If you need to B*tch about something... this is the place — Page 14

I'm the father of a 2 year old, and I never EVER give parenting advice or any manner of unsolicitied opinion stronger than "have you noticed your toddler has a knife?"

A pal shot me an email. She's expecting her second kid, and her 1st, a two years old like mine, is a hassle, stays up all night, doesn't eat... etc. She asked me how I manage mine.

I shot back the simple truth as I see it. His mother and I make a very strong point to stick to a schedule. Eating, napping, playing, etc. This takes a lot of work, has been ongoing for his entire life, and requires more than a little sacrifice and a certain loss of freedom. I think these familiar routines are the reason my kid is fairly mild mannered. I know that my friend does not particuarly keep routines like this.

She responds with "Well, it sounds like you're sure having an easy time with your kid than I have with mine. I hope my second kid is like yours."

Eek! My kids not 'easy.' We bust our butts on that routine, and I think we reap some benefits. People can raise their kids however they see fit, but she asked me for my thoughts. If all you want is sympathy, don't ask for advice. Don't act like I just got lucky on the 'easy kid' lottery. Arg.

As an outsider on the biological reproduction front I have noticed that some children are living saints and others are demons from hell and often the quality of and effort put into parenting makes very little visible difference.

Not that I'm suggesting that parents should go out their way to be utter gits or that your efforts Boostdad are a waste of time but it is possible that your email pal may be, through no fault of her own, just blessed with a bit more of a child challenge than even your methodical parental routine could contain.

One of my nieces and one of my cousins were both like something out The Exorcist in their early years, only my late Father could get any degree of control over them and he did it with out any sort of plan or any obvious effort (I think it might have been his Sebastian Shaw eyebrows).

They both grew up to be rather well balanced adults (though my cousin has this strange obsession with collecting different versions of Top Gun????).

Bingowings said:

As an outsider on the biological reproduction front I have noticed that some children are living saints and others are demons from hell and often the quality of and effort put into parenting makes very little visible difference.

Not that I'm suggesting that parents should go out their way to be utter gits or that your efforts Boostdad are a waste of time but it is possible that your email pal may be, through no fault of her own, just blessed with a bit more of a child challenge than even your methodical parental routine could contain.

I don't disagree, and never claim to be any sort of parent expert (I have one kid, what the hell do I know?) which is why I never offer advice unsolicited.

It's the specifically asking for advice and flippant dismissal that got my gout.

Basil of Farty Towels said :

Don't mention the GOUT!

lol

I always liked Basil of Flowery Twats, myself.  ;)

Edit: *insert inevitable Frink remark 'your mom likes flowery twats'*

doubleofive said:

 

TV's Frink said:

Bingowings said:

Perhaps we shouldn't have been so quick to knock the Rapture guy.

What, he was just two days early?

I'm sure there's a margin of error when you're trying to pinpoint something that happened 7000 years ago to a modern calendar.

 

Well, that's why you shouldn't go around claiming you know the exact day AND TIME!!! of the rapture.

hairy_hen said:

Edit: *insert inevitable Frink remark 'your mom likes flowery twats'*

Meh, too easy...

...just like your mom.

The best part was the local time bit.  It would actually follow the rotation of the earth!

Never heard that one before.

TV's Frink said:

The best part was the local time bit.  It would actually follow the rotation of the earth!

Never heard that one before.

I read that American Samoa recently voted that since they're right on the international date line, they now want to be seen as the FIRST to be in the new day, instead of the last as they were previously.

I wondered if God got that message, and when the rapture hits, when they get sucked up.

Not to mention crazy-ass places like Arizona, where you are never sure what time it is.  How would God deal with that?  It's not like he's omnipot--

Oh.

 "Speaker of the Dead" is one of the WORST science fiction novels I've ever read. I'd rather read the worst the EU has to offer than this.

SPOILERS

The entirety of all of the conflict, both character based and xenobiology, stems entirely from people being really really really stupid. Not just a few people, but generations of people across the entire society are unable to piece together what the reader no doubt figures out in the first few pages. The hero shows up, calmly explains whats-what to all the morons, and the book ends.

There are so many moments of characters saying "well, this situation doesn't make sense as we understand it, but there's no other possible explanation" and shrugging I started to wonder if I was reading a parody.

How is this a classic?

Is it a classic?

Ender's Game is, but I didn't realize any of the sequels/prequels/parallels/whatever are.

And have you read the later Bean books?  Yikes.

TV's Frink said:

Is it a classic?

Ender's Game is, but I didn't realize any of the sequels/prequels/parallels/whatever are.

Someone at the library told me "Speaker for the Dead" was "brilliant". I almost hit her. 

You should have.  Otherwise you are a genderist.

TV's Frink said:

You should have.  Otherwise you are a genderist.

 But Orson Scott Card is a Mormon. Hitting someone for liking his work might be religiously intolerant.

Did I say genderist?  I mean Enderist.

I need to bitch about the lack of NBA playoff games on One-HD in Sydney. They show 2-3 live games a week during regular season and then turn cheap come playoff time with 1 a week if you're lucky. Then for the finals I have to go to the pub or shell out for pay tv because they show each game 2 or 3 days late 'cos it costs them less. BASTARDS. I only found out 3-4 days ago that it was conference finals and Boston, LA and San Antonio were all gone. Go Chicago. If the frickin' Miami Heat win the championship I will be pissed.

Showing more regular season games than playoffs is completely backwards.

I know. Turns out they are showing the rest of the Eastern Conference Finals though, so that's something. Regular season they generally show live at about 10:30am and replay at about midnight. If EC Final goes to game 7 I can watch it live at 10:30am or the replay at... 7am the next day. WTF!

It isn't one of the more popular sports here, especially with people older than me. MJ ruled the game when I was in High School and did a lot for the NBA and the game internationally. Our league is all D and 3 pointers; pretty boring to watch.

I probably followed a bit closer than most guys my age but being born in Iowa I went for the Bulls since I was a kid. I got annoyed in a way when they actually started winning championships; the amount of people who jumped on the Bulls bandwagon and made my 23 jersey look common :(

I'm from Chicago so I've been a Bulls fan as long as I can remember.

Speaking of which...wasn't (isn't) Luc Longley Australian?