en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/11484924 Comments by kateality http://markreads.net/reviews/2018/11/mark-reads-thud-part-3/#IDComment1067137189 I know my grandfather also had a book called something like The Bible Codex, which claimed that there were a lot of secret messages in the bible, I think? I poked at it when I was at his house one day as a teenager, so ~2000, and recall thinking the methodology seemed questionable. Tue, 4 Dec 2018 20:34:16 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2018/11/mark-reads-thud-part-3/#IDComment1067137189 http://markreads.net/reviews/2018/09/mark-reads-a-hat-full-of-sky-chapter-15/#IDComment1065180162 I come from a kind of weirdly isolated island culture that is so distrustful of outsiders that it has several terms to describe them, none of which have traditionally positive connotations - if you visited my hometown you'd be a CFA or Come From Away, and "friggin' mainlanders" is the kind of thing one mutters under one's breath when the federal government tries to tell you what to do - so I feel the Chalk and its distinction between strangers and "our Tiffany". Fri, 7 Sep 2018 15:18:54 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2018/09/mark-reads-a-hat-full-of-sky-chapter-15/#IDComment1065180162 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/06/mark-reads-the-truth-part-8/#IDComment1044772163 Totally understand - happens to me too. All good, on the same page, no harm done :) Tue, 6 Jun 2017 21:14:12 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/06/mark-reads-the-truth-part-8/#IDComment1044772163 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/06/mark-reads-the-truth-part-8/#IDComment1044770444 If you didn't make it clear in the first comment, I appreciate that you have now. What I read, and I may have been mistaken, is that you came to think lawyer jokes are funny because everyone you have ever known who became a lawyer was entirely without integrity. I think I was also confused when you said that you had never really seen a portrayal of decent lawyers because there are hundreds of books, movies, and television shows about lawyers with complex lives, jobs, motivations and backstories. I may have read too much into your comments; if that's the case, I'm sorry. My overarching point, and one on which it sounds like we agree, is that the stereotype is a bit tired, and certainly not broadly representative of a hugely varied profession. I wish Pratchett had challenged it (there is a character in a later book that I think would have been an excellent counterpoint to Slant, but who is not written as a lawyer). Tue, 6 Jun 2017 20:22:04 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/06/mark-reads-the-truth-part-8/#IDComment1044770444 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/06/mark-reads-the-truth-part-8/#IDComment1044769740 I am sorry that the lawyers you know are also sucky people. And while I completely understand that for the vast majority of people, lawyer jokes are a form of comedy that punches up because it is a class/economic privilege category, it's jarring to see people say that they appreciate jokes about my entire profession being amoral and mystified about the very concept of integrity because of their experience with a couple of members. Tue, 6 Jun 2017 19:57:48 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/06/mark-reads-the-truth-part-8/#IDComment1044769740 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/06/mark-reads-the-truth-part-8/#IDComment1044762104 I know lawyer jokes are a staple of all the things, but goodness do they get tiring after a while. Slant embodies the stereotypical scheming, over-technical, condescending vision of a lawyer. But Pratchett doesn't do anything clever or subversive with this trope except to make the lawyer SO over-technical that he even got around being dead. Tue, 6 Jun 2017 16:01:46 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/06/mark-reads-the-truth-part-8/#IDComment1044762104 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/03/mark-reads-the-fifth-elephant-part-1/#IDComment1041230320 The Town of Dildo, in Newfoundland, is also a good one. Mon, 27 Mar 2017 15:50:46 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/03/mark-reads-the-fifth-elephant-part-1/#IDComment1041230320 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/02/mark-reads-carpe-jugulum-part-6/#IDComment1038923408 Pregnancy, and particularly breastfeeding do tend to increase cup size. That change is often permanent - much to the chagrin of mothers who had hoped to get back to their pre-baby bras. Wed, 15 Feb 2017 03:05:16 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/02/mark-reads-carpe-jugulum-part-6/#IDComment1038923408 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/01/mark-reads-the-last-continent-part-15/#IDComment1037223483 It is! Fri, 13 Jan 2017 22:48:19 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/01/mark-reads-the-last-continent-part-15/#IDComment1037223483 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/01/mark-reads-the-last-continent-part-15/#IDComment1037213557 So, I come from Newfoundland, which is one of those remote places that has a traditional local cuisine based both on whatever-can-be-found-that-is-edible and on preserved foods that could be brought over by ship. Some of these are excellent (like partridgeberry anything and bakeapple jam). Some of it is questionable (hard tack, or rock-hard bread that can survived an Atlantic crossing), and some of it is just weird (fish-and-brewis, which is salt cod and hard tack soaked until it gets mushy with some carrots and potatoes thrown in for good measure). Some of it is, to my mind, flat-out nasty (seal flipper pie, I'm looking at you). Interestingly, in recent years a number of restaurants have gotten really excited about Newfoundland's local food, and there are a couple of truly world-class dining experiences to be had based on traditional foods (Raymond's, one of Canada's best restaurants, does a moose bolognese that is to die for). The fact that I quite enjoy the up-scale restauranteur interpretation has made me think about the class-based elements of my food preferences. But not hard enough to make me eat flipper pie again! Fri, 13 Jan 2017 17:21:01 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/01/mark-reads-the-last-continent-part-15/#IDComment1037213557 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/01/mark-reads-the-last-continent-part-14/#IDComment1037131778 Salt beef is definitely part of the Newfoundland regional cuisine. There was even a local band called Trimmed Naval Beef when I was a teenager, which is how some salt beef buckets (because of course it comes in a bucket) are labelled. Salt beef, salt cod, seal flippers, cod tongues, partridgeberries, blueberries, and bakeapples (or cloudberries as mainlanders call them). Wed, 11 Jan 2017 22:52:02 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/01/mark-reads-the-last-continent-part-14/#IDComment1037131778 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/01/mark-reads-the-last-continent-part-12/#IDComment1036786220 I always read the reference to Mrs. Whitlow's bosom to indicate that she was shaking with laughter, and as a person with a significant bosom myself, can confirm that is the area in which such a thing would be most evident. I guess Pratchett could have gone with a less-gendered signifier, such as making her cough in a way that sounded suspiciously laugh-like. Thu, 5 Jan 2017 16:55:20 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/01/mark-reads-the-last-continent-part-12/#IDComment1036786220 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/01/mark-reads-the-last-continent-part-12/#IDComment1036785971 Petra, for the record, is one of the most stunning places I have ever been. Way cooler than the pyramids (I thought). Thu, 5 Jan 2017 16:48:51 +0000 http://markreads.net/reviews/2017/01/mark-reads-the-last-continent-part-12/#IDComment1036785971 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/30/link-roundup-602/#IDComment1025049620 It is actually Memorial Day in Newfoundland tomorrow for precisely that reason. But also Canada Day after noon. Extreme emotional whiplash: just part of the Newfoundlander experience. Thu, 30 Jun 2016 21:59:32 +0000 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/30/link-roundup-602/#IDComment1025049620 http://the-toast.net/2016/06/30/things-lucy-maud-montgomery-lied-to-me-about/#IDComment1025046436 I totally giggled at that mental image of growling nine-year-olds. I was keen on putting on plays during that period. Snow White and Rose Red (which I believe I flounced from when I was not cast as one of the title characters even though it was my idea). A ridiculous desert island-genie thing I wrote with some friends and forced friends and family to sit through. I feel like I may have been a "challenging" friend/child. Thu, 30 Jun 2016 20:52:28 +0000 http://the-toast.net/2016/06/30/things-lucy-maud-montgomery-lied-to-me-about/#IDComment1025046436 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/30/miss-havisham-a-history/#IDComment1025035316 With a number like 6 out of 8, my first instinct is "that's not bad!" and then I am horrified at myself for the momentary thought. The death of two babies is a thing that would completely destroy me regardless of how many other children I had. How parents coped in the many centuries that the loss of a certain percentage of one's offspring in childhood was to be expected is beyond me. Thu, 30 Jun 2016 17:12:59 +0000 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/30/miss-havisham-a-history/#IDComment1025035316 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/28/open-thread-10/#IDComment1024884309 I heart all of Jemisin's work and recently joined her Patreon so that she can quit her day job and write moarrrrrrrr Tue, 28 Jun 2016 16:19:30 +0000 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/28/open-thread-10/#IDComment1024884309 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/24/cocktail-hour-open-thread-111/#IDComment1024762907 Reading this book is how I deal with anxiety. That illustration under the tree and the line "Choices... there are always choices" is balm to my soul. Mon, 27 Jun 2016 03:02:30 +0000 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/24/cocktail-hour-open-thread-111/#IDComment1024762907 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/24/cocktail-hour-open-thread-111/#IDComment1024762763 First of all, congratulations! My life is awash in mom-boundary and mil-boundary troubles, and I sympathize greatly. Getting boundaries that you and your wife are comfortable with set and sticking to them even when others state that they are unreasonable is key. We live far from our parents (in part because of the boundary issues), so when we had our kids we imposed a week-long moratorium on out-of-town visitors so we could get settled into a routine without external pressure. The moms were furious, but our doc-friends thought it was a brilliant plan to maintain sanity, and we stuck with it. We still struggle with mom boundaries, but have learned to negotiate the waters around touchy (and well-meaning!) grandmothers in the 5 years (and 2 kids) since. If your mom has boundary issues that affect your spouse, you are probably going to be the one who has to deal with them. The basic rule in my house is your family, your problem. I talk to my mom when she's out of line, and Mr.ality deals with his. That way we present a united front, which is important. If you want some support on this, please feel free to get in touch. I'm Kate at hoult dot ca and would happily help if you need it. Mon, 27 Jun 2016 02:58:58 +0000 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/24/cocktail-hour-open-thread-111/#IDComment1024762763 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/24/cocktail-hour-open-thread-111/#IDComment1024762360 I spite-purchased several hundred dollars in art at a silent auction because I really disliked the conservative politician who had the top bid at the time. Plus, the painting is lovely. I smile to myself about thwarting him every time I look at it. :) Mon, 27 Jun 2016 02:47:21 +0000 https://the-toast.net/2016/06/24/cocktail-hour-open-thread-111/#IDComment1024762360