Text from my direct report at 7am Saturday morning: “Please call me as soon as possible!!!”

I call immediately. Him: “I can’t talk right now, when is a good time to call you back?” Me:
“Just call me when you can, omg.”

Him: Calls me three hours later to take 20 minutes explaining why he needs an afternoon off two months from now.

Me: “This could have been a text, Pablo.”

Can’t tell you how disappointed I am that isn’t just a chart of increasingly tubby kittens.

I am very bothered that the stock photo is someone smelling tulips, which have no smell.

Cognitive behavioral therapy workbooks work almost as well without a therapist as with one. You just have to have the self discipline to actually do it.

Gestation? They will birth the peanuts?

https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-peanuts (answer: yes, but raw peanuts can have mold, so cooked is better. They are a high fat, “sometimes treat”)

Why all the downvotes? I guess “twilight zones” is a little click baity, but it’s just an article about the little understood geology of Earth’s lower mantle. It’s neat, I think.

John Scalzi’s got you covered:

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-scalzi/lock-in/

Essential oils are still pretty bad for cats.

Essential Oil Toxicity in Cats

The reason why these oils are risky is that they contain compounds such as terpenes, ketones, and phenols. Your cat’s liver cannot metabolize these chemicals, as it doesn’t have the enzymes necessary for processing and excreting them. As a result, there is always a possibility of their accumulation in the liver building to toxic levels.

https://www.webmd.com/pets/cats/risks-of-essential-oils-for-cats

Oh that. I’m fortunately sheltered enough (by choice and hard work) from the evil talking heads that this didn’t come to mind.

Hopefully the NGR will elbow that horrible woman out of first place for recognition of this name.

Is there a controversy about Nancy Grace Roman that I haven’t heard about? I’m very excited about this telescope and very excited that it’s named after her.

Well, this technique doesn’t harm the cane toads, except the few that are used as bait. It lets them live alongside the crocks without killing them, that’s kinda nice.

This is really neat.

No, I think it’s a Boletus ludacris.

English cucumbers come with their own condom, but it usually has rough seams :(

Quit eating my garden, you dicks.

White Wine in the Sun is a Christmas song by Australian comedian Tim Minchin.

I know it’s a joke, but this is actually the reason. Humans are shit at protecting themselves alone. This goes for weather, predators, accidents. If you’re alone you have a much lower chance of survival.

People with a naturally higher desire to fit in/fear of being shunned or cast out of the safety of the group survived and produced offspring at a higher rate.

It doesn’t serve in quite the same way anymore, you aren’t going to die because of a social faux pas, but your brain will still wake you up at 3am to scream at you that you absolutely will.

The Joann Fabric and Crafts near me stopped offering a restroom to customers during Covid and never went back (understandable). But knowing that I can’t go while I’m there has created a situation where nothing makes me need to take a shit more urgently than browsing fabric and craft supplies. Luckily there is a Target next door.

My first thought is that the HOA is going to have a big problem with this, if you have one- most town homes do.