sophie
Break My Heart
That's a paddlin
Random Raves 40: Happy new year
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That's a paddlin
That's certainly a paddlin'.
Returne to ye Chatangoishe Hell whence ye came, foul beast!I'm there and I'm the coolest
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Alright so the question at trivia was "Which body of water has Istria as its largest peninsula?". Open ended question, not multiple choice, worth 2 points (most questions are worth 1)
I'm our team's "geography guy" so I start thinking about it. I've never heard of Istria.. where could it be? I start mentally going through some bodies of water that might contain such a place. The Med. sea is an obvious first choice, as Istria sounds a bit Latin. But Italy has got to be the largest peninsula there, so ..
While I'm thinking the rest of my team are throwing out potential answers.. "Arctic ocean! Pacific ocean". The trivia master is about to move on to the next question, and our group leader expectantly looks at me. "My answer is the Adriatic Sea, it's just a guess, but I think it's a better answer than the two we already have". I went with the Adriatic, because logically thinking through potential bodies of water, I thought a part of the Med. sea made sense.. or possibly some bay near South America or something like that. But the Caribbean has Florida as the largest peninsula I believe, and so.. Adriatic Sea it was, I couldn't think of any other part of the Med. sea that had a large peninsula that I didn't know about. It was a guess, but I thought it was a much better guess than the Arctic or Pacific oceans.
Anyway, turns out I was right. We ended up winning the week by 3 points. I also got Bhutan right on the "name this country by looking at this map" question (Bhutan seems popular in trivia so I've taught myself a bunch of things about it, like the capital, etc.), and... "Which one of these countries was the last to declare independence". That was easy though, the answer was Estonia. There was also a question about timezones. "Which one of these countries has the most timezones?". I immediately crossed off China, which some people questioned. "I am 100% sure that they only have 1 timezone". From there the rest of the team deduced that the answer must be Mexico. A lot of Canadians travel to Mexico for winter vacations, so some people on our team knew exactly how many time zones there are there.. while I tried to remember how many Ukraine had. I'm the geography guy but I wasn't 100% sure and team consensus was strong enough for our team leader to go with Mexico. Which was right.
We are now ahead in the standings by a bit, we are starting to develop a bit of a lead this season. We've won the last 2 seasons.. but competition is tough. There are 2 other teams that are always in the top 5 and usually in the top 3. We usually finish in the top 2 or 3 ourselves, and our competitors are usually right on our heels, or slightly ahead of us.
It's super fun, but I need to brush up on more geography. I've been going to a site that puts together geography quizzes for me, world capitals, peninsulas, seas, country names, regions, etc. I also wouldn't mind knowing more about history, but that's a lot harder to try to memorize. There's just so much. I am sort of the "go to" history guy, when there's a history question people usually look at me. I'm not an expert though so I usually help as much as I can. I'd love to help more but .. yeah. We also struggle a bit with ancient greek stuff, composers, authors, etc. We can only have 8 members on a team though, and each one of us specializes in a different area, so it's not possible to cover everything. But I do wish I paid more attention in some classes I took when I was a youngin
I'm our team's "geography guy" so I start thinking about it. I've never heard of Istria.. where could it be? I start mentally going through some bodies of water that might contain such a place. The Med. sea is an obvious first choice, as Istria sounds a bit Latin. But Italy has got to be the largest peninsula there, so ..
While I'm thinking the rest of my team are throwing out potential answers.. "Arctic ocean! Pacific ocean". The trivia master is about to move on to the next question, and our group leader expectantly looks at me. "My answer is the Adriatic Sea, it's just a guess, but I think it's a better answer than the two we already have". I went with the Adriatic, because logically thinking through potential bodies of water, I thought a part of the Med. sea made sense.. or possibly some bay near South America or something like that. But the Caribbean has Florida as the largest peninsula I believe, and so.. Adriatic Sea it was, I couldn't think of any other part of the Med. sea that had a large peninsula that I didn't know about. It was a guess, but I thought it was a much better guess than the Arctic or Pacific oceans.
Anyway, turns out I was right. We ended up winning the week by 3 points. I also got Bhutan right on the "name this country by looking at this map" question (Bhutan seems popular in trivia so I've taught myself a bunch of things about it, like the capital, etc.), and... "Which one of these countries was the last to declare independence". That was easy though, the answer was Estonia. There was also a question about timezones. "Which one of these countries has the most timezones?". I immediately crossed off China, which some people questioned. "I am 100% sure that they only have 1 timezone". From there the rest of the team deduced that the answer must be Mexico. A lot of Canadians travel to Mexico for winter vacations, so some people on our team knew exactly how many time zones there are there.. while I tried to remember how many Ukraine had. I'm the geography guy but I wasn't 100% sure and team consensus was strong enough for our team leader to go with Mexico. Which was right.
We are now ahead in the standings by a bit, we are starting to develop a bit of a lead this season. We've won the last 2 seasons.. but competition is tough. There are 2 other teams that are always in the top 5 and usually in the top 3. We usually finish in the top 2 or 3 ourselves, and our competitors are usually right on our heels, or slightly ahead of us.
It's super fun, but I need to brush up on more geography. I've been going to a site that puts together geography quizzes for me, world capitals, peninsulas, seas, country names, regions, etc. I also wouldn't mind knowing more about history, but that's a lot harder to try to memorize. There's just so much. I am sort of the "go to" history guy, when there's a history question people usually look at me. I'm not an expert though so I usually help as much as I can. I'd love to help more but .. yeah. We also struggle a bit with ancient greek stuff, composers, authors, etc. We can only have 8 members on a team though, and each one of us specializes in a different area, so it's not possible to cover everything. But I do wish I paid more attention in some classes I took when I was a youngin
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
Istria's wonderful! Little bit of Croatia with its particular history. There's a star fort in Pula that dates from the days when it was Venetian, which contrast with the Roman remnants scattered across the city, and these with the colourful cranes of the dock. It was also an important Austro-Hungarian naval base and has tunnels that cross its central hill from all directions. Nice place to visit. Strong Italian influences, Istrian cuisine is basically Italian cuisine with truffles.
Well done! Trivia victory always feels good.
Well done! Trivia victory always feels good.
As an EU4 player, often looking at eastern Europe, I'd know instantly that Istria is on the Adriatic. It's welcome land for any power in that area, including Austria and Byzantium. 
For fun trivia, it's France that crosses the most timelines in the world, as they regard each of their colonial holdings as an explicit part of the French nation.
For fun trivia, it's France that crosses the most timelines in the world, as they regard each of their colonial holdings as an explicit part of the French nation.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
I love how certain questions like that lead to me learning about a part of the world. Like Istria in this case, now I'm partially intrigued by it
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
I've been meaning to. I was thinking of going this weekend.
Hygro
soundcloud.com/hygro/
my friends dads cancer surgery was a success all the way. we partied on a rock overlooking the bay
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
It's good that you no longer do. 
Snerk
Smeghead
It's snowing! Perhaps too little too late but I'll take it all the same.
Lohrenswald
世界的 bottom ranked physicist
Hasn't it been done before?I might be translating some works by F. Kafka, into greek, for a new book
In philosophy class our lecturer said that not everything we have from Aristoteles has been translated to norwegian, which I think is stupid
The same goes for any great author who hasn't been entierly translated really, like Kafka
Afaik all of Kafka's works (those not being the subject of a trial - in Israel, not in the eponymous novel
- have been translated to greek. Kafka's books sell quite well here, which is why it is likely i will be translating his work 
But there are likely other colors that also go with the decor and colors, as well. That is, unless your walls and carpet are a particularly difficult shade.
I'm surprised that someone who does so much traveling and is fearless about eating strange foods would be reticent about trying new home decor.
At least you can choose what color you want the walls to be. I'm sitting here in a light beige room with a dark beige carpet and eggshell-white blinds. I'm not allowed to change any of this. So when it came to bedding, I just decided to go with an American Southwest color scheme. It works nicely, and is quite cheerful. Add to that my numerous mismatched bookshelves, and it's tolerable. If I had a choice, my walls would be pale green, as I find that color very relaxing.
So go for a contrast. Not a jarring one, but something a bit different. Add a few other things in the room with that same color and it balances.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
I am not reluctant to try new home decor, I just know that I suck at matching things to work together, so it'd be a game of trial and error. Usually error.
I am redesigning my office this year, or at least that's the plan. We'll see how that goes. All I know is that whenever I'm tasked with picking a new paint colour, or blinds, or furniture, or light fixture, nothing ever looks good to me in my mind. I can't imagine any of it ever looking good together. So I'll walk through an entire department of light fixtures and not buy anything because "I don't like any of them". Same with paint colours. What I need is someone to sit me down and say "Try this colour combo or maybe this one". One of them will look good to me, I'll go with it, and it will work. But I would never have been able to figure out that combo by myself.
Same with clothes. I can buy pants that look good, but ask me what shirt will go well with it, and I'll point to one I already own and have worn with those pants. If I have to pick out which shirt will look with those pants, it'll mean actually putting every single shirt on and seeing first-hand which one works and which doesn't. Trying to imagine it in my mind doesn't work, I actually have to try it. This obviously doesn't work with paint colours and furniture elements.
I've tried using google sketchup, but last time I used it it was a bit too clunky
There are websites and reasonably inexpensive programs that let you design rooms yourself. You can shift furniture, fixtures, and accessories around to see what arrangements you like, and you can experiment with colors.
Of course that's never a substitute for the actual space you'll be using, but if I'm not mistaken, some programs/websites allow you to upload photos of the actual space. From there you can start experimenting.
As for clothes... well, I've seen a few photos of you, and you should be able to wear most colors and look good in them. The trick is in combining colors and/or prints. There's something my mother told me when I was a child and first learning to decide for myself what to wear each day: "Blue and green should never be seen." Well, that's true in many cases; some shades clash horribly. Same with yellow and just about everything except white, unless you're using jewel tones, dusty tones, or autumn tones. In that case, yellow can go with quite a few colors.
Do the places where you shop for clothes have websites? If so, it might help to have a color-savvy friend look at it with you and give you some tips or suggestions on what items combine well. Or go shopping with a friend you trust to give good advice (it's not only something women do; I've seen men bring someone along to give suggestions or opinions). In most cases the sales staff can give helpful suggestions... if they're not on commission.
Buying light fixtures is something I don't enjoy. There are no ceiling lights in my living room, so I had to get lamps or sit in the dark after sundown. I keep the blinds drawn all the time, both for privacy and to stay comfortable. With large glass window/doors leading to the balcony and a western exposure, my place can get awfully hot in the summer. The blinds help keep some of the heat out.
I don't worry too much about lamps. Sturdy, not too fussy-looking, and functional is all I ask. I had to replace the bedroom lamp recently because it accidentally got knocked over and something got broken past my knowledge of how to fix it (not the bulb; it's fine). So I decided that for the first time in my life, why not have actual matching table lamps? Walmart still had a couple of lamps that matched the one in my living room, so now I have two of them.
GoodEnoughForMe
n.m.s.s.
Someone at work bought me a 6 pack of a bunch of craft beers from around the country. It's also 60F in February in Michigan, for the 2nd time this winter, which is entirely bizarre.
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