Random Rants LXIV: Who's Acting Like a Child Now?

[Dachs]

What made elephant logistics horribly complicated, especially compared to the large amount of stuff that had to be brought along for the horses and men.

Elephants eat a lot per animal, and their grooming and care required significant amounts of time. I think it's not unreasonable to say that in many cases the elephants required disproportionate logistical support compared to the tactical value that they possessed, especially compared to horses and humans. Since Hannibal got less than a season's campaigning out of his elephants, his invasion of Italy qualifies as one of those cases.

 

[W|M]

Must have been a pretty big psychological blow for the Romans to see elephants in Italy, though

 

[Takhisis]

They'd already seen those of Pyrrhos half a century before.

 

[Dachs]

They'd already seen those of Pyrrhos half a century before.

well most of those guys weren't with the army in northern Italy

 

[Borachio]

Note to self: make no mention of history when Mr Dachs is anywhere in sight.

 

[Daw]

Also, a film emphatically named ‘Слон’ I've watched a couple months ago appears to indicate that elephants can survive in Russia.

Just watched it, thanks for the referral; nice film Makes me curious though whether you watched it dubbed or with subs or plain in Russian?

 

[Flying Pig]

They'd already seen those of Pyrrhos half a century before.

well most of those guys weren't with the army in northern Italy

Even in the days of the professional army, a career was twenty-five years. You also don't have the sort of training that would give the army a really strong 'institutional memory' - it's a bit like saying that American soldiers today should be well-placed to handle jungle warfare, because they should remember Vietnam, which sounds a bit ridiculous even when you factor in that American soldiers still train in jungles and put the lessons of Vietnam into practice. The Roman legions weren't lining up on the Campus Martius and doing anti-elephant drills!

 

[Commodore]

Rant: Had to sleep in my daughter's bed last night. My wife and daughter went to bed around the same time and my daughter was in her own bed when she went to sleep. However, about an hour later, when I decided to go to bed, I found a certain 5-year-old sleeping on my side of the bed. She had even brought her own blanket, pillow, and stuffed animal in, indicating that she was firmly entrenched on my side of the bed. Not wanting to disturb her, I grabbed my pillow and blanket and went to sleep in her bed. Thankfully, we have already upgraded her bed to an adult-sized bed, so it's not like I got a terrible night sleep. It's just the fact that I got my bed hijacked by a 5-year-old. And she did it stealthily too.

 

[Sommerswerd]

The paying of the rent, mortgage, etc and the buying of the food clothes etc and the cooking of said food, coupled with the driving to and from... everywhere and all various associated things that go along with that entitle me to unilateral right and privilege to push any child I find on my side of the bed into the middle. Then they get to listen to my snoring. If they don't like it then too bad, they can go back to their own bed. That's why I got them beds that look like racecars and pirate ships, so they stay out of mine.

But they can sleep in my bed too if they want I like having them near and all that mushy stuff.

 

[Dachs]

Rant: people who do something stupid in public and who are called out on it often respond by shrugging it off as "I'm glad we started a dialogue on this subject!" That'd be great if, y'know, a dialogue didn't already exist, and the reason they screwed up in the first place is because they ignored the existing dialogue.

Even in the days of the professional army, a career was twenty-five years. You also don't have the sort of training that would give the army a really strong 'institutional memory' - it's a bit like saying that American soldiers today should be well-placed to handle jungle warfare, because they should remember Vietnam, which sounds a bit ridiculous even when you factor in that American soldiers still train in jungles and put the lessons of Vietnam into practice. The Roman legions weren't lining up on the Campus Martius and doing anti-elephant drills!

Zackly.

 

[Commodore]

The paying of the rent, mortgage, etc and the buying of the food clothes etc and the cooking of said food, coupled with the driving to and from... everywhere and all various associated things that go along with that entitle me to unilateral right and privilege to push any child I find on my side of the bed into the middle. Then they get to listen to my snoring. If they don't like it then too bad, they can go back to their own bed. That's why I got them beds that look like racecars and pirate ships, so they stay out of mine.

But they can sleep in my bed too if they want I like having them near and all that mushy stuff.

Shoving her to the middle wasn't an option. For some reason, she sleeps like a normal human being when in her own bed, but if she sleeps in our bed, she has this weird habit of turning perpendicular to my wife and I so one of us gets her feet in our face. That's why I just said "screw it" and went to sleep in her bed.

EDIT: And she's a kicker in her sleep too.

 

[Takhisis]

Just watched it, thanks for the referral; nice film Makes me curious though whether you watched it dubbed or with subs or plain in Russian?

Oh, I watched it on Eurochannel. Which means that it was subbed into English, rather imperfectly, and then the subtitles were translated, also imperfectly, into Spanish.

They'd already seen those of Pyrrhos half a century before.

well most of those guys weren't with the army in northern Italy

Even in the days of the professional army, a career was twenty-five years. You also don't have the sort of training that would give the army a really strong 'institutional memory' - it's a bit like saying that American soldiers today should be well-placed to handle jungle warfare, because they should remember Vietnam, which sounds a bit ridiculous even when you factor in that American soldiers still train in jungles and put the lessons of Vietnam into practice. The Roman legions weren't lining up on the Campus Martius and doing anti-elephant drills!

Yes, but the myth of the invincible war elephant had been at least partially dispelled. The Romans dealt with them quite sensibly at Zama.

Rant: Had to sleep in my daughter's bed last night. My wife and daughter went to bed around the same time and my daughter was in her own bed when she went to sleep. However, about an hour later, when I decided to go to bed, I found a certain 5-year-old sleeping on my side of the bed. She had even brought her own blanket, pillow, and stuffed animal in, indicating that she was firmly entrenched on my side of the bed. Not wanting to disturb her, I grabbed my pillow and blanket and went to sleep in her bed. Thankfully, we have already upgraded her bed to an adult-sized bed, so it's not like I got a terrible night sleep. It's just the fact that I got my bed hijacked by a 5-year-old. And she did it stealthily too.

So you let yourself be bullied by a five-year-old hijacker? That's not the US way at all! Pulling a gun on a 5-year-old is too much, but at least use a mister and make discipline felt.

Now, in… eleven years' time, remember to tell us what happens when she asks for the car keys.

The paying of the rent, mortgage, etc and the buying of the food clothes etc and the cooking of said food, coupled with the driving to and from... everywhere and all various associated things that go along with that entitle me to unilateral right and privilege to push any child I find on my side of the bed into the middle. Then they get to listen to my snoring. If they don't like it then too bad, they can go back to their own bed. That's why I got them beds that look like racecars and pirate ships, so they stay out of mine.

But they can sleep in my bed too if they want I like having them near and all that mushy stuff.

Pah, you got them those beds because you're an irrepressible nerd.

*Takhisis is really thankful that his computer screen is one-way, unlike those in 1984, or else they would see his room*

 

[Commodore]

So you let yourself be bullied by a five-year-old hijacker? That's not the US way at all! Pulling a gun on a 5-year-old is too much, but at least use a mister and make discipline felt.

Now, in… eleven years' time, remember to tell us what happens when she asks for the car keys.

With all the money family members shower her with at every conceivable opportunity, she'll have enough money to buy her own car in eleven years. I swear this kid probably has more money than me right now.

 

[Takhisis]

Money, you say? My answer is ‘Patria potestas’.

 

[Flying Pig]

Yes, but the myth of the invincible war elephant had been at least partially dispelled. The Romans dealt with them quite sensibly at Zama.

You don't need much of a myth when the thing weighs two and a half tons.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Money, you say? My answer is ‘Patria potestas’.

Link to video.

root of all evil man

 

[Sommerswerd]

Pah, you got them those beds because you're an irrepressible nerd.

Guilty

 

[azzaman333]

I don't know why I so consistently try to sabotage my own life, but here I am doing it again. I hate myself so much.

 

[JohannaK]

No, man, I'm sure you can get out of it.

 

[Commodore]

I don't know why I so consistently try to sabotage my own life, but here I am doing it again. I hate myself so much.

Fear of success maybe?

Signs of Fear of Success

The biggest problem for many people is that their fear of success is largely unconscious. They just don't realize that they've been holding themselves back from doing something great.

If you experience the following thoughts or fears, you might have a fear of success on some level:

You feel guilty about any success you have, no matter how small, because your friends, family, or co-workers haven't had the same success.
You don't tell others about your accomplishments.
You avoid or procrastinate on big projects, especially projects that could lead to recognition.
You frequently compromise your own goals or agenda to avoid conflict in a group, or even conflict within your family.
You self-sabotage your work or dreams by convincing yourself that you're not good enough to achieve them.
You feel, subconsciously, that you don't deserve to enjoy success in your life.
You believe that if you do achieve success, you won't be able to sustain it. Eventually you'll fail, and end up back in a worse place than where you started. So you think, "why bother?"