Random Banter #196

[TaiLiu]

It is quarter past midnight. On 15.49 Finnish time I will be turning 20-something. But I suppose it already is my birthday.

Oh, yay! I hope you enjoyed your early birthday cake!

[Dimonite]

Proof that sexism is alive and well. For men, having someone in their network who is a tailor is a luxury. For women, it's basically a necessity to be in with a dressmaker, seamstress, and tailor. Or just be one herself.

What?

Seriously, I know way more men who have tailors than women. By, like, a factor of three.

*not sure if she is dead or alive*

I am so relaxed from all that time spent in the sauna and swimming. Excuse me while I melt here back home to the unawesomeness that lies before my eyes.


It is quarter past midnight. On 15.49 Finnish time I will be turning 20-something. But I suppose it already is my birthday.

Happy birthday!
If you lived within 50 miles of me, I'd bring you a cake.

[Kneenibble]

Oh Cuthalion, I just love your avatar.

Our plants are hardy things. Mum adores dahlias, so our garden, window box and hanging baskets are dahlias and geraniums. Sadly, the geraniums didn't make it to this year, so we'll probably be replanting next year.

Shirley you could throw some sweetpeas in there? For dahlias are handsome blooms, but to imagine an English garden without sweetpeas is to imagine an English table without buttery toast.

I have had success with them for the first time this year. They are so pretty and fragrant.

Nothing as off-putting as eyeing up a nice shapely rear when window watching in a cafe with a friend, and then seeing an unsightly rectangular protrusion. Ruins the whole experience.
As does the current trend of wearing your trousers so low you look like a penguin. I don't particularly want to look at your knickers, and you waddle like your just had an accident. Disgusting.

Agreed on both points. And the worst part is they look at me like I've done something uninvited when I snap the waistband of those undies. Lousy punks.

Tangenting off from that, the extreme heat of the last few weeks meant that, naturally, less and less clothing was being worn, and those of a male persuasion were able to walk about topless. What gets awkward though is when you're standing in line in shop behind one of these shirtless males, only to noticed that, yes, he's one of the 'hang your shorts as low as possible' types. And was going commando.
Let me make this clear, I wasn't looking; but the distance between us meant that I could see him from about the knees up given he was rather tall and I'm rather short.
Didn't know where to look.

I... oh. Ah... I, oh dear.

Just pants him and run.

Ugh.
I had a look once. My Latin isn't anywhere as good as I'd like - I can just about read fairly simple things, so that dense theological/philosophical thing was terrifying and actually did induce a headache.

Yeah, I think it might be like trying to read Hegel without any pre-amble -- how he uses generic-sounding words to mean very significant and specific philosophical concepts, and you need heavy buttressing in philosophy to get it. Reading Thomas Aquinas is like that. Or any Medieval philosophy, really, to one used to Classical Latin.

Kneenibble and CurlyKitGirl, would you prefer some pants like this? Made in leather instead of whatever this is and for a guy. It would be very expensive. Fake leather would not work. It would not flex and move. And it is not thick enough and that is most important. The pants need to be thick on top of the butt so the bottom part looks thin.

After spending a pleasant little while imagining that on a guy's body, I must answer no -- a suggestive draping that changes its hints with movement is more erotic than an exhibitionist second skin. The erotic is more pleasurable than the sexed.

This is part of the reason why I like jackets. If I'm wearing form-fitting pants, I can stuff my phone and things into it without spoiling my... shape

So I just got hit with the mother of all headaches. No metal for me tonight! No sir.

This is me going for a lie down in a dark room.

You're lucky we live on opposite ends of the Empire, or else I would give you a big bite.

May your rest be anaesthetic and restorative. Lousy headaches.

Really? From what I've seen, that only applies to people who care a lot about the clothes they wear; the guys I know that care about fashion go to a tailor, and the girls I know that care about fashion go to a tailor. The rest just sort of do whatever. The only part that seems "sexist" about it is that there is a stereotype that women care more about fashion than men do. (the accuracy of this I will leave up to debate).

People with unusually-shaped bodies excepted from this, of course.

Yes, I have to agree, when speaking of formality at "business-casual" level and above, nothing off the rack fits me. Below that level, for both genders I think, clothes are generic enough in their fit that it doesn't really matter.

Naw, had loooots of berries because I like berries whilst doing outdoorsy stuff. And cheese and bread. But my gouda became waterlogged. Damn shame.

Soggy-goudad old Rand, picking nettle prickles out of his ankles.

[LaZodiac]

*not sure if she is dead or alive*

I am so relaxed from all that time spent in the sauna and swimming. Excuse me while I melt here back home to the unawesomeness that lies before my eyes.


It is quarter past midnight. On 15.49 Finnish time I will be turning 20-something. But I suppose it already is my birthday.

Happy birthday, my dear Finny! As always, just message me if you need to talk

[Teddy]

Well, you know where the UK is if you ever want to come say hi. The same goes for America.

Yeah, perhaps next summer, or the summer after that...

Ahhh yeah. I saw a great tumblr post recently summing up everything wrong with women's clothing:
Here.

My only problem with it is that the author seems to believe that the only cost to clothes is the materials cost, whereas the materials actually are a disappearingly low expenditure compared to shipping, salaries (mostly in the western part of the chain), office rent (still mostly in the west) and brand. Cutting off a few decimeters of the shorts isn't going to save you any of that except for a little shipping. Still, it's true that there seems to be some hidden and quite substantial "double-X tax" on women's clothings...

[Cuthalion]

Happy birthday, Finn!

:hugecake:

[Haluesen]

Happy Birthday Finn! If I'd had known there was gonna be a birthday I would have prepared cake instead of cookies.

@Qwertystop: Why do you say this?

@Feytalist: Yay awesome for your swift recovery!

[Kneenibble]

Happy Birthday Finnloops -- here is a cake for you.

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[MoonCat]

I know what you mean X_x, I often find myself just buying guy cloths to have POCKETS.

Also, what project?

Also, Funimation has started posting clips from Axis Power Hetalia. Enjoy, Moony.

LaLa, they've been posting those for years.

[FinnLassie]

Thanks everyone for the congratulations - I shall now retreat to the more sleepy world, I suppose, and will be back Thursday evening... or, maybe not. I need to pack and it's rather stressful! Back to the UK on Sunday.

Happy Birthday Finnloops -- here is a cake for you.
*snip fancy cake*

I.. I... I am so confused... To accept this lovely gesture, as it is from the awesome Kneebs and for the cake having such lovely colours (... which sort of make me feel like I'm eating Amidus' personalities...), or to kindly tell Kneebubbles I dislike sweet cakey beings?

[Teddy]

:hugecake:

I totally read this as Hugcake...

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[LaZodiac]

LaLa, they've been posting those for years.

Yes but this is the first time I've seen them!

I totally read this as Hugcake...

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D'aw, that's adorable. Puppy cake!

[Amidus Drexel]

Yes, I have to agree, when speaking of formality at "business-casual" level and above, nothing off the rack fits me. Below that level, for both genders I think, clothes are generic enough in their fit that it doesn't really matter.

See, this is why I like jeans + t-shirt. Comfortable, easy to acquire, and I don't even have to try them on to know if they fit; one size is correct, the others are not. Simple.

Thanks everyone for the congratulations - I shall now retreat to the more sleepy world, I suppose, and will be back Thursday evening... or, maybe not. I need to pack and it's rather stressful! Back to the UK on Sunday.

I.. I... I am so confused... To accept this lovely gesture, as it is from the awesome Kneebs and for the cake having such lovely colours (... which sort of make me feel like I'm eating Amidus' personalities...), or to kindly tell Kneebubbles I dislike sweet cakey beings?

Sleeeeeeeeep.

Please do not eat my personality.
Mmm... delicious psychoses...
You could always give me the cake...

I totally read this as Hugcake...

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Heheheh

[Taet]

Do you like nuts instead of sweet things? It is almost almond season here and some early orchards may be selling the new crop already. Even if it is not the new crops we can bring you some fresh and local and seasoned almonds. Walnuts also but those are not so close to where I live. And pistachios. Lots of pistachios.

Happy Birthday Finnloops -- here is a cake for you.

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I do not know that there is something too pretty to eat. I think that there is such a thing as something too pretty to taste good. Air-brushed food is weird.

[TaiLiu]

I totally read this as Hugcake...

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Is... Is that blood oozing out?

[Haluesen]

I totally read this as Hugcake...

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Oh my gosh these pictures are brilliant. Oh wow.

See, this is why I like jeans + t-shirt. Comfortable, easy to acquire, and I don't even have to try them on to know if they fit; one size is correct, the others are not. Simple.



Sleeeeeeeeep.

Please do not eat my personality.
Mmm... delicious psychoses...
You could always give me the cake...



Heheheh

And now Amidus to me you are one of the most interesting people in the Playground.
I'm also happy to have made those cookies but now I want to make cake!

[Teddy]

Is... Is that blood oozing out?

...
It's strawberries...

Anyway, I'm tired. Sleep now. Goodnight!

[Coidzor]

Thanks everyone for the congratulations - I shall now retreat to the more sleepy world, I suppose, and will be back Thursday evening... or, maybe not. I need to pack and it's rather stressful! Back to the UK on Sunday.

I.. I... I am so confused... To accept this lovely gesture, as it is from the awesome Kneebs and for the cake having such lovely colours (... which sort of make me feel like I'm eating Amidus' personalities...), or to kindly tell Kneebubbles I dislike sweet cakey beings?

Darn. I missed it.

Happy Late Birthday, Finn.

Eating Amidus' personalities should make the cake all the sweeter, no?

I totally read this as Hugcake...

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Teddy's outdone himself. Again.

[Amidus Drexel]

And now Amidus to me you are one of the most interesting people in the Playground.
I'm also happy to have made those cookies but now I want to make cake!

Oh, I don't know about that...
Shut up, it's a compliment! You're supposed to bask in these.
Yeah, I'm just going to check out for the night. Try not to break Amidus while I'm gone, okay?
Heheheheh

Mmm.... cake... I wonder if we've got any desserts here...

Happy Late Birthday, Finn.

Eating Amidus' personalities should make the cake all the sweeter, no?

I think her actual birthday is tomorrow for us; it was around midnight for her when she posted.

That depends on which ones.

[CurlyKitGirl]

Firstly, because I missed the post itself: HAPPY BIRTHDAY FINN DARLING!

People need to invest in pockets for skirts. And dresses. And actual bits of clothing that do have pockets but are far too shallow to actually use, because they were randomly marketed as female.

My leather jacket barely can hold my wallet, and not in any way that I'd feel comfortable not holding onto it, and it's relatively good for female clothing. As I despise jeans, I've never gotten to test how their pocket sizes are, do they really get that small on them too?

Just when I was getting all those feminism fuzzies from that project by some students in Cambridge.

*high fives*
What project's this now? :smallintrigued:

Proof that sexism is alive and well. For men, having someone in their network who is a tailor is a luxury. For women, it's basically a necessity to be in with a dressmaker, seamstress, and tailor. Or just be one herself.

And that's why I'm adequate with a needle. I can do your basic taking up, taking down, and taking in, as well as patching and fixing a tear.
Renaissance woman, that's me. I can sew.

Yeah seriously, I just have never got that. Just wear a belt you people! You're pants falling is not great style! I have rarely had a situation where I had too much in my pockets and it made my pants slip slightly but I made sure to keep them up as much as possible, and I was still shamed by it. Not fun, and comfort matters, so really what's up with it?

Apparently fashion insists you must look as stupid as possible.
The best backhand compliment I ever received from my mother was when I was wearing a jacket that didn't match my top (colour-wise) because it was chilly and the only jacket I had to hand in that room; I came downstairs and she said "You're clothes don't match at all today, you look awful, I've never seen you so poorly put together before."
This is my mother. The woman who's seen me with the worst bed head imaginable during a fever in which I'd changed in and out of my pyjamas so many times I wasn't only wearing mismatched 'jamas, but the bottoms were inside out. This is the woman who taught me how to dress well; and the 'worst dressed' she'd ever seen me had me wearing a fuschia pink tunic style top with a quarter sleeved navy and white striped jacket that was only temporary in the first place.
Best. Insult. Ever.

Please CurlyKitGirl, do not say that line again. As funny as it was to read, oddly.

What line is this then?
I went out of my way to make it the most awkward I could without being too contrived.

Man do I wish I could go on a trip. I have never left this state even, and that makes me sad. I would especially love to go to England at least once.

It's always like that really. I'm quite lucky in that the UK is small, and the meetups vary in location.

Did you folk down south get the thunderstorm that hit Scotland (excluding only Glasgow, it seems)? I would've loved to have seen a good thunderstorm.

Not this far down south.

One of my friends is studying philosophy, and when she explains the differences between the British approach to metaphysics, epistemology, and basically all philosophy and Continental philosophy, it makes me SOOO glad it was all Continental I did in high school.

Wouldn't know, I'm self-taught when it comes to philosophy unless it was of import to something I was doing for Lit. And if you think it's bad reading philosophy post-1600, wait until you start reading C13th stuff and earlier. The mind, she melts. And on top of that you have to remember that certain theories were accurate given the knowledge of the time. Nothing like reading about the Aristotelians espousing the theory of motions that a thrown object continues in a straight line until it loses its acquired motion and then drops (like a stone) straigh to the ground. No curves or anything. Just neeeeeeeown, whoosh, thump.

Shirley you could throw some sweetpeas in there? For dahlias are handsome blooms, but to imagine an English garden without sweetpeas is to imagine an English table without buttery toast.

I have had success with them for the first time this year. They are so pretty and fragrant.

Maybe. Are they hardy enough to survive ravaging by way of two Geoffrey's Cats from down the road, plus sundry other felines?
And don't call me Shirley.
But let me congratulate you on your horticultural success nonetheless.

Agreed on both points. And the worst part is they look at me like I've done something uninvited when I snap the waistband of those undies. Lousy punks.

Being short, female, and surprisingly timid given my nature online I wouldn't dare do that to strangers.

I... oh. Ah... I, oh dear.

Just pants him and run.

But my ice cream, sweeties and drinks! (Or rather our etc.) And as a regular there, I don't want to be banned. Also, you ever tried running in flip flops? You both sound and look ridiculous.

And yeah. Exactly.

Yeah, I think it might be like trying to read Hegel without any pre-amble -- how he uses generic-sounding words to mean very significant and specific philosophical concepts, and you need heavy buttressing in philosophy to get it. Reading Thomas Aquinas is like that. Or any Medieval philosophy, really, to one used to Classical Latin.

Funny you should mention Aquinas, but that's what I'm trying to get a grasp of at the moment. In English, not even going to try handling more than a few lines of him in the Latin at the moment.
Stupid Dragonprime and his stupid love of medieval theology, philosophy and so on; and stupid Curly for spending £40 on 2 500 pages of medieval theological history and thought.

Yeah, perhaps next summer, or the summer after that...

Or eventually. Perhaps.

ION:
I've written so much in the last three hours I think my wrists are going to calcify and crumble into dust.
Stupid Curly reading over someone's work. And I thought by work they meant original work, but it turned out to be fanfic; but I promised, and I shall continue.
It's nice to keep one's proofreading practice up anyway. Even at the cost of my wrists by doing that and then commenting here.

[Haluesen]

Yes Amidus, that was absolutely a compliment. And good luck with the snack search, unless you meant in the random banter area, in which case take one of the cookies I made earlier (I am unreasonably proud of them).

Dang Curly that is an amazingly long amount of writing! I typically apologize for long writing that isn't half this length, so I am honestly impressed. And under those terms yes, that is an amazing insult. Maybe one day I shall go out and travel the world and have fun meeting people and whatnot, but for now that is just a distant dream that I cling to.

[MoonCat]

Happy birthday, Jake!

*high fives*
What project's this now? :smallintrigued:

And that's why I'm adequate with a needle. I can do your basic taking up, taking down, and taking in, as well as patching and fixing a tear.
Renaissance woman, that's me. I can sew.

This one here. It really made my day, lately feminism has been really on my mind/depressing the crap out of me.

I can knit! It's always very funny, having people find that out, actually. I'll spend a few months at school swearing, going around punching people to say hello, wearing my leather jackets and trenchcoats and confusing people by also being a huge nerd, and then one day I pull out my knitting in the middle of class. ****ing funniest reactions I've ever seen.

[LaZodiac]

This one here. It really made my day, lately feminism has been really on my mind/depressing the crap out of me.

I can knit! It's always very funny, having people find that out, actually. I'll spend a few months at school swearing, going around punching people to say hello, wearing my leather jackets and trenchcoats and confusing people by also being a huge nerd, and then one day I pull out my knitting in the middle of class. ****ing funniest reactions I've ever seen.

Awesome! Kniting is cool but I'm really bad at it. Also sewing needles are awesome deadly weapons.

[CurlyKitGirl]

This one here. It really made my day, lately feminism has been really on my mind/depressing the crap out of me.

Oh that is wonderful.
I especially liked the guy who was brave enough to admit he was sexist, the woman who cited her fact and just all of them.
I admit to being a little sexist on purpose too at times, though mostly I think I'm just bewildered by things. Yet surely, playing up those bewildered moments to lampshade how I'm not 'feminine' is likely sexist in and of itself.
And yes, it is sexist if a woman mocks women/femininity, a man mocks men/masculinity and so on. I should work on that I think.

I can knit! It's always very funny, having people find that out, actually. I'll spend a few months at school swearing, going around punching people to say hello, wearing my leather jackets and trenchcoats and confusing people by also being a huge nerd, and then one day I pull out my knitting in the middle of class. ****ing funniest reactions I've ever seen.

Inadvertently playing with people's expectations is fine, sometimes even amusing. It's 'easier' - or should I say more likely to happen? - for me because I'm genderqueer, and at times I 'camouflage' it by mimicking things around me (if that even makes sense), or I'm just overly more one thing than another; then a bit later I've swung the other way, or have a more obvious gender.
I don't know how to explain it.
I'm me whether I'm talking about how evil darting trousers are, or if I'm getting confused over make up or if I'm dressing as male as I feel, or if I just spent the last hour arguing a small point in English diplomatic history with someone while playing a computer game.
Or if I'm ranting about how much I hate female sexual organs and wish I had male ones. Though I'd probably keep the boobs.

[Thufir]

Being short, female, and surprisingly timid given my nature online I wouldn't dare do that to strangers.

But you would do it to people you know?

Or if I'm ranting about how much I hate female sexual organs and wish I had male ones. Though I'd probably keep the boobs.

Good. It'd be a shame to waste boobs as good as yours.

[MoonCat]

Oh that is wonderful.
I especially liked the guy who was brave enough to admit he was sexist, the woman who cited her fact and just all of them.
I admit to being a little sexist on purpose too at times, though mostly I think I'm just bewildered by things. Yet surely, playing up those bewildered moments to lampshade how I'm not 'feminine' is likely sexist in and of itself.
And yes, it is sexist if a woman mocks women/femininity, a man mocks men/masculinity and so on. I should work on that I think.

Inadvertently playing with people's expectations is fine, sometimes even amusing. It's 'easier' - or should I say more likely to happen? - for me because I'm genderqueer, and at times I 'camouflage' it by mimicking things around me (if that even makes sense), or I'm just overly more one thing than another; then a bit later I've swung the other way, or have a more obvious gender.
I don't know how to explain it.
I'm me whether I'm talking about how evil darting trousers are, or if I'm getting confused over make up or if I'm dressing as male as I feel, or if I just spent the last hour arguing a small point in English diplomatic history with someone while playing a computer game.
Or if I'm ranting about how much I hate female sexual organs and wish I had male ones. Though I'd probably keep the boobs.

The whole thing was just awesome. I was fond of the one about judging women based on their clothing, and I was struck by the one where the trans woman said the only reason she felt safe on the streets was cause she was misidentified.

Yeah, I... if I were braver I'd be probably talking in much the same way about genderqueerness.

But really? Keep the boobs? They're so cumbersome!

[Taet]

I need feminism because. . .

I can read people's writing and and tell what kind of body they were born into. And nobody can tell me whether it should be this way. Or should not.

[Haluesen]

Hmm what exactly would someone describe as feminism? I guess I would say I am for gender equality. I don't care for sexist thoughts or comments, and hope for people all over the world to have equal chance to succeed or fail without regard for gender or any other similar trait.

That said, I am a little bit sexist myself in a way, now that I think about it. Towards both men and women. I typically find women confusing or worrying in some way or another, and often talk down about guys for being generally unthinking or barely acting with emotion. And honestly I have never really seen anything wrong with these thoughts until I was reading all of this. I mean, it isn't like I think all girls are overly complicated and all boys overly masculine...but those thoughts do spread to encompass a vast majority of the gender.

So what I am asking is what exactly does feminism truly mean, and am I in any way bad for looking at people in the initially judgmental way that I do?

[Coidzor]

I need feminism because I'm tired of the endless cycle of hurt people lashing out at other hurt people, breaking them and in turn being broken and it being simply accepted as good, right, and proper.

I think her actual birthday is tomorrow for us; it was around midnight for her when she posted.

That depends on which ones.

I... suppose so, at least if I remember the time it was when she posted the actual time of her birth correctly.

I was thinking about eating the whole package, kit and all. Ka and whatever other metaphysical terms you wanna dig up for it.

Yeah, I... if I were braver I'd be probably talking in much the same way about genderqueerness.

But really? Keep the boobs? They're so cumbersome!

Well, there's multiple paths to it, but ultimately there's only one place they lead when it comes to true courage.

Still, they are made of rainbow drops and unicorn farts and all.

[MoonCat]

Still, they are made of rainbow drops and unicorn farts and all.

Running. Sleeping on one's stomach. Being able to wear shirts that are comfortable. Not wearing bras.

I would gladly trade all rainbow drops and unicorn farts for those things.