Coconut Monkey Cornerclub

[ZedClampet]

I think he didn't want me to falsely believe I was really good at singing and get my hopes up. But it did really annoy me. I binned the award 😂

My daughter used to go outside and sing, thinking people couldn't hear her. She could sing on key, but wasn't a great singer. I told her she had a singer-songwriter voice and explained that it was serviceable and distinct and that when she wrote and sang her own songs that people would love it, but that she wasn't an America's Got Talent type of singer. That seemed to do the trick without, hopefully, hurting her feelings. She did start writing her own songs after that, so that's something.

 

[Zloth]

People people people! This is what COMMUTES are for! Play some tunes and git good! After a few years, buy a convertible.

And don't forget whistling! One reason I bought the house I'm in is because I liked the whistling acoustics.

 

[Brian Boru]

I wasted a long time in life worrying about other people's opinions, I feel like I'm just discovering myself now

Attaboy! That's a major milestone, imo that's probably the strongest transition to adulthood.

I binned the award

Aw man! Ebay is your friend

What's one thing you missed out on in this life

Sport—seeing how far I might've got. I got married young and chucked in serious sport—my choice.

 

[ZedClampet]

If you don't occasionally yell, "Gunshow!" and flex your biceps, you're doing life wrong.

 

[mainer]

For the past few days we've been getting a lot of smoke in the air from the wildfires raging out in Western Canada due to the track of the jet stream. Yesterday was the worst so far. It was supposed to be a clear, sunny day with temperatures near 80 degrees. But the smoke drifted in and created this yellowish-brown haze over the sky, and you could actually taste that smoke and feel it in your lungs and slightly burning your eyes. It was like standing near a campfire and the wind changes, blowing smoke into your face.

I'd never really thought about it before, but it's scary how some disaster nearly 2000 miles away can affect you just because of the wind currents.

 

[Pifanjr]

For the past few days we've been getting a lot of smoke in the air from the wildfires raging out in Western Canada due to the track of the jet stream. Yesterday was the worst so far. It was supposed to be a clear, sunny day with temperatures near 80 degrees. But the smoke drifted in and created this yellowish-brown haze over the sky, and you could actually taste that smoke and feel it in your lungs and slightly burning your eyes. It was like standing near a campfire and the wind changes, blowing smoke into your face.

I'd never really thought about it before, but it's scary how some disaster nearly 2000 miles away can affect you just because of the wind currents.

That makes me wonder what people several thousands of years made of something like that happening. Imagine waking up and the air hurts you without any obvious reason.

 

[Brian Boru]

what people several thousands of years made of something like that

Supernatural forces. Without knowing about all the natural world events and workings, it had to be really frightening for primitive people.

Heck, even today with knowing what's coming, it's still pretty frightening.

 

[ZedClampet]

Heck, even today with knowing what's coming, it's still pretty frightening.

I once sacrificed my neighbor's yappy little dog to Anubis only to find out there were forest fires in the mountains. Still worked out for the best.

 

[ZedClampet]

Just a favorite video. David Grohl wasn't always the front man for the Foo Fighters. Here, for one of the first times since the tragedy, he reprises one of his original jobs.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKU1HXMZYm4&t=145s

 

[Frindis]

 

[ZedClampet]

Been listening to a baseball game for 6 hours. They keep having to stop playing due to lightning. I'm kind of enjoying it, though. It's mostly just background noise, and I don't have to look for anything else to listen to.

 

[ZedClampet]

My kids are just terrible drivers. Guido just totaled his car hitting a utility pole. Fortunately, he isn't injured. That will be the end of his driving for awhile.

Just thankful he survived his first accident. Hopefully he learns a lesson from this. You don't hit a utility pole driving like a sane person, unless of course he was distracted by something. My wife was nearby in my car and is at the scene. I don't have any way to get there.

Looks like we're in the market for a used car.

 

[ZedClampet]

I'm still a little anxious over the wreck for some reason. Have a worriers mind, I guess. Guido apologized for the car, as if I give a flying damn about the car. There are lots of cars, but only one Guido.

He was driving on a road his mother had forbidden him to drive on. Very narrow, winding, deep ditches on either side. Apparently he slipped off the right side of the road and over-corrected, despite the fact that I very carefully explained how to handle that situation.

I accused my wife of passing on her crappy driving gene.

 

[Brian Boru]

I accused my wife of passing on her crappy driving gene

Way to go, super hubby! Serves you right if she wraps you around a utility pole

Glad Guido's ok, it's a scary time, those first years driving—until they lose the illusion of invincibility.

 

[Pifanjr]

I hope Guido is okay. I understand that injuries from car collisions aren't always immediately noticeable but only show up later.

 

[mainer]

He was driving on a road his mother had forbidden him to drive on. Very narrow, winding, deep ditches on either side. Apparently he slipped off the right side of the road and over-corrected, despite the fact that I very carefully explained how to handle that situation.

I've never had kids, but I imagine it must be stressful to watch your kids grow up and learn to drive. So many things can happen, and no matter how well you teach them, it's only with accumulated experience that they truly learn to be aware of all the mitigating factors involved when driving a vehicle. Glad Guido's okay, especially after hitting a utility pole.

I remember my very first car accident as a teenager. It was early winter in Southern Ohio and I was going down a steep hill. Forest and ditch to my right, and about a 50 foot drop off on my left. The roads had a thin layer of ice (probably black ice) and I started to slide. Of course, being inexperienced, I hit the brakes too hard and started to fish-tail down the hill, coming closer & closer to that drop off. Fortunately, a large salt truck was coming up the hill and I slammed into the front of it. Kind of a fortuitus accident, as I think it saved me from going over the edge of that cliff.

 

[ZedClampet]

I hope Guido is okay. I understand that injuries from car collisions aren't always immediately noticeable but only show up later.

He's fine. No sign of anything nerve related, which is what would show up later. Car did a great job protecting him.

 

[ZedClampet]

I've never had kids, but I imagine it must be stressful to watch your kids grow up and learn to drive. So many things can happen, and no matter how well you teach them, it's only with accumulated experience that they truly learn to be aware of all the mitigating factors involved when driving a vehicle. Glad Guido's okay, especially after hitting a utility pole.

I remember my very first car accident as a teenager. It was early winter in Southern Ohio and I was going down a steep hill. Forest and ditch to my right, and about a 50 foot drop off on my left. The roads had a thin layer of ice (probably black ice) and I started to slide. Of course, being inexperienced, I hit the brakes too hard and started to fish-tail down the hill, coming closer & closer to that drop off. Fortunately, a large salt truck was coming up the hill and I slammed into the front of it. Kind of a fortuitus accident, as I think it saved me from going over the edge of that cliff.

When I was a teen, there was this heavy equipment access road down the side of a mountain. It was ridiculously steep and about a quarter mile long. This was back when car manufacturers were trying to up their gas mileage by putting terrible 4 cylinder engines in their cars, and a lot of cars couldn't make it to the top of that road, and they had to back their way back down.

One morning after a snow, I decided to drive down that hill on my way to school. Genius at work. There were no drop offs or anything like that, but there were trees on either side of the road. Anyway, I did two complete 360 degree spins on my way down. At least I learned my lesson.

 

[Pifanjr]

I've never had kids, but I imagine it must be stressful to watch your kids grow up and learn to drive.

My 5-year old daughter is now learning to ride her bike and it is indeed stressful. She used to ride her scooter all the time, which was much easier for her to control and she would ride on the sidewalk, but it recently broke. It's quite exhausting having to be hyper-vigilant and constantly correcting her to make sure she stays safe.

 

[Frindis]

@Pifanjr I'll share some wise words from my grandfather: "Boooy, never get rid of them support wheels on the bicycle. You'll avoid falling off and hurting yourself" So, I didn't. Now I am 40+ and never had a scratch.

 

[ZedClampet]

Today is Guido's last day of high school. Taking him out to eat at his favorite restaurant.

Back to the accident. I can't wait to see what I get charged for a utility pole.

 

[mainer]

Back to the accident. I can't wait to see what I get charged for a utility pole.

By coincidence, here's an article from today talking about drivers hitting utility poles. Seems to be a common occurrence up here and costs the driver about $5000, so that might give you a ballpark figure.

CMP urges safe driving after multiple crashes cause power outages

Central Maine Power is urging drivers to use caution behind the wheel.

wgme.com

 

[ZedClampet]

By coincidence, here's an article from today talking about drivers hitting utility poles. Seems to be a common occurrence up here and costs the driver about $5000, so that might give you a ballpark figure.

CMP urges safe driving after multiple crashes cause power outages

Central Maine Power is urging drivers to use caution behind the wheel.

wgme.com

Interesting. Of course, ours may have been a special case because the road was closed and they worked on putting in a new pole for over 5 hours. The insurance lady told me this afternoon that it rarely goes over $20,000. Not that the amount really matters to me because my insurance will pay for it. I was just curious what they charge for such things. An average of $5000 is not too bad, really.

 

[Zloth]

Today is Guido's last day of high school. Taking him out to eat at his favorite restaurant.

Oh, my niece just finished recently!

Is the graduation ceremony a big one? Watch to see if there is "cheer inflation" over the course of it. I mean - you don't want the cheers for your kid to be quieter than the last five kids, right? So, no way to get quieter, but louder can happen....

 

[ZedClampet]

Oh, my niece just finished recently!

Is the graduation ceremony a big one? Watch to see if there is "cheer inflation" over the course of it. I mean - you don't want the cheers for your kid to be quieter than the last five kids, right? So, no way to get quieter, but louder can happen....

The graduation ceremony is at the football stadium (hopefully no rain). After the ceremony, we reserved a banquet hall and got some catering and invited a bunch of family and friends.

I don't have to worry about people cheering for Guido. Unlike me, he is a friend to all and an enemy to none. It drove my daughter crazy. She was a junior when Guido showed up, and she was in her ROTC one day--about a week after he got there--when Guido came walking by and they all stopped and yelled at him like they had known him their whole lives. I don't know what voodoo power he has over people, but I wish I'd been blessed with a little of it.