A "skunk whisperer"?! So where was this dude a month ago when both our greyhounds were skunked at 10 pm on a Wednesday night. On our patio next to the house, where we had ALL the windows open in our back room.
I can attest to the power of the home-made peroxide/baking soda/liquid soap de-skunker for dogs. I also found that extra-strength Febreeze works wonders on skunked furniture, blinds and carpets but you need to apply and let dry at least twice.
If I ever catch that little fucker I'm gonna stick it's ass in a peanut butter jar.
@Scout: We used to have skunks come in our garage to eat cat food and I found them so enchanting. If we got too close, they did a little stomp with their back paws as a warning to back off. #animals
@Scout: Our greys will rush at the 'kitty' to check it out, but have never killed anything. They live with 9 cats so anything similar looks like kitty to them. We have a possum that hangs around too and he just plays dead until they go away.
I just wish the stinker would have waited a couple of seconds before cutting loose, however I also know survival instincts are only good if they kick in right away. That still doesn't stop me from cursing that fuzzy for giving me enough clean-up work to cut my sleep down to 3 hours. #animals
I had a coworker tell me to go fuck myself when I told him to please wash his hands as I saw him leave the urinal without washing first. Afterwards I made sure to never touch him again and disinfect everything he touched right in front of him. Then after I told other coworkers why I was doing that, they made sure never to touch him either. One dick move deserves another. #animals
@J.D.Regent: Yeah, I was wrong. This is why I'm a historian and not a doctor. I just checked and read something about it being sterile, but then picks up bacteria on the way out, but I don't know...
@ManofReason: I really want to just smile bitchily and say, "I'd shake your hand, but statistically speaking it would be kind of like shaking your penis and also I'm a lesbian, so...no thanks!" whenever a work colleague offers a handshake from now on.
That's a lie. I've always felt that way. But still. Renewed vitriol and whatnot. #animals
@J.D.Regent: I never thought it was about the urine, I thought it was about what else you were touching while going to the loo.
As a female the always handwashing thing is kind of stupid, I touch toilet paper and that's it. But from what I gather a guy must handle the johnson in order to pee. Therefore, should wash his hands. #animals
@J.D.Regent: Urine is sterile until it's exit from the body. As it exits it picks up bacteria and other contamination from the outside of your orifices. Then drops of it transfer on to your skin. Once urine is exposed to oxygen outside the body bacterial growth is rapid. #animals
@NellMood: You're mostly right. Urine, like blood, is sterile while in the body unless you have some serious medical issues. Once out of your body though it is no longer sterile and bacteria growth is rapid. If you have it on your hands, unless you put them to your eyes, open wounds, or mouth you are not likely to expose yourself. #animals
@veronykah: It's about urine too, it picks up bacteria on it's exit from you. Toilet paper is not a liquid proof barrier, and I can assure you, amounts of urine are deposited on to your hands when you wipe or shake. #animals
@everyone in this thread. It's important to remember that hand washing in the bathroom isn't just about removing urine and feces from your use of the bathroom. In any bathroom you are likely to come into contact with microscopic amounts of other people's leftover excretions those also transfer onto your hands. Also regular hand washing with a NON-antibacterial soap is proven way to help slow the spread of disease. If you come into contact with bacteria and virus agents in a non-bathroom setting (door handles, phones, copiers, tabletops ect.) and you're a regular hand washer you are much less likely infect yourself.
Sorry for the long and multiple posts, but I love micro biology! #animals
I just spent a minute or so pushing the little play button on the skunk video before I realized it was just a picture of a video player. Given my skills in basic functions like this, I would say that I am as likely as the skunk to some day have a life-threatening run-in with a peanut butter jar. #animals
@kityglitr: Oh, I am the Queen of Keyboard
Problems. Every once in a while I break through the margin and go off into nowhere. I have had all sorts of
official correspondence with Hortense.
The woman in Arizona already had a successful VBAC. Her cesarean birth was TWO pregnancies ago. She was even threatened with a court order if she refused another cesarean -- even though her body obviously had no problems delivering vaginally the last time.
Seriously, this is just one more reproductive rights story. It's appalling to me that we'd force women into unnecessary surgery. #animals
@chinaplate: most medical protocols are in place to protect against litigation - no matter how theoretical the risk. Obstetrics is the highest malpractice risk so there's a lot of CYA- ing going on.
I'm not judging, btw. I've been known to jack up healthcare costs by ordering completely unneccesary tests for CYA* purposes myself.
@chinaplate: the risk of uterine abruption in VBACs is less than 1%. Since she's already had a successful 0VBAC (at this same hospital, go figure, it really shouldn't be an issue.
Even ACOG says this particular hospital isn't following the protocal correctly. most likely it's an insurance thing -- that's the reason many doctors and hospital no longer do VBACs. Because insurance doesn't want them to perform them. Well, it DOES make more money for the hospital when they cut you open. #animals
Good job PUMA, hate on Obama for not being pro-woman enough but praise the Republicans for promoting a woman who is pretty much anti-woman. That totally makes sense. #animals
@IBleedGlitter: The High Priestess of Tinsel: But don't you understand! She has a vagina and therefore is pro-woman! That the woman she is pro happens to be herself does not matter, the vagina wins! #animals
"A Missouri ninth-grader has been arrested for making a website that called a classmate a "slut" and said she "would be better off if she just died." Missouri is cracking down on cyber-bullying after Megan Meier's suicide"
arrested? I know there should be some sort of reprimand, but arrest seems too tough, this is still a child.
@Ailatan: A child that is old enough to wish suicide on her class mate. Sorry but I would much rather have a 9th grader spend the night in jail than have a different 9th grader commit suicide.
Edited by Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny. at 10/15/09 6:05 PM
Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny. was starred
Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny. was unstarred
@Ailatan: I think maybe the charge and punishment will be more telling than the arrest itself. Probably, the state is trying to show that they are dead serious, we don't fuck with people's lives. I don't know if this 9th grader understands the effect it has on the other person, but the effect on the other person would be serious, and it would be real. (I'm thinking: the potential emotional consequences of a fine or a sentence are less than the consequences of the other child trying to, or actually committing suicide, or being mentally tortured in some way) #animals
This skunk video is an excellent reminder that we need to be mindful of what and how we dispose of our garbage. I always screw lids on tight when I discard peanut butter or other types of jars. I flatten cat food cans and always cut up the plastic that holds a six pack of soda bottles together (it can easily end up around an animals neck and choke it.) I also cut the ties of my garbage bags once I've tightened and knotted them.
You know what I don't get? Why so many dudes think they don't need to wash their hands, when they're the ones who actually hang on to their junk, while ladies, with a little deftness and skill, can avoid crotchal touching altogether. I admit, I don't always wash my hands if I get up to pee in the middle of the night. But during the daytime? In a public loo? Come on dudes! Get it together! #animals
@Penny_Esq: If I was a man I would definitely be washing before and after! I agree with you, women can manage to avoid and like you, wash with everything except sometimes the night pee. Even drunken I still wash my hands. #animals
@Penny_Esq: I've actually heard men defend this by saying their wang is tucked clean and safe in underwear all day, and that our hands are always dirtier than their junk. They don't seem to grasp the basic, ineffable grossness of handling your privates and not washing your hands.
What bothers me is that most restaurant cooks are men, at least where I eat. *shudder* #animals
@Penny_Esq: This is made even more nasty by the fact that men generally just shake it off and put it back in their pants where any remaining urine winds up in those "clean" underwear Pantra mentioned. I know urine is sterile, but come on. PEE-HANDS.
@Penny_Esq: I know! And they seem almost proud about their refusal to wash. And these are not eco-warriors trying to save water – they're lazy 'my shit doesn't stink'ers. #animals
I can attest to the men not washing their hands thing. Not only does my brother refuse to close the door when he uses the bathroom, he does not wash his hands and leaves the seat up. And yes, I have been forced to leave him notes reminding him to do all three. I'm lucky if he does two. #animals
@Triana Orpheus: I have a guy in my office who not only uses our unofficial ladies' room (there are two bathrooms), but leaves the seat up and DOES NOT FLUSH HIS PEE. So every time I walk in, I have to pull down the seat with my shoe, and flush it before I go.
In own home, I am a family flusher. At work? Not okay. #animals
@Triana Orpheus: one of the managers at a pizza place I used to work at always left me a *log* at the end of the day when I had clean-up detail. I think that's a fetish though. #animals
Make parents civilly liable for their children's misconduct. There's no reason to risk abridging the free speech of adults, when parents will not take an active role in keeping their children from being transgressors.
Kids don't know enough about laws for them to be a real deterrent anyway.
My main concern with this law is that I'm afraid it will mostly come into play after a person has already committed suicide or something equally as terrible has happened. Kids so often try to just deal with bullying so they don't get bullied MORE because they told on someone.
I had plenty of encounters of cyberbullying starting from middle school up. It was bad enough IN SCHOOL that I never gave out my AIM name to classmates, but someone got ahold of it and IM'd me, telling me they knew my full name (which only people at my school knew, and then only to mock me for never using it), call me a cunt, tell my my address and what room I was in, and tell me they were going to kill me.
I didn't tell my grandparents who I lived with at the time about it, because I knew they'd just discount it, like they discounted all of the bullying at school. Even the TEACHERS got in on it, it was that bad.
@victoriasauce: The big gossip at our school was one of the Assistant PRINCIPALS. I think she might have written notes on me in my records, because after her, no AP I had ever treated me well and my highschool AP even tried to prevent me from graduating early after the (nice) principal left.
is anyone else a little peeved that the typical solution to address an offense is to pass a law prohibiting it?
don't get me wrong. cyberbullying, and any type of bullying for that matter, is wrong. but i think we too often take a reactionary approach by passing a law to punish someone after the fact, instead of being more proactive and trying to change the culture that allows this to happen in the first place.
laws like this seem like an excuse for elected officials to wipe their hand of the issue and say, "there. we did something. moving on." and then the issue is forgotten.
On the subject of bullying, my kids and I had an encounter with it this morning.
I walk to the bus stop with my 4 year old sons and 6 your old daughter every morning. There's always a group of kids, I'm guessing ages 5-9, across the street, waiting with their mom. Today, she wasn't there.
From the moment we arrived, they were taunting my kids. Screaming across the street, mocking anything they overheard my children saying, etc. My daughter was clearly bothered and clinched my arm. My sons were pretty oblivious to it. I was *this* close to warning them. (Stop or I'm telling your mother, etc) Right then, she arrived and they stopped. I didn't say anything.
The situation left me really uncomfortable. What should I do if it happens again? Inform their mom? The school? One of the kids is in my daughter's class and she previously said he's mean to her.
@victoriasauce: You really need to discuss it with the mother. Obviously, if they stop when she is there, it is not a behavior that she tolerates.
My husband and I have been discussing bullying a lot lately, and how we dealt with it. My father always counseled me to punch them. Get the first hit in, do it in a public place where it is likely to be broken up quickly, and be loud about it. That approach garnered me a trip to the police station, but I was never picked on again. I don't know how I am going to counsel my child.
@Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny.: God, its hard. In regards to the situation I spoke about in another post, my first instinct is to tell my daughter to fight back because you're right -- bullies don't continue to pick on people who fight back. But you can't really advise a middle schooler to hit her schoolmate in retaliation for being called a bitch. Its one thing to fight back when you're being attacked, its another thing to escalate it to physicality when its name calling.
And cause this is a situation between girls, its always going to be name calling and insults and the like (for the most part). So difficult. We're practicing her 'oh go fuck yourself' death stare right now.
@SlayBelle: I can imagine it would be very difficult, because while I know it was the absolute right thing for me to do, I think it must be hard to council violence.
The thing is, once it gets to the point of physicallity, it's gone too far in my opinion. Better for your daughter to control when, where and how it goes down.
@SarahMC: I think it's because I'm "just a girl". They were mainly teasing my daughter too. Would they act like that if her father were there instead of me? I don't think so.
10/15/09
I can attest to the power of the home-made peroxide/baking soda/liquid soap de-skunker for dogs. I also found that extra-strength Febreeze works wonders on skunked furniture, blinds and carpets but you need to apply and let dry at least twice.
If I ever catch that little fucker I'm gonna stick it's ass in a peanut butter jar.
10/15/09
I'm a skunk lover - they are awesome creatures. #animals
10/15/09
10/15/09
I just wish the stinker would have waited a couple of seconds before cutting loose, however I also know survival instincts are only good if they kick in right away. That still doesn't stop me from cursing that fuzzy for giving me enough clean-up work to cut my sleep down to 3 hours. #animals
10/16/09
PBS had a great documentary (you may have seen it) with so much stomping I was in frequents fits of giggling. #animals
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That's a lie. I've always felt that way. But still. Renewed vitriol and whatnot. #animals
10/15/09
As a female the always handwashing thing is kind of stupid, I touch toilet paper and that's it. But from what I gather a guy must handle the johnson in order to pee. Therefore, should wash his hands. #animals
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Sorry for the long and multiple posts, but I love micro biology! #animals
10/15/09
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10/15/09
Problems. Every once in a while I break through the margin and go off into nowhere. I have had all sorts of
official correspondence with Hortense.
10/15/09
Seriously, this is just one more reproductive rights story. It's appalling to me that we'd force women into unnecessary surgery. #animals
10/15/09
10/15/09
I'm not judging, btw. I've been known to jack up healthcare costs by ordering completely unneccesary tests for CYA* purposes myself.
*cover your ass #animals
10/15/09
Even ACOG says this particular hospital isn't following the protocal correctly. most likely it's an insurance thing -- that's the reason many doctors and hospital no longer do VBACs. Because insurance doesn't want them to perform them. Well, it DOES make more money for the hospital when they cut you open. #animals
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arrested? I know there should be some sort of reprimand, but arrest seems too tough, this is still a child.
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What bothers me is that most restaurant cooks are men, at least where I eat. *shudder* #animals
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In own home, I am a family flusher. At work? Not okay. #animals
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10/01/09
Kids don't know enough about laws for them to be a real deterrent anyway.
10/01/09
10/01/09
I didn't tell my grandparents who I lived with at the time about it, because I knew they'd just discount it, like they discounted all of the bullying at school. Even the TEACHERS got in on it, it was that bad.
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
don't get me wrong. cyberbullying, and any type of bullying for that matter, is wrong. but i think we too often take a reactionary approach by passing a law to punish someone after the fact, instead of being more proactive and trying to change the culture that allows this to happen in the first place.
laws like this seem like an excuse for elected officials to wipe their hand of the issue and say, "there. we did something. moving on." and then the issue is forgotten.
10/01/09
I walk to the bus stop with my 4 year old sons and 6 your old daughter every morning. There's always a group of kids, I'm guessing ages 5-9, across the street, waiting with their mom. Today, she wasn't there.
From the moment we arrived, they were taunting my kids. Screaming across the street, mocking anything they overheard my children saying, etc. My daughter was clearly bothered and clinched my arm. My sons were pretty oblivious to it. I was *this* close to warning them. (Stop or I'm telling your mother, etc) Right then, she arrived and they stopped. I didn't say anything.
The situation left me really uncomfortable. What should I do if it happens again? Inform their mom? The school? One of the kids is in my daughter's class and she previously said he's mean to her.
10/01/09
My husband and I have been discussing bullying a lot lately, and how we dealt with it. My father always counseled me to punch them. Get the first hit in, do it in a public place where it is likely to be broken up quickly, and be loud about it. That approach garnered me a trip to the police station, but I was never picked on again. I don't know how I am going to counsel my child.
10/01/09
And cause this is a situation between girls, its always going to be name calling and insults and the like (for the most part). So difficult. We're practicing her 'oh go fuck yourself' death stare right now.
10/01/09
10/01/09
The thing is, once it gets to the point of physicallity, it's gone too far in my opinion. Better for your daughter to control when, where and how it goes down.
10/01/09
10/01/09