Re: Soka Gakkai International -- SGI
Posted by:
meh
()
Date: March 11, 2014 10:39PM
Thanks for the advice, corboy! My son, grand-daughter and her fiancé are my moving crew, so I think we'll have plenty of eyes on things.
Another good tip is to try and pack your mattress as far towards the unloading door as possible; that way, even if you have to break the unloading portion of the program into two days, your mattress will be available to crash on. This time that will also include having a couple of air-mattresses and fresh batteries for the pump easily accessible.
I've moved eight times in the past ten years (two were cross-country), but I always learn something new about the process. Driving from Philly to upstate NY is a fairly civilized process - it'll be about 95% highway, and there are numerous rest areas along the way. I've made quite a few trips up there to visit my daughter and, having the teeny-tiny girl-bladder that I do, I know most of them well. The biggest challenge I can think of right now is transporting the cat; the last time he was in a car (in a carrier), he yowled the entire time. I'll probably ask the vet for some kind of sedative for him; Papi (the dog) is a seasoned little road warrior - I'll pop his thunder-shirt on him, and he'll be good to go; he'll just be disappointed that my daughter's dogs won't be there to greet him.
I've been in this apartment for four years - the longest I've lived anywhere for some time - I'm going to be glad to get away from the sgi memories that this place holds. I feel like I'm getting off to a fresh start, with a clean bill of expectations, and no sense of obligation to check in with local leaders when I arrive. I've been so isolated here; up there, I've already id'd a book club I can join, a couple of dog parks in the area where I can meet normal non-cult people and a lovely health-food store that offers cooking classes. The latter will have to wait until I find a job, but there are things to do up there that just aren't available here unless you're willing to constantly schlep into the city, which I'm not.
Another good tip is to try and pack your mattress as far towards the unloading door as possible; that way, even if you have to break the unloading portion of the program into two days, your mattress will be available to crash on. This time that will also include having a couple of air-mattresses and fresh batteries for the pump easily accessible.
I've moved eight times in the past ten years (two were cross-country), but I always learn something new about the process. Driving from Philly to upstate NY is a fairly civilized process - it'll be about 95% highway, and there are numerous rest areas along the way. I've made quite a few trips up there to visit my daughter and, having the teeny-tiny girl-bladder that I do, I know most of them well. The biggest challenge I can think of right now is transporting the cat; the last time he was in a car (in a carrier), he yowled the entire time. I'll probably ask the vet for some kind of sedative for him; Papi (the dog) is a seasoned little road warrior - I'll pop his thunder-shirt on him, and he'll be good to go; he'll just be disappointed that my daughter's dogs won't be there to greet him.
I've been in this apartment for four years - the longest I've lived anywhere for some time - I'm going to be glad to get away from the sgi memories that this place holds. I feel like I'm getting off to a fresh start, with a clean bill of expectations, and no sense of obligation to check in with local leaders when I arrive. I've been so isolated here; up there, I've already id'd a book club I can join, a couple of dog parks in the area where I can meet normal non-cult people and a lovely health-food store that offers cooking classes. The latter will have to wait until I find a job, but there are things to do up there that just aren't available here unless you're willing to constantly schlep into the city, which I'm not.
Re: Soka Gakkai International -- SGI
Posted by:
StillTaitenAndProud
()
Date: March 12, 2014 02:44AM
One time, for flying, I used a sedative on my cat - NEVER AGAIN! It didn't put him "out" and he was terribly upset at not feeling well!
If you're going to be in a car, maybe you can let Kitty roam around inside - he'll settle down pretty quick, I suspect.
If you're going to be in a car, maybe you can let Kitty roam around inside - he'll settle down pretty quick, I suspect.
Re: Soka Gakkai International -- SGI
Posted by:
meh
()
Date: March 12, 2014 05:21AM
Oh, I don't think Walter roaming around the car would work out at all! I don't relish the idea of an 18-lb. ill-tempered tooth-and-claw machine rocketing around my car for close to 250 miles. Plus I'd have to worry about him escaping when we make pit-stops. Most of the time Walter is a good boy, but he can also be really, really mean. I'll hope that whatever the vet gives me for him at least mellows him out a bit - sedatives have to be kitty-specific; human ones just amp them up. If he becomes too bad, I'll just stick him in the cab of the truck with my son and tell him to suck it up; god knows he kept me at full attention with his howling.
TT is right...put that cat in the carrier
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: March 12, 2014 06:13AM
My first cat nearly became history. I had her in the carrier at the bus stop, after a fraught vet visit.
I looked down thru the carrier and saw that Jay had widdled in her carrier.
I knew I would hate standing in my own urine, so in a fit of bad destiny softheatedness, I thought I could crack open the top of the carrier and slip a folded newspaper inside.
No.
Jay blasted out of the top like a cannonball....and fled right into a nearby restaurant---and into the kitchen.
I ran in, clutching the carrier.
Luckily the staff had no customers, too early for lunch.
They were not happy to see a pissy cat run into their kitchen followed by a nutter with a bad haircut.
I saw a pair of yellow eyes in the shadows under the dish cupboard, reached under, ready to get clawed to the bone.
I pulled Jay out, stuffed her into the carrier, shut it, then fled the premises.
Put your cat in the carrier and only let him or her loose in a secure room and be 100% sure no one is gonna open the door while your front door is still open.
Good luck..
I looked down thru the carrier and saw that Jay had widdled in her carrier.
I knew I would hate standing in my own urine, so in a fit of bad destiny softheatedness, I thought I could crack open the top of the carrier and slip a folded newspaper inside.
No.
Jay blasted out of the top like a cannonball....and fled right into a nearby restaurant---and into the kitchen.
I ran in, clutching the carrier.
Luckily the staff had no customers, too early for lunch.
They were not happy to see a pissy cat run into their kitchen followed by a nutter with a bad haircut.
I saw a pair of yellow eyes in the shadows under the dish cupboard, reached under, ready to get clawed to the bone.
I pulled Jay out, stuffed her into the carrier, shut it, then fled the premises.
Put your cat in the carrier and only let him or her loose in a secure room and be 100% sure no one is gonna open the door while your front door is still open.
Good luck..
Re: Soka Gakkai International -- SGI
Posted by:
meh
()
Date: March 12, 2014 06:35AM
I had gorgeous ragdoll cat that my son rescued from the side of the highway; he was an un-neutered male, so that had to be attended to. He was fine taking him to the vet without a carrier, but when I was bringing him home, he decided to repay my kindness by pissing (gallons, I think) all over the back seat of my car. Oh, and since it takes a while for the testosterone to drain down, my car was stench-icious until I finally got rid of it. There wasn't enough enzyme-based cleaner in the world to knock it out. I think spite-pee is extra fragrant!
Yeah, Walter is going in when we leave and not getting out until we arrive at our destination, with bowls of water and food and his litter box set up. I worry, too, about accidents; if anything happens, he could get released out on the road and run out into traffic. Papi has a car-seat that has a tether attached; don't any of you laugh (or if you do, don't tell me)! It keeps him safe, and he's a little guy so it elevates him so that he can see while we're moving. One of the biggest causes of motion sickness is that if you can't see the motion associated with your movement and it throws your body orientation off.
Yeah, Walter is going in when we leave and not getting out until we arrive at our destination, with bowls of water and food and his litter box set up. I worry, too, about accidents; if anything happens, he could get released out on the road and run out into traffic. Papi has a car-seat that has a tether attached; don't any of you laugh (or if you do, don't tell me)! It keeps him safe, and he's a little guy so it elevates him so that he can see while we're moving. One of the biggest causes of motion sickness is that if you can't see the motion associated with your movement and it throws your body orientation off.
Re: Soka Gakkai International -- SGI
Posted by:
meh
()
Date: March 17, 2014 02:20AM
I came across an interesting term the other evening - "Occam's Broom." I knew he had a razor, but wasn't aware that he had housecleaning implements as well.
Ockham’s broom is an implement conceived by Sydney Brenner as the device whereby inconvenient facts are swept under the carpet. This is common practice in biological research where the facts often cannot be explained all at once; but in due course the edge of the carpet must be lifted and the untidy reality confronted. In this eclectic series, contributors examine the sweepings from their fields and offer a fresh perspective on generally accepted views. (Ockham’s broom should not be confused with the more familiar Ockham’s razor which inspired this less philosophically correct concept.)
Do we know any people who have used this implement?
Ockham’s broom is an implement conceived by Sydney Brenner as the device whereby inconvenient facts are swept under the carpet. This is common practice in biological research where the facts often cannot be explained all at once; but in due course the edge of the carpet must be lifted and the untidy reality confronted. In this eclectic series, contributors examine the sweepings from their fields and offer a fresh perspective on generally accepted views. (Ockham’s broom should not be confused with the more familiar Ockham’s razor which inspired this less philosophically correct concept.)
Do we know any people who have used this implement?
Occam's Broom -- I know it well
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: March 17, 2014 03:17AM
Too many people in my life.
That is why I have become so active on this message board.
Here is the counter-weapon to Occam's Broom.
A proverb attributed to reporters.
"If your mommy says she loves you, check it out."
Google citation
That is why I have become so active on this message board.
Here is the counter-weapon to Occam's Broom.
A proverb attributed to reporters.
"If your mommy says she loves you, check it out."
Google citation
Re: Soka Gakkai International -- SGI
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: March 17, 2014 03:27AM
My family:
I found out at age 12 I was Jewish on Dad's side, and found it out by accident.
Shortly afterward, the parents let slip that Grandma and her second husband just happened to be killed by the Nazis.
Mom ditched the Catholic Church. Bitched about it all the time. But every time Grandma came to town or we visited her, Mom faked it, went to Mass, and dragged me along. Anything to keep the peace. Thing that sucked was I was not allowed to play my Tom Lehrer records at those times, not even my favorite, The Vatican Rag
Mom told me that she and Dad bought the house together.
Two years ago, I found out Dad and his boyfriend bought the house and then 2 years later, Dad signed his share over to his boyfriend.
So, without my knowing it, Mom and Dad and I were tenants of Dad's boyfriend. Who just happened to live in the house as Dad's 'student'.
Mom claimed she was the love of Dad's life. I found out by researching marriage records and letters that Dad promised to marry Mom. Mom came out to our town to marry Dad (and she'd gotten preggers by him and had had an abortion, so was desperate to be made an honest woman of)...and Dad was in the process of marrying this other gal -- and his boyfriend signed as witness to the marriage certificate.
Mom claimed Dad had 'given her the world'. I found out years later that Dad, despite waiting 8 years to marry Mom was so paranoid that if she went to the car to get groceries, Dad was convinced she'd gone out to screw someone.
To hide that she was living 'in sin' with an unmarried man, Mom gave an address to her family that was not her residential address. It was the home address of Dad's car mechanic.
And after they all died, Mom's best friend kept on lying.
All to sweep bad stuff under the carpet and keep things smooth.
Truth will out, though.
I grew up thinking I was retarded.
When someone asked why (I was in college, doing well) I told the person, "I feel something important is going on. And I am too stupid to understand what it is."
I was not retarded. I was picking up nonverbals in the absence of validating information, since the validating information had been swept under the carpet -- using Occams Broom!
I found out at age 12 I was Jewish on Dad's side, and found it out by accident.
Shortly afterward, the parents let slip that Grandma and her second husband just happened to be killed by the Nazis.
Mom ditched the Catholic Church. Bitched about it all the time. But every time Grandma came to town or we visited her, Mom faked it, went to Mass, and dragged me along. Anything to keep the peace. Thing that sucked was I was not allowed to play my Tom Lehrer records at those times, not even my favorite, The Vatican Rag
Mom told me that she and Dad bought the house together.
Two years ago, I found out Dad and his boyfriend bought the house and then 2 years later, Dad signed his share over to his boyfriend.
So, without my knowing it, Mom and Dad and I were tenants of Dad's boyfriend. Who just happened to live in the house as Dad's 'student'.
Mom claimed she was the love of Dad's life. I found out by researching marriage records and letters that Dad promised to marry Mom. Mom came out to our town to marry Dad (and she'd gotten preggers by him and had had an abortion, so was desperate to be made an honest woman of)...and Dad was in the process of marrying this other gal -- and his boyfriend signed as witness to the marriage certificate.
Mom claimed Dad had 'given her the world'. I found out years later that Dad, despite waiting 8 years to marry Mom was so paranoid that if she went to the car to get groceries, Dad was convinced she'd gone out to screw someone.
To hide that she was living 'in sin' with an unmarried man, Mom gave an address to her family that was not her residential address. It was the home address of Dad's car mechanic.
And after they all died, Mom's best friend kept on lying.
All to sweep bad stuff under the carpet and keep things smooth.
Truth will out, though.
I grew up thinking I was retarded.
When someone asked why (I was in college, doing well) I told the person, "I feel something important is going on. And I am too stupid to understand what it is."
I was not retarded. I was picking up nonverbals in the absence of validating information, since the validating information had been swept under the carpet -- using Occams Broom!
Moral of story
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: March 17, 2014 03:30AM
* Check property records to see who actually owned your family house or other property
* Marriages, all of them
*Check date marriage license was issued and when the marriage took place
*Who signed as witnesses? Family, friends -- or some random pair of strangers at the courthouse
* Did your parents marry in town or your home county, or in another city or county far, far away?
*Any announcement in the papers?
*Any wedding picture? No wedding picture for Mom and Dad. But..Ihave a photo of Dad and his boyfriend looking more like a couple than any photo of Dad and Mom.
* Marriages, all of them
*Check date marriage license was issued and when the marriage took place
*Who signed as witnesses? Family, friends -- or some random pair of strangers at the courthouse
* Did your parents marry in town or your home county, or in another city or county far, far away?
*Any announcement in the papers?
*Any wedding picture? No wedding picture for Mom and Dad. But..Ihave a photo of Dad and his boyfriend looking more like a couple than any photo of Dad and Mom.
In a crisis, check it out -- even an obit
Posted by:
corboy
()
Date: March 17, 2014 03:34AM
[www.poynter.org]
Quote
By Greg Toppo
This past weekend I was the only reporter on duty at the paper. Well, Saturday afternoon I get a call from a very distraught woman, says she’s calling from Washington, D.C.
Seems a family member, who lived for years in Santa Fe, died Thursday in D.C., and could we run a short obit for him in the Sunday paper? I said sure, just fax us the info, and we’ll try to run it, I’m sorry to hear about your loss. She thanks me 100 times over, says she’ll try to fax the stuff right away.
A few hours later a three-page handwritten fax comes in, detailing this guy’s life. I ask the editor if he wants to run it, he says we’ve got no room, wait until Sunday to deal with it.
So Sunday rolls around, it’s a madhouse. When things calm down, I go through the pile of stuff on my desk, about 8:30 p.m., and I find the fax. I ask the Sunday editor if she wants to run it. She says sure, so I type up six inches on the thing. At the end of the fax, it says that in lieu of flowers, donations should be sent to the New Mexico AIDS Center.
Well, I’ve never heard of the place, so I look it up in the phone book. No New Mexico AIDS Center. I think, the woman is in D.C., probably doing all of it from memory, she must just have the details wrong. So I look at the fax to see if she’s given us a number. No number, no name. She sent it from a Kinkos, but they don’t give their number, either. I give it to the editor to look at. She says, “I know this guy!” I just saw him a month ago! He looked great!
A bell should have gone off, but it didn’t. I thought maybe it was a sudden illness. Still, the New Mexico AIDS Center thing is bugging me. I notice that there’s a place called NM AIDS Services, but I’m reluctant to type that in, for fear of just plain getting it wrong.
Well, it seems this guy was married twice and is survived by a longtime companion. The editor, it turns out, knows the longtime companion, leaves a message on her machine, so sorry to hear about it, please give me a call, etc. Meanwhile, she suggests, why don’t I try to get the second wife on the phone. She lives in Santa Fe.
I call her, apologize for the inconvenience, but had she heard about the death of etc. and has she ever heard about New Mexico AIDS Center?
She says, “What?!”
Yes, I say, I’m awfully sorry. He died Thursday.
She says, Well, I just talked to him this morning. His daughter got married today. Who is this?
The long and short of it is that the second ex-wife tells me that the guy had a girlfriend in Austin, Texas, with whom he just broke up, plus the longtime companion in Santa Fe: two girlfriends in long-distance relationships for months, and the Texas one just found out about the Santa Fe one. I called Austin info, and sure enough the fax was sent from Austin, not D.C.
The jilted girlfriend made up the whole thing. We finally got the Santa Fe girlfriend on the phone, she verified it. The “deceased” called an hour later and did the same, with great embarrassment.
It was then, of course, that I remembered “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” As it turns out, we have no policy on accepting obits from family members, but thanks to this, we will soon. I thank my stars that we made the calls. The editor thanks hers, too.
Quote
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/9687/newspaper-falls-for-students-bogus-spring-break-war-story/
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