you wouldn’t know you were in any one of any of the three of them without signs. This is because all the cities run together as if they were all one geographically speaking. Not to mention the other two counties (and most of the rest of the state) are strongly republican and very conservative.

WTF does how this county voted have to do with anything? It is run by the corrupt (as is the state) who don’t do their job and aren’t held accountable - republican or democrat.

@Kidsandliz it doesn’t. I’m just trying to stir up some controversy so I’ll be blamed HAHAHAHAHA

@Kidsandliz Just your complex, or the whole neighborhood?

@Kidsandliz @Kyeh It’s the entire city, from what I can see from here.

https://www.wlbt.com/video/2022/07/06/no-committed-time-frame-when-jacksons-city-wide-boil-water-notice-will-end-2/

@Kyeh @werehatrack Yup city wide. And almost all the give aways of water are in the south part of town (this town generally refuses to hand out water in the “whiter” parts of town never mind poverty is everywhere in this city) so actually when you figure in the cost of gas it is cheaper to buy it yourself. And while the news is saying the end of the week, this is a slippery deadline that keeps being pushed back over and over. I doubt the London bookies are accepting bets.

@Kidsandliz @werehatrack
Ugh. Too bad it didn’t happen during one of your trips to Texas.

@Kidsandliz @Kyeh Those road trip have been short from what I’ve noticed. This current boil situation has been going on for more than a week, if memory serves, and it’s not the first time - or the longest running
.

@Kyeh Be along trip to TX. I’d enjoy that except the sleeping in my car in the heat part. I’d actually get to see tourist things, go to the beach…

Right now they are saying “maybe” Friday. Yeah right… it’s been a slippery slope of “maybe a few days” from now for ages. We hit the ‘few days’ and move on to the next ‘few days’. I only have a case and a half of water left. Will have to buy some more. Sigh. And the cats get cat litter in their water - never mind it is no where near the litter box. One cat must think it is a raccoon or something. That wastes a lot. They are not fans of the boiled water and when the water dish with the litter gets boiled water they drink out of the other one that doesn’t that has bottled water. Picky little things. LOL

@Kyeh Typo be a long trip not along trip

@Kidsandliz UGH, what a multitude of aggravations. Here’s a little diversion to amuse/distract you:
(it’s an example though of what I find most annoying about Instagram and TikTok - they always cut off the narrative or music in an irritating way)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ce9IWHoJ2es/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

@Kidsandliz One of our cats likes to dip his paw in the dish and lick the water off; this may be how the litter gets transferred. Putting the water dish on something a couple of feet off the ground will generally cause the litter to fall off when they leap up to get access. (I figured this out when I put a water fountain thing into service on top of an old desk near the kitchen; litter never gets into that, but it shows up in the auxiliary bowl on the floor often.)

@Kidsandliz I’m confused. What’s wrong with boiling water. We have always boiled water in our family. Then, as I mentioned earlier, last 5 or so years, I started to distill water and last year, started to use LifeStraw pitcher instead. Even though the tap water in NYC is amongst the best in the world, I’d rather be on the safe side and take some precautions. It might seem annoying, but I’ve been used to boiling water as a kid so I don’t find it a nuisance.

So, I suppose I’ll have to take the blame for your situation, but then when the boil water advisory is over and folks go back to do nothing with their water and then get sick (flint anyone?), ahh well, I can’t take the blame for people ignoring my preaching plus tips on sanitizing water. Perhaps tomorrow or so if I remember I’ll make a post with pictures on all the stuff for sanitizing water.

P.S. @Kyeh - happy? The goat responded. That means even more IRKcoin into my piggy bank!

@hammi99 No - you don’t get to pick and choose. You have this goat gig all wrong.

@Kyeh well seeing as how there’s no real enforcement plus lack of IRKcoins . . . I guess the goat gets to make the rules!

@hammi99 What is wrong with boiling water to use for everything? Time, storage and it is far easier and faster to just turn on the tap and use it. And no I haven’t gotten sick from the water here as crappy as it is when there is no boil water notice.

@Kidsandliz yah I don’t disagree. I’m just used to it so it’s routine for me . . .

@hammi99 I live in civilization and expect the respective “benefits” that include running water you can drink. Of course there are parts of the country where this is an exception especially in some reallyl rural areas. At the family farm you couldn’t up until the mid 1960’s even though it was well water as we needed to install something to treat it (of course there was an outhouse there too until then as well as there was no septic tank which is why no toilet installed until a septic tank was put in). When I lived in Phnom Penh it was a crap shoot. It would depend on whether or not you lived in an ex-pat area that had their own water treatment plant or not. Same with hotels when you went anywhere. And it was prudent to buy your water and meds from places that imported them. And for meds I mean that doctor’s office specifically would pick up needs from Bangkok (mostly as that was 45 min by air) or Singapore as over half the meds in that country (at that time anyway) were counterfeit.

@Kidsandliz well sadly, I am no longer certain whether we call America a civilization. Correction, we are a civilization, we are just not civil anymore.

For the breakdown of society, I do not accept blame. We have to find out who was goat back then. LOL. However, for a million IRKcoin, I can consider to be the goat for that as well. Notice, I am only considering, not actually accepting blame.

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz
Accepting blame has no relationship with receiving it.
And we’re a generous giving bunch here.

@Kidsandliz @mike808 I blame the goat for semantics

@hammi99 @Kyeh Goats do not get to make the rules. They are at the bottom of the pecking order.

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz @Kyeh “Pecking Order”-Was that a dig at me being the goat last month.

@Walterbird - ahh well, @Kidsandliz is also a scapegoat emeritus so we can discuss if there’s seniority on previous goats LOL

@hammi99 Just wait until there is an upside down goat next to your name and see how you like it?

@Walterbird how is your mom doing? Hope things are looking up!!

@hammi99 @Kyeh @Walterbird No but it is a great unintentional pun.

@Walterbird I would love it haha. And if I don’t, back to VMP icon!

@hammi99 @Kyeh @Walterbird AND STILL NO DRINKABLE WATER!!! Maybe Friday they said for the wells and several days later for the surface water source (that is ours). Last week they said maybe Friday… They are stuck on rinse and repeat. Been 2 weeks and counting.

AND LATE TODAY WE CAN FINALLY DRINK THE WATER!!! Only missed their yet again “Friday” this time around by a day.

@Kidsandliz CONGRATULATIONS!!!

@Kyeh Of course the countdown has started for the next boil order round.

@unksol Awwww. Why September, particularly? And how will you be able to let them go?
Wait - these aren’t a new batch, are they???

@unksol

/youtube wake me up when September Ends

@Kyeh because if you recall. I have 7 cats because I took in the last stray mom and litter. And I can’t have 13… well. No one to stop me that I know of. but. at some point… This is a problem.

And this is an epic level fuck up. I did not take the boys to get their balls chopped when I should have. I thought I had them isolated when the girls were in heat that week and work was a nightmare. Clearly not.

And generally the recommendation is 12 weeks minimum to socialize and wean. So that would be September. So might have to resort to some “free kittens, all shots, spayed/nuetered, must take two” and ask some questions if anyone calls. Cause even at 12 weeks. They really shouldn’t be alone all day.

Not that the humane societies generally have any shortage but. They’ll have to get homed somewhere. Or at least tried.

@Kyeh yes… New batch cause I fucked up. Badly. Which I’m ashamed to admit. But it was just looking depressing in here so I decided to throw kittens at it.

@unksol Oh no! But they certainly are almost unbearably cute! Yikes.

@Kyeh @unksol adorably cuddly

/giphy fluffy

@Kyeh @tinamarie1974 lol they will be available in northern Indiana/southern Michigan/north west Ohio. Or anyone who wants a set that I trust. My boss was in new Hampshire and had come through before. And said if I found more who needed a home. Whoops Fucked up and made some. Once they are old enough. I honestly can’t remember how long the shelter used to wait. Had to be at least 8 plus weeks. But usually people with young kids and kittens… IDK if they made them wait or not. Or what their foster program was.

@Kyeh @unksol is there maybe a shelter nearby that will take them and place them w famlies once they are old enough?

@Kyeh @tinamarie1974 I worked at the one in town for over a year I think granted that was in probably 2016. They always had near 100 cats up for adoption. Between the front adult cages that were stacked. I mean they were cleaned every day and they were healthy and were pet and snuggled and some “snuck” past me to run around a little.

And the “kitten room” had shared cages/we let out. I don’t think the actual nursing room was on that list of pending adoptions. Cause I think there were usually at least a dozen mom’s with litters too young in there.

They are supposed to have had a big upgrade since then but its been a while since I checked… Whole COVID thing etc etc both shelters were “shutdown”.

Anyway. They don’t need to “go” persey. They are fine here. With there mom’s and being handled. I need to make sure I get off my lazy ass and try and find them responsible homes with they are old enough.

Or you know find a vet to date who loves cats and will forgive my epic stupidity… The strays are one thing… This… Is a bad.

@Kyeh @unksol Around here you have to watch out with the “free cat” method. Lots of illegal dog fighting and the risk is high that free cats and kittens are used to train fighting dogs.

@Kyeh @tinamarie1974 @unksol

The strays are one thing… This… Is a bad.

Yeah I know what you mean. At one point I had 11 rescued cats/kittens. It KILLED ME to find homes for some of them. It has been years and I still wish I hadn’t placed Felix and Big Boy.

@Kidsandliz mmm this is not a thing here. At least that I’ve ever heard of. Not sure how kittens train a dog to fight either?

The concerns/questions I would have are basically like the shelter. Are you really ready for a cat? Do you have the stuff/thought about the cost? Will it be alone all day while you’re at work? It should have a buddy then. Will you keep it/them indoors? You get it could be 20 years right? See what they can do to the couch arm? No dumping them outside or on a shelter… Etc ok come back in a couple weeks when they are ready to go.

At least in my head. I don’t like talking to people but. I’m also not up for “here just take these things so I don’t have to deal with it it’s your problem now”. That’s not happening especially when it’s my fault they exist. They need to be old enough and socialized and be going somewhere safe. This “batch” at least can all be handled from the start and go to the vet/easily get fixed. Just going to cost me for screwing up.

Having 7 actually wasn’t that much different than 3. Just more food/litter/cat beds/toys/snuggling. But double digits are hard to explain to people that you aren’t actually crazy

@unksol I found so many of mine needed/wanted attention that I didn’t have time to give them each what they needed/wanted.

The female one I bottle fed went into heat at 6 mo (at 3 weeks shy of 20 I had to put her down last year). I had a just turned 5 mo sibs (one male one female) and the vet said I didn’t have to worry - he was too young even though he was mounting her a lot. So she went out of heat and I took her into being fixed. She had been pregnant. Made me really sad. I’ve always wondered what her babies would have been like as she and the daddy were really great cats. She came back a really angry cat I presume due to the sudden estrogen drop and surgery. Took her several weeks to behave normally again.

@Kidsandliz Snickers would not let me touch her since she’s been inside as a kitten. At all. I think she was the first one caught in the have-a-heart trap on her own. She actually had her litter first and three of the four didn’t make it… But on the plus side she wants all the pets now and is being sociable/letting me handle the kittens. Took a bit cause she would see me coming and get in front and hiss every step.

Might be the hormones but at least something positive.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@unksol They throw the cats/kittens in the ring to encourage dogs to like the smell of blood and attack. It’s a problem in this state (and illegal too). Glad not so much so in yours.

@unksol maybe she is finally trusting you?

@unksol Is this your car? Oh, no - your cats aren’t allowed outside. Maybe @lisaviolet’s?

(Image from twitter)

@Kyeh @lisaviolet @unksol That looks about right.

@Kyeh @unksol We said goodbye to another senior last Thursday. Spot.

He was having problems the last couple of weeks, I found a lump in his belly, fearing hard stool or a tumor, we took him in on Monday, 6/27.

The lump was his glands, both of them on his legs and at his neck were incredibly big, blood tests brought the bad news of white blood cells. X-rays shows whatever was going on in his abdomen had pushed his organs out of place. Cancer.

It was a rough couple of weeks, since we knew his time was short. We were told “just call when you know it’s time, bring him in and we’ll help him along”.

So, what happens? Our vet got COVID. Both she and her six month old daughter. No vet on duty last Thursday. They could set up the appointment for Friday afternoon. No, Brian will be out of town for the day. I called the local ER, line was always busy. I called some other practices, none taking new patients, but we were referred to a couple of places that take walk ins.

We were going that route when the phone rang. It was my vet’s office. A couple of the techs are licensed to euthanise, they had to check with the vet before offering this option and she said it would be okay.

He went peacefully.

The cats prefer soft places to nap. Like chairs, pillows, Brian’s tractor seat…vehicle hoods are for climbing.

@unksol Wow. We were so afraid of this way back when. As soon as the calendar was closing in on that four month mark (which would have been december 10) we made the appointment for December 6. The week before the phone rings. Can we make it earlier? The vet, who was very pregnant, and who was going to do the surgeries (the resident surgeon frowned on early spay/neuter, I guess, so she would do it) had changed her plans to go on maternity leave sooner, could we bring them in the day before Thanksgiving? Yeah, sure.

And it was done.

Neither of us wanted to deal with kittens in heat or the boys learning marking behavior. It’s bad enough as it is.

@lisaviolet @unksol Ohhh - I’m so sorry.
I’m glad they were able to help you after all, though. How old was Spot?

@unksol Are there any vets in your area who do home visits? I know of some here, although I haven’t used them. It might be easier than trying to get all the kittens into crates…

@Kyeh @unksol Around fifteen.

@lisaviolet @unksol I bet he enjoyed his life with you all tremendously. If I were reincarnated as a cat, your place is where I’d want to live!

@Kyeh @unksol Aw, thank you.

@lisaviolet @unksol That is sad. I am glad you could find a vet. When I had to put Lucky down in the middle of the pandemic it was incredibly hard to find a vet who’d let me be with her (she was terrified of the vet due to something that a vet did to her when she was about 8 or 9 - didn’t use that vet anymore after that). I would imagine you need to be with him as much as he needed to be with you.

@Kyeh there are farm vets but the kittens are not a problem to handle. I’m sure the shots they could handle them all in one or two carriers. Not sure on fixing if they would want them all separate, but I bet some collapsible carriers would be fine when they are that young.

I can tell who is who but. I’m out of candy bars. And they really can’t all stay. So not exactly naming them. If I have to start calling them something I’m going to end up using lord of the rings or something.

Or Data/Troy/Jadzia/Warf etc. But don’t want to scare off the adoptors

@Kyeh @unksol I named some strays thing 1 and thing 2 and thingthing. I still am calling thingthing thingthing. The not naming sounds good in theory LOL

@Kidsandliz @Kyeh there is one of the orange/white boys that constantly comes running at me/trying to crawl in my lap/under my legs/all over the place. I noticed I’m subconsciously calling him Tigger…

And now that I’m thinking about that there is a Eoyer and a pigglet maybe. But. Not doing that.

@Kyeh @unksol I named my orange stray Tigger too. Your Tigger looks incredibly tiny.

@Kidsandliz @Kyeh he is about 4 weeks so yea they are small. But he’s on scale with the rest of litter and the fastest/most mobile… Social if you can call it that. And they grow so fast.

Some better scale then my long fat legs might help. But I don’t have one right this second. I’m 6’4 and I think 280. Yes I need to lose weight. But a kitten relative to my fat calf lol. He’s going to look small.

When I get up after petting then he full on chases me

@Kidsandliz @Kyeh

@Kidsandliz @Kyeh

@lisaviolet sorry about about Spot. That sucks. KitKat made me… Very sad for a while. I guess I’m lucky that I didn’t have to make the call at least. Poor guy.

@Kidsandliz Very typical Southwest safety announcement.

@Kidsandliz just decoration. The goat shall take the blame. Next time, consider moving or parking car in a safer part of town eh?

@hammi99 Assigned space in the parking lot. I’m in hud so there are waiting lists (which I am on) for the only two that are in safer areas than there. The rest are less safe. Glad to hear they don’t do anything useful. I figured maybe they protected the bolts and air valve a bit?

@hammi99 @Kidsandliz Factory originals get resold on Facebook, eBay and Amazon, but plastic aftermarket covers are pretty much ignored. And yeah, best check to make sure the cat’s not gone.

@lisaviolet awww what a lovely ending to the story. As the goat, I umm … shall take all the credit for Nick Fury? Please do keep us up to date on how Fury does.

P.S. I initially thought of the Night Fury dragon from How to Train Your Dragon. And of course, since he is the other Fury, you must get a matching eyepatch for the cat!

@hammi99 About a year ago, we rescued a little tortoiseshell. Very pregnant. We named her “Natasha Romanoff”. For, well, you know…

She was so far along, we did not abort the kittens. We let her have them, with the vet clinic agreeing to find them homes when they were of age.

Except we suck at fostering. And we named them.

Bucky, Steve, Goose, Carol, Wanda and Wendy.

So, yeah, Fury was the obvious name for a black boy cat.

@lisaviolet Wow! Well, obviously you were meant to have him - he’s a lucky kitty to end up with you.

@lisaviolet So adorable! Nick Fury it is!

@Kyeh oh so sorry! I HATE the dentist

@Kyeh ah well I don’t know that is blame. More like the goat SAVED you from much more heartache (rather, toothache!), pain and more expensive procedures down the road . . . HAHAHAHAHA

But umm hope your teeth are better, never pleasant to have teeth problems.

@tinamarie1974 Thanks - at least I have a good dentist, I’m grateful for that but yeah, I’d be happy to see a lot less of him.

@hammi99 No, I blame you for my poor choices - too much sugar, not enough flossing; and my poor genetics where teeth are concerned.

@Kyeh I’ve been seeing my dentist a lot lately (Invisalign) and I quite like going - staffed with young asians who are quite friendly and competent.

So if that was your dentist’s office, maybe this goat wouldn’t take the blame for your poor life choices eh. LOL

@hammi99 How do you like the Invisalign? I’ve thought about it. Maybe next year when all this repair work is done.

@Kyeh it rocks. I should have done this years ago. For not doing it sooner, I blame the goat.

@hammi99 Yes, in this case the blame definitely does rest squarely on the goat’s shoulders! Is Invisalign expensive? Does insurance cover any of it?

@hammi99 @Kyeh Most insurance doesn’t, as your smile / tooth alignment is considered “cosmetic” in the sense that it does not impair your ability to eat, i.e. cause you to be designated as “disabled” in the ADA kind of meaning.

Like how insurance will cover the lenses for glasses, but not the frames, which are considered “fashion items”, not a “medical device”.

It sucks, but models and influencers gotta make a living. And it’s insurance for medical treatment of injury or disability, not improving your Q score (a sociological rating of culturally positive appearance traits) or boosting your follower size on social media.

@hammi99 @mike808 Yeah, well, the only social media I have is Meh and Nextdoor, and my appearance isn’t a factor in how many “followers” I have, if any!

@hammi99 @Kyeh
Well, good luck with your claim to the insurance company. Blame the goat if it craps out.

@Kyeh I concur with @mike808 that insurance typically doesn’t cover Invisalign. As an adult, it’s way better alternative than traditional braces.

@Felton10 oh yes, all USPS problems can be blamed on the goat, this I must concede. As such, when your payment is finally received, please send my way.

@hammi99 Since you only accept IRKcoin in payment for accepting blame and not dollars, your request does not compute.

@Felton10 USD can be converted into IRKcoin . . .

@hammi99 With the value of an IRKcoin hovering somewhere around .000000001 of a cent, you should have a rule that no payment is owed until the amount due to you exceeds the cost of a first class stamp.

@Felton10 UMM, how on earth am I gonna get rich off this IRKcoin crypto? I’m banking on the .000000001 jumping up to even just 0.01 would be a gold mine.

@macromeh oh yah that’s blameworthy indeed. Annoying sequence of events. Chances are if the battery light came on before the air bag recall work, you might not have been charged that diagnostic fee either. Bad goat!

@macromeh Same as a check engine light rip off-two years ago light came in my wife’s car and took it into the dealership and the diagnostic charge was close to $ 200 (probably for plugging in one of those handheld machines into the panel) and the cost to replace the defective item was under $ 50- total just under my $ 250 GEICO mechanical breakdown warranty.

@Felton10 Yeah, I have a basic OBD code reader but since this wasn’t an emission-related failure, there was no error code displayed. And I checked the voltage of both the battery (engine stopped) and the alternator (engine running) but both read in-spec. Apparently the battery failed a load test performed with more sophisticated tools at the dealer. But, as noted, I would have just replaced the battery as the most likely suspect had the timing of events been different.

@macromeh Tried one of those also before I took the car in but could never figure out what the code said, but it was a cheap one anyway. Have a check engine light that currently keeps going on and off in my car and Onstar tells me that it is an emission issue. Car still under warranty and call my service advisor and he said no rush to bring it in and only a problem if the check engine light is flashing.

@goldnectar the Bud Light or the dog?

@goldnectar Good dog! Warning master away from inferior beer-like beverage! Have a biscuit!

@Felton10 awww that’s awesome. I guess you can blame the goat for spending so much but then I get the credit for your being a good husband!! Happy birthday to the missus!

POPSOCKETS! SPA KITS! POLLY POCKETS! AWESOME!

@mike808 I hope nobody paid extra for this ‘show’.
BORING

@compunaut @mike808 I take the credit! However given how terrible the movie was, I take the blame. Every movie that George Clooney doesn’t die in the beginning sucked (oceans aside). Hope the show is better

@compunaut @hammi99 It’s an EDM music festival, not a “show”. 400,000+ in attendance.

There is another stage (Atmosphere) that has a more DnB/hardstyle flow if that’s your jam.

If EDM isn’t your jam, that’s cool. Enjoy your weekend. I will be.

@lisaviolet the goat takes the blame, especially for transitory inflation

@lisaviolet Lasik terrifies me - also, I heard from someone who had it that your close-up vision gets worse and you end up needing reading glasses! That was a while back and maybe it’s better now, I don’t know. Are contact lenses out of the question for you?

@Kyeh I have contacts. Multifocal. Just never get around to wearing them.

Reading glasses don’t bother me. I have a bunch here already.

I hate having to wear glasses when we watch the stars at night.

@lisaviolet Oh! I just can’t stand the thought of not being able to see tiny things close-up without glasses.

@Kyeh I need glasses for reading anyway. I have progressives, bifocals, readers, and plain old glasses (that I use for star watching). Zenni.com is my go to glass store.

And then there are the contacts. I’d be thrilled to just need reading glasses at this point.

@Kyeh said:

I just can’t stand the thought of not being able to see tiny things close-up without glasses.

TWSS

@Kyeh @mike808 not a humble brag

@mike808 @tinamarie1974
Groan.

@Kyeh @lisaviolet I’m almost 59 years old ; been wearing contacts since I was 20. Now using daily wear lenses that stay in almost 100% of the time. They were originally supposed to be disposable every day, but they’ve gotten so good at making comfortable soft lenses that I can use them for weeks at a time. Just started needing reading glasses early this year (supplementing the contacts). YMMV

@compunaut @Kyeh @lisaviolet
Question: those who wore glasses as kids were made fun of, mostly called “four eyes”

So if you wear contacts and glasses at the same time, do you have six or eight eyes? Is it addictive or multiplicative?

@hammi99 @Kyeh @lisaviolet
Six. But only looks like regular 4-eyes.

@compunaut @Kyeh @lisaviolet Nope! You still only have two eyes!

@compunaut @Kyeh Yeah, I should just insert my lenses each morning, but I forget. I have multifocals and my eyes are used to them. I really need to add them to my morning routine. I’m almost 69, adding to my routines takes some work at this point. lol

Contacts don’t fog up. Contacts don’t fall off of my head when I bend over.

Think I’ll go put them in right now.

@lisaviolet @kyeh @compunaut My wife got Radial Keratotomy (where they actually made micro-incisions on the cornea) almost 30 years ago. Her vision improved to the point that she only needs glasses for driving at night, even now in her 60’s. (I wisely got her to marry me before getting her vision improved. )
Her younger brother and sister each got Lasik when it became available. The brother’s was fairly successful - he only needs glasses or contacts in some situations. The sister, not so much - she still needs glasses/contacts all the time.
So I guess it’s a YMMV situation.

@Kyeh @lisaviolet

not sure what they quoted you and I’m sure prices have changed but mine at a very good doctor, with if you have a problem we’ll fix it . Was ~$2800 in 2017. And honestly I probably wouldn’t have done it then considering what I got paid. but the way my insurance was structured and the HRA changes after 2016. I think I had the first three months of 2017 to burn $1400 or my employer got to take it all.

I had contacts and wore them for a long time but when I started working nights and from home. Why put them in? More annoying for reasons you don’t know . glasses are easier. But a pain. Apparently I also had astigmatism which i didn’t find out about till my mid 20s and those contacts never sat right.

I’m very happy with it. I think it’s 20/18 or 20/16 after 5 years. That being said they did tell me as you get older you will probably need reading glasses etc etc. Simply cause time. Eye muscle fatigue/lens aging ect. Lasik made my vision better across the chart so no complaints there Although I could not see shit without my glasses before. So…

I feel like I might get some glare driving at night which can be a side effect but I honestly couldn’t tell if it was different and I think I always had a little chromatic aberration to start with.

Not sure what the return on investment is later in life. In theory I’m saving at minimums 20 years of glasses/contacts so… But I’m glad I did it.

@Kyeh @unksol Thank you. Checking prices, one article said about $1600 an eye. But actually hitting the clinic websites in our area, the cost looked to be between $4k and $5k.

I’d love to have it done, but the money isn’t there. If I could start putting half of my SS aside each month, I’d have saved it up in a year. But saving is hard.

I appreciate you sharing how well they’ve worked for you. (I have astigmatism in my left eye, but not bad enough to need a special contact.)

@Kyeh @lisaviolet I only did it because I was so pissed they were going to try and take that money and I just was not having it. I put the other half on a zero interest credit card cause they used to not pay me shit lol.

But the doctor in my area was like 3K and then there was a discount. Or… I probably paid cash for the consult and that counted… I’m sure it’s gone up and he’s covering a couple counties with 800K people total. I’m sure it’s more expensive in a major city.

I could have lived with the glasses fine but it is nice/dangers seem very very low now a days

@jst1ofknd I too blame hammi88. Hammi88 is an imposter goat and needs to be gutted and roasted. Yummy

@hammi99

Eh. I was 11 off. It’s been a long time since i was any good at math…

@jst1ofknd you can blame the goat for that

@hammi99

Done. You are officially blamed for me being bad at math.

@tinamarie1974 yeehaw! Goat takes all the credit!

@tinamarie1974 That’s great! Congratulations!

@Kyeh the goat takes the credit when it no longer hurts after your root canal!

@Kyeh sorry, tooth aches are terrible

@hammi99 The root canal got done, and after a couple of days of soreness, it now feels much better. I still have to go back for the permanent crown in a little over a week, but I haven’t had to take any pain pills for the past two days. Relief!

@Kyeh nice!! And goat totally takes the unblame/credit! Yeehaw! Wait . . . that’s totally a horse’s neigh. What sound do goats make?

@hammi99 Well, appropriately enough it sounds a lot like … MEH!

@Kyeh

@Felton10 Blame this on transitory inflation! Haha.

Years ago, we had a similar situation at a high end steak house. We left zero tip and wrote why (waiter came once to take our order 45 minutes after we were seated, and never showed up entire rest of the meal, we couldn’t flag anyone for water or our check blah blah). Next day, general manager calls us and said he confirmed everything on the camera and comp’ed us our next meal. We did not go back even for the free steak/lobster because the experience was so horrible.

@Felton10 @hammi99
I blame these all too common situations on greedy employers that expect customers to make up for their disinterest in paying their employees a living wage and to participate in their wage theft scheme.

@hammi99 @mike808 Well TIP stands for To Insure Promptness or something to that affect and if I get good service I usually tip more than the standard 20% and even though my wife and I argue about this constantly-I tip 10% for carryout also.

@Felton10 @mike808 yes - conceptually agreed. However, there’s no way the waiter knows in advance what you would be tipping. So to provide horrible or non-existent service ensures no to little tip.

@hammi99 @mike808 Well since they automatically add 18% to the bill at all the eating venues in our development, there might be little or no incentive to provide good or better service although if the server is attentive, I usually add a couple of dollars to bring their tip over 20%.

@Felton10 @mike808 oh those automatic tips. Yah I avoid those places. I understand for large parties but no bueno for me.

@jst1ofknd Well just go somewhere where it is minus 40. That is the same in F and C. Umm yeah it is cold. Camped in that. Had outhouses too.

@jst1ofknd for standard room temps. c*2 +32 is close enough. If flipping the fraction/order of operations is what annoys you.

@lisaviolet You look terrific!

@lisaviolet looks wonderful!!!

@lisaviolet a most excellent unblame!! I am usually a fan of long hair but your current look is fabulous!

@hammi99 This was in 2019.

I’m finally done with long hair. I think. I’ve had it for over half of my life. Time for something new.

Next up? Exercise on a regular basis! lol

@hammi99 @lisaviolet I had hair that long in high school and college, but had it short for years until the pandemic. Then I let it get down to below my shoulder blades but I hated it. I finally got it cut this spring and I’m so relieved. I just can’t be bothered with long hair anymore! I also think I look better with it shorter.

@hammi99 @Kyeh The thing was, I never wore it down because it was in the way. Honestly, why bother, you know?

@hammi99 @lisaviolet Right!

@lisaviolet whoa let’s not get TOO ambitious all at once! Haha

@jst1ofknd oh no!!!

@tinamarie1974

I’m fine now. I’ve got pills for that. So I guess unblame?

@jst1ofknd @tinamarie1974 No you still get to blame because you had to pay for pills instead of buying meh crap and have to use them to begin with. Sorry you have a condition that sucks.

@Kidsandliz @tinamarie1974

It’s a lot better now. I’ve spent 2 and a half weeks (spread over 3 different occurrences over the course of three years if that makes sense) in the hospital for it. I’ll definitely take AFIB that goes away in a few hours with pills and about 24 hours without pills over that again…

@jst1ofknd @tinamarie1974 I guess that is the lessor of two evils, but it still sucks for you.

@jst1ofknd @Kidsandliz @tinamarie1974
Most certainly a blame and an unblame! Stay well and healthy fellow Mehtizen.

Do you have Apple Watch and does it detect AFIB on you?

@Kidsandliz Can you determine when said dbag is expecting quiet for their sleep and return the favor? A random non-periodic strill past their entrance with a few blasts of an air horn under the gap might do the trick.

Alternively, since you’ve mentioned you’re in a managed complex that legally is not allowed to provide housing to drug users or it will lose federal funding, perhaps a helpful citizen could make an anonymous tip to the local law enforcement drug task force. Use the police state we live in to your advantage. Maybe you’ll get lucky.

Although I would first try a note forged from management. Cuz fuck the management (from your comments on their actions).

@mike808 I think it’s been established that @Kidsandliz needs to move

@hammi99 @mike808 And I am on hud waiting lists to get out. Takes time though. Lists can be long.

@Kidsandliz
i think it’s been established that @hammi99 doesn’t understand the difference between “necessity” and “ability”.

@Kidsandliz @mike808 I think that is a fair assessment. Blame the goat!

@tinamarie1974 the goat takes the blame for that. But if you mix bleach (when you get it) with ammonia, that’s on you!

@tinamarie1974 that’s adorable! Goat totally takes unblame for the cute horsies!

@tinamarie1974 I foresee a fun auntie-niece outing in your near future! Those horses are unbelievably enchanting! Their webpage could use some improvement though - the cute horse pix should be the first thing you see, not boring shots of the buildings and grounds and the huge weird Facebook ratings scroll.

(Seems like the perfect giphy)

@Kyeh agree about their page, I thought it was odd you had to dig around to see the horses. And that is a big no for Daisy. She is terrified of all animals, even Charlie! Literally standing next to the chick cages at the local farm and home causes a meltdown. When I go it will be a solo activity

@tinamarie1974 Oh, what a shame! I hope she outgrows that - life must be scary for her.

@Kyeh @tinamarie1974 previous girlfriends daughter loved my little pony. Let’s let her ride the pony at the zoo I thought. She was old enough. Commence screaming and crying and full on break down. I still have no idea why. Maybe the height/balance…

I think she pet the manta rays though… Always hard to tell with kids. A cat or dog can easily cause then to react poorly cause a bad interaction. but chicks seem an odd one cause they are so harmless? You know, when a rooster/hen isn’t telling you to back off. Those little dinosaurs are another issue.

Maybe just a phase… Maybe she will never like animals. I’m sure both are workable.

@jst1ofknd nope! Same issue when I travel to DE. Now I just throw a loofa in my bag regardless and I am covered

@jst1ofknd a most awesome unblame! I think I have more unblames than blames . . . LOL

POPSOCKETS! SPROCKETS! DAVY CROCKETT! AWESOME!

@werehatrack I half expect the Official Usual Nominating Suspects to give mine a bump to the left…

@narfcake @werehatrack I believe the mods handle that process

@cf1 and one of those bottles is for the goat! See, such a wise goat LOL

PS this is my used to be feral baby. Snatched her out of the parking lot at 5 mo old

@Kidsandliz https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/polish-institute-classifies-cats-alien-invasive-species-87424964

About time, IMO.

@macromeh In my opinion cats need to be indoors only (like mine are) or contained the way a couple people on here have them contained in their backyard. Pretty easy then for birds and squirrels to avoid them then.

The article has a good point though about classifying humans as alien species in much of the world. If it is true humans originated in north Africa then we are alien invasive species throughout the rest of the world.

@Kidsandliz @macromeh
If you want some murder stats
https://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill

There’s also interesting stuff out there about house cats that are allowed out wearing video collars and what they get up to.

I don’t see a problem with barn cats out in the country. Or a feral colony that no one could take them but it you can catch and fix/release.

The population is low density/they have food/shelter/home base and mice are easier than birds. And should be dwidling down.

If Hershey had moved into my non-existent barn instead of under a cracking garage slab I was trying to evict another pest from and into a trap. That would have been fine. Instead they are in here and they aren’t going out… But still literally my fault… Should have chopped some balls. I’m a horrible procrastinator sometimes

She forgot to add that she has slept all day and is crabby. I cant even get her to play fetch when it is not raining!!!

@CharlieDoggo Be patient, Charlieboy - she wants to play, she just didn’t feel good.

@tinamarie1974 Wow, fever! I felt crappy after mine but not as bad as that; hope you feel better soon!

@Kyeh fever broke about a half hour ago. YEA!!! Everything is slowly starting to feel better.

@tinamarie1974 Oh, good!

@tinamarie1974 the real blame to be placed on the goat is for the blood sucking bat that bit the human that started COVID . . . HAHAHAHAHA

Feel better!!

@hammi99 your correction is spot on!! Thanks, after the fever broke Im starting to feel better. Suspect getting lots of sleep tonight will help and Ill be right as rain tomorrow!!

@tinamarie1974 awesome to hear!!

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!

@hammi99 @tinamarie1974
Right as rain - and it sounds like you are getting some actual rain, too? Nice if so, to cool things down. We’ve gotten some yesterday and today, with temps in the 70s! So refreshing!

@hammi99 @Kyeh so much rain and lots of flooding in St Louis. I am fine before anyone asks

I guess I should blame the goat for all the flooding

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/heavy-rain-flooding-st-louis-interstates-and-roads-again/

@hammi99 @tinamarie1974
Oh, no. Ugh. That looks like a mess.
That’s been a problem in some parts of CO also, especially where they’ve had forest fires. Not where I am, though.

@hammi99 @tinamarie1974
Someone on Nextdoor posted this last night; I had to really restrain myself from saying something sarcastic :

@hammi99 @Kyeh ya gotta wonder about people on Nextdoor!

@hammi99 @tinamarie1974 A bunch of others have answered now and some have been unabashedly sarcastic!
My fave answer: Must be mighty Thor
Also: Marjorie Taylor Greene was right. It’s the space lasers coming thru the atmosphere to disrupt voting machines everywhere!!!

@hammi99 @Kyeh @tinamarie1974 That is a great response LOL

@Kyeh @tinamarie1974 the explanation is simple: Mother Nature LOL… but yes, Thor is much more plausible reason…

@hammi99 @tinamarie1974
I guess the OP snoozed through her science classes.

@jst1ofknd Lovely unblame!! glad you’re back home safe and sound.

@Kidsandliz I hope you let the water cool down first before filling the gallon milk containers with the water…

@hammi99 Well actually the first time I didn’t. They didn’t melt like another container I tried. Oops. On the other hand the second round did cool first as I had no more containers. Probably not the best idea as who know what the plastic would leach when in contact with hot water.