The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2017

[arouetta]

I didn't think to get the plate number.

I do think I'm going to invest as soon as possible in a pair of helmet cameras, front and rear.

 

[Moz]

Today has been three years since Scratch died and I still find myself wondering if Squee remembers her at all.

 

[muffy]

When I had my first feral colony the ferals would have their babies in March or April. Only 1 feral would have a litter both March and September.

Muffy

 

[kashmir64]

Well I got my new phone. But there was trouble transferring the number from Verizon. So they had to put in a problem ticket and it will have to wait on activation for 24-48 hours. I may still play with it a bit. Until then I still have my verizon phone active. I can't wait. Today I made a total of three phone calls and dropped every single one. It's been months since I didn't drop a call. It will be so nice not to.

 

[tallyollyopia]

You can Google "San Diego Humane Society & SPCA-198 Photos" which has lots of pics of the shelter, "Irvine Animal Care Center" under "Upcoming Events" shows a picture of the outside grounds with the building in the background at an adoption event. Too bad they don't have more pics.
The San Diego Shelter is quire new, look at their history on their website, and they rent out part of their facility for fundraising events and other venues which brings them lots of money. Remember that it takes money to make money and this shelter does just that.

I won't forget.

I heard that in feral colonies all of the queens take turns babysitting.


I had been thinking of saying something along the lines of "Gorgeous! And the cats are pretty good looking, too."

Margret

I've never heard that. Then again, I can't think of a reason for that to be false.

Margret
I have even seen cats with no litter start lactating and adopt an orphaned litter. It is really amazing.
An old black tom started hanging around last winter, when one of the moms nested far from the others he hunted and helped her care for the litter.

I always heard that toms will kill the kittens, to bring the mother back into heat.

I was really scared riding my bike home this evening.

Now take my impressions and thoughts with a grain of salt, there is some indications that I've gotten used to the Seroquel just enough that delusions may be creeping in. But what I saw is 100% real, I do not have hallucinations.

Legally bicycles are considered vehicles and therefore are supposed to be on the road with the cars. The exceptions to that law are when there's a designated bike path or a designated bike lane. These same basic laws are true all over the US though every state has some variation. In most places, it is illegal to ride your bike on a sidewalk; you are to get off and push it. Even when legal, it's a really bad idea when you look at typical sidewalk width, speed of bike vs speed of pedestrians and how much damage can be done to said pedestrian if hit by a bike, and visibility of cyclist by motor vehicles when a bicycle going full speed enters a crosswalk.

Going home, there's a bike lane paralleling the road for a little over a mile. However to get back off of it when I'm going to work would involve crossing the entire highway in an area with no crosswalk and no light. In other words, stupid dangerous for me and all four lanes of cars, and that makes it not a safe and practical option, and that means legally speaking I must be on the path going home but I am not required to be on it going to work. The sidewalks going to work have a bad habit of stopping suddenly and not at a road, literally you are walking along and then dirt. And there is another major road that I must cross that doesn't have any pedestrian crosswalks for at least a mile in either direction, so I must be a part of vehicle traffic crossing that road even if I did feel inclined to ride on sidewalks. Bottom line, legally and situationally, I'm part of vehicle traffic for all of my work commute and 2/3 of my home commute.

Well, it is clear that me riding my bike in a legal manner has really upset some people. Note, I'm riding on a 4 lane divided highway, so I'm very easy to pass by the cars simply moving into the left lane. Plus all right turns have a dedicated turn lane so I'm not blocking right turns either as I'm in the right thru lane, not the turn lane. I've been screamed at, I've had people lay on the horn the whole time they are passing me, I've had people pass with their tires on my side of the white line dividing lanes with maybe a foot to spare (most states require 3 feet), pull in front of me and then pull right back into the left lane and continue on.

Tonight I went to PT right after work, and part of the reason I chose the center is because I can get to it cutting through an old parking lot for half a mile literally right where I normally get on the bike path. (They ripped out all the buildings plus foundations, all the parking places, half the roads, and there's only 3 businesses and a lot of grass for nearly half a mile, so everyone cuts through it to get to the commercial area where my PT is.) Going home I got on the bike path. The bike lane parallels the road, with about a foot of grass between them, and has a crosswalk across all side roads. An old black sedan passed me and then immediately slowed down a lot. It stopped just short of where I had to cross a "road entrance". The road was never built and the only people who pull into that tiny area are cops setting up a speed trap, and this old black car was not a cop. The passenger window was rolled down and the passenger looked right at me as I approached and then passed.

After I passed, they started crawling forward, the passenger still looking at me. The speed limit is 40 mph and average speed is 50-55. They couldn't have even been doing 20, though they were just fast enough to pass me and my average speed is 12 mph. A police car drove by in the opposite direction and right then they picked up speed a bit. There's a turn at the base of a hill, so the road goes up and curves to the right, and I lost sight of them. I was unnerved by the stare, but told myself that maybe they were having car trouble. When I got partway up the hill, they were sitting in the right turn lane, just before the side road turned off. I got maybe halfway up and they got back into the right straight lane, going about the same below 20 speed as before.

At that point I was scared. I was seriously thinking about calling 911. Before that point, starting at the abandoned parking lot, all there is are woods, but that turn at the top of the hill is right where civilization starts again. I stayed right there for a bit and then crossed over pedaling very, very slowly. They stopped again in the right turn lane at the light about 1000 feet ahead and I just crawled along. Finally after two cars were behind them waiting to turn, they turned and drove off pretty fast.

Problem is that right after that light you go about 500 feet farther and the road closes. There's only one turnoff before the road closure (right and left), and the turnoff right at the road closure (right and left), so even with them turning off me not turning after them does narrow down where I live. My only saving grace is there's also a left turn at the light with lots of civilization, and I did not see that car while I was crossing the intersection.
Edit: The bike path ends at that light, and for safety I merge in where there's a side road a couple hundred feet before the light.

Because of the road closure, I have to travel through some of the interconnected parking lots of my apartment complex. Two don't quite hook together, you would have to go down a hill to the main road and then right back up a hill on the main road, and I'd rather push my bike along the short section of sidewalk connecting that parking lot to the parking lot next to mine. Normally I get back on and ride to the main road at the entrance to what looks like a cul-de-sac since my parking lot is also off that cul-de-sac, but I saw an old black car passing by the entrance towards my parking lot while I was still on the sidewalk. I don't know it was the same one, but I don't know that it wasn't. I opted to cross over the grassy commons in the back yards, and I parked my bike, helmet and backpack right outside my back door, walked around (even though my cycling clothes are unique), looked for an old black car and didn't see one, and walked in the front. Why didn't I just go in through the back? I didn't have my key and my daughter had locked the back door, since normally I come in through the front.

The fact that it stopped, I was stared at, it drove slow until the cop passed by, stopped again and started when I was close enough to be recognizable, drove slow until traffic built up.....I really feel like it was definitely an intimidation for me being on the road nearly every day, and maybe except for that cop car there could have been a confrontation where there was nothing but cars and trees, and maybe even an attempt to see where I live.

Did you get the plate number. I would've reported this.
I am glad you made it home safely. But I would be so unnerved I would lock all my doors.

I didn't think to get the plate number.

I do think I'm going to invest as soon as possible in a pair of helmet cameras, front and rear.

Good idea. If it happens again and it looks like they're following you home keep going. Do not lead them to your home. Is there any way to call the police while you're riding the bike? If they try to follow you home, call. Don't hesitate.

 

[kashmir64]

arouetta , this reminds me of something that happened a few years back. Not with me directly, but I was involved. My son's bus stop was the last in line and is in the middle of nowhere. All the other parents would get their kids and then take off. I always waited for the last parent to arrive before I left.
One day, one of the kids didn't have a ride. Miscommunication with his dad. A car pulled onto the road and went about two miles per hour. This boy was on his phone trying to call his dad and walking towards his house. The car drove really slow as it approached him. The boy stopped, the car stopped. The boy looked at the car and started to walk back towards me. The car started to reverse. I pause here to mention that this boy and my son hated each other, with a passion. I had seen enough and drove up to the boy and my son opened the back door. The boy jumped in. The car then sped off. This car did not belong up here. It was too clean. Almost all of our roads are dirt and the snow had barely melted. I then took the boy home.

Next day I asked all the parents if they recognized the car. No one did. This is a small town and every one knows every one. At least this far out of the actual town. The father was incredibly grateful for my intervention and this boy and my son even became sociable to each other.
Even after this, with the story told to all the parents at the bus stop, not a single one would wait until the last child was picked up before they left....except me. I guess some people are just too busy with their own little lives to be concerned about anybody else.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get the plate number.

 

[Margret]

Margret
I have even seen cats with no litter start lactating and adopt an orphaned litter. It is really amazing.
An old black tom started hanging around last winter, when one of the moms nested far from the others he hunted and helped her care for the litter.

It's called relactation. In a real pinch, any healthy adult mammal can do it, regardless of gender (though it's easier for a female, and easier if she's lactated before). {See, you probably thought that male tits were merely decorative. It turns out that they can actually be functional. }

I didn't think to get the plate number.

I do think I'm going to invest as soon as possible in a pair of helmet cameras, front and rear.

Until you get those, please, please, please if anything like this happens again get the license plate number and call 911! Do not tell the cops that you think you may be delusional; this is not a delusion, this is stalking behavior and it's incredibly dangerous. Do whatever you need to remember the license plate number -- save it as a note on your phone, or keep a pad and pencil handy, or install a recorder app on your phone so you can save it by just talking to your phone, but get that number and give it to the police!!! And don't lead the stalkers to your home. If there's a police station or fire station somewhere nearby that would be an excellent place to lead them.

I always heard that toms will kill the kittens, to bring the mother back into heat.

I've heard that as well, but I think that cats are perhaps more individual than people think. I suspect that the truth is that some toms will do that, perhaps even most, but not all.

Margret

 

[Docs Mom]

We had a black tom show up with 2 half grown kittens in tow..a grey and an all white with a grey spot on his head. Lo and behold, the next day THREE were following him ! Number three was a small black version of himself.

They were promptly all neutered and vaccinated. Then they joined our barn kid family. He would take his sons out hunting with him... all following behind like a mama duck and her ducklings. That was 14 yrs ago, sadly we lost Spot 6 yrs later to illness.
But Zappa and Smokey are now our only barn kids. Dweezil the smallest, came inside cause his brothers were beating up on him the day after the 3 boys came back from their neutering visit.

This is Dweezil, the other 2 are on my old phone...

 

[dahli6]

I always heard that toms will kill the kittens, to bring the mother back into heat.

I have heard that too but never seen it.
It probably does happen but it seems extreme. Maybe other factors are involved.

See, you probably thought that male tits were merely decorative. It turns out that they can actually be functional

Men can even get breast cancer, a lot of peolple don't realize that. I have known for a long time that men could lactate.

 

[Margret]

Men can even get breast cancer, a lot of peolple don't realize that.

Yes, and DES sons should do regular breast self-examinations (along with other body parts). (Diethylstilbestrol - Wikipedia)

Margret

 

[dahli6]

Yes, and DES sons should do regular breast self-examinations (along with other body parts). (Diethylstilbestrol - Wikipedia)

Margret

I think that if all men underwent regular Breast Cancer screening we would have a better idea of how common it is. Unfortunately data is so incomplete because it is only based on known cases. The mortality rate for Breast Cancer in men is higher too because it is usually discovered in the late stages

 

[arouetta]

Not just because it was discovered later, something about the different types/levels of hormones always makes it far more aggressive than most female breast cancers.

Unfortunately there's a bit of a social bias with such cases. I've heard, though I hope it's urban legend, that affected men are denied support from breast cancer groups because it would make some of the women uncomfortable talking about their breasts in front of the men. But there's not a high enough rate for them to make their own local groups.

And it's kinda stupid in my opinion, it's not like the women are talking about sexual fetishes, they are talking about cancer and getting/giving ideas for treatment that someone may not have heard of or how to endure the symptoms of treatment or how family just doesn't understand. If a woman can't get over her squeamishness and offer support to a guy who's sick with the same thing, she should be the one to find another group, not press the person in charge to dump him. And while I'm sure the topic does sometimes turn to sex but if a woman can discuss the exact details of sex with platonic male friends, she can discuss the topic more vaguely with other people in her shoes.

 

[foxxycat]

Just got my new ride! Got a purple bike from a coworker-it's a Schwinn and I love it. I still have a bike at home but I want to store it at work and ride at lunchtime- so far no one seems to be bothered by me walking/riding on my break. Now we need real fall weather...I have a destination to ride to today-there's no orange juice in the machines and there's a corner store 2 miles down the road=so gonna stop and get some juice and ride back. It's mostly level flat road. It's still hot and sticky out so I probably won't need to go any farther but I drink water like it's going out of style. I need to put a rack on the back behind the seat so I can tether a bottle of water down. The large bottle I drink from doesn't fit in the holder=bought a bottle of poweraid and it fits-but I have to wash it out because I don't like the taste of it...anyone else here ride bikes other than Arouetta?

 

[dahli6]

I've heard, though I hope it's urban legend, that affected men are denied support from breast cancer groups because it would make some of the women uncomfortable talking about their breasts in front of the men.

The truth is that men are often denied support by women's BC organizations because it takes the focus off of women by becoming a non-gender specific Cancer. Any man can develop Breast Cancer if there is a history of it in his biological family. People try to say it has something to do with hormones and weight but the fact is there still haven't been enough studied cases to determine. When a man feels a sore area in his pecs he puts a pain patch on and takes an anti-inflammatory, when it is a woman she schedules an appointment. Men have experienced problems with treatment too because some insurance companies are gender specific with the tests and treatments.
A South Korean screen writer developed a tv series high-lighting these social and medical issues there where a man who is diagnosed with Breast Cancer has to seek treatment in a women's hospital. It showed the process of him undergoing the same testing procedures too.
I have talked to male Breast Cancer survivors in the US who have faced ridicule and high debt. Their cases were discovered early enough to be treated with mastectomy and they face the same body image issues that women do but with less support and a higher risk of being treated as a defective. Even in the US.

 

[arouetta]

Just got my new ride! Got a purple bike from a coworker-it's a Schwinn and I love it.

Woot!

Some ideas for water are a camelbak or a different holder. I've got a holder made by Bell that holds my 1 quart bottle and I'm pretty sure if I ever get around to actually buying the 40 oz bottle it'll fit in it too. The plastic at the base is rigid but the sides are flexible which allows for a variety of sizes. I can't use a camelbak because I use a backpack, but it seems like it would work if you put your stuff on a rack.

 

[foxxycat]

I have a guy who is going to make a bracket for me. It holds the larger water bottle..I don't like camel back bags...the tube gets nasty and it tastes horrible. I have 2 of them but tossed them because I couldn't get rid of the taste...and the fuss of using brushes inside the long tube..too much of a headache. I will check out that thingy you have=I was going to use a rubber boungy cord as that would work..but I rather have a holder so I can sip while pedaling.

I went to the corner store and back and took 30 min and I was not shy about pedaling. I even made it up the steep hill just before my work. In the lowest gear but I did it. Thank goodness for a good bike seat-was just starting to get uncomfortable..I have to work up to long rides=build a callus so to speak.

 

[arouetta]

Yeah I feel your pain. The first month of the bike, my butt hurt so bad. And not just when I was sitting, I couldn't bend over to pick something off the ground without my tailbone in agony.

Going up the gears happens pretty fast. I'm probably ready for the next one, but there's a hill and a problem area (I don't know why it's a problem) that I'm just now not really struggling and I know I'll start struggling again when I go up another one. 21 speed, right now 2nd gear in the front, 5th gear in the back.

 

[arouetta]

I love my mailman.

I need some new bras and I want some that are not in Target stores, only online. I ordered two. I got an email just now that Target received confirmation my order was delivered. Sigh. Open the door, shipping bag outside resting against the door.

Okay, it's bras, they can be outside for a bit. It still would have been nice though if the mailman had actually knocked when leaving it. Just like how I was home when I got my new bike lights and I found out it had been delivered when I nearly tripped over it opening the front door late afternoon, since he didn't knock.

But the worst was my Nature Box order. I had gotten some trail mix with some yogurt in it a month or two ago, it was delivered when I was home all day. And the mailman didn't knock. And while it tasted fine, I had clumps of trail mix since the yogurt had partially melted in the summer heat and resolidified clumping the nuts and cranberries together.

I just wish he would knock. Is that such a hard thing to want? He doesn't even have to wait for a response, just knock and drop and go.

 

[kashmir64]

I don't have a mailman. We don't get mail out here, have to drive 20 miles to town to check the PO box.
Maybe you could call the post office and ask them to have the mailman knock when a package is delivered. Could be that they just don't stop to think about these things. Maybe talk to your mailman directly. I'm sure he/she would have no problem if it was just brought to their attention.

 

[artiemom]

I have heard that too but never seen it.
It probably does happen but it seems extreme. Maybe other factors are involved.


Men can even get breast cancer, a lot of peolple don't realize that. I have known for a long time that men could lactate.

In my last life, when I was an x-ray tech, I remember doing mammograms on a couple of men... That was in the 1970-80's....