I've got a powerful "Don't look lazy" reaction, combatted only by my equally powerful laziness. If it were me, that'd be what was giving me pause about skipping out on the conference. (I'd do it in a heartbeat: the actual laziness is powerful. But I'd have a qualm first.)
Given that you don't seem to be lazy either in general or in this instance, I'd say either you have a different issue, or you should disregard it because you're being silly.
I've got a powerful "Don't look lazy" reaction, combatted only by my equally powerful laziness.
I'm pretty sure the former is a defense mechanism resulting from the latter. I don't think non-lazy people have nearly as much fear of looking lazy. But I wouldn't know.
I'd say either you have a different issue, or you should disregard it because you're being silly.
It really feels like "Oh no! What if I'm left out of good times?!" So, both.
Given, "I hate it and there's no career payoff or silver lining", " "Oh no! What if I'm left out of good times?!" does indeed sound like an insane reaction.
But an opportunity might arise to crack a good joke--and she'll miss it.
I know. I like the people involved. But there's no hanging out to planning the stupid thing. And I'll still attend it.
I've got a powerful "Don't look lazy" reaction, combatted only by my equally powerful laziness.
Me also. It's like lazy is the Ring, but with no volcano hot enough to melt it.
Maybe you could organize a smaller diorama version of the conference. With ants! Who doesn't like ants?
And a dollop of "I'm letting them down because they're probably good, overcommitted people."
Did you feel left out a lot as a kid?
Yes. I was the youngest.
Who doesn't like ants?
Who likes ants?
This is the thread for quickly answered questions.
10: a good friend of mine does this w various
dead bugs. Like, intricate tableaus. She calls them bugsicles, bc she frequently has to keep the bugs in a freezer. This is one of my favorite things about her.
15: I wish I could think of a position that would take advantage of your gifts. Then I'd career-counsel you to apply for it.
18 to the friend mentioned in 17 as well!
I really, really do not like ants.
Just putting that out there. Do with it what you will.
Like, intricate tableaus.
A la Walter Potter?
I'm always curious if the kitten tea party was intended to be delightful, and if Victorians found it to be.
15 is really something. What is it about your life that put you in a position to have that image at your fingertips at a moment's notice? (I mean, sure, google is what put it at your fingertips, because we live in the future. But why did you know that it existed?) It's not even like it's a one-time occurrence, either, so I guess I shouldn't be so powerfully struck by this particular isntance. Von's exactly right that it's a gift, if a somewhat bewildering one.
It really feels like "Oh no! What if I'm left out of good times?!" So, both.
A friend calls this FOMS -- "fear of missing something"
I have learned to suppress this reaction. But I didn't go to parties when I was an student either.
15: RTFA. Apo has the Internet in his back pocket.
I'm not really sure who else is in the general geographic area of London, so I don't know who else to pester. I hope we can make something work.
Presuming that 28 is directed at me, I am familiar with enough of the FA to know that about him. Hence It's not even like it's a one-time occurrence, either, so I guess I shouldn't be so powerfully struck by this particular instance.
This is what impresses me. If I thought he was just an anteater enthusiast, it wouldn't be such a big deal.
I guess what I was trying to say is that it's like the Trinity. You can't really explain it, you just have to believe it. Only with Apo there's demonstrated proof. Internet in his pocket.
15 is really something.
... and it's not even the best link on the site, which would be "Anteater. Walking upright. Eating Cheez Whiz."
I would like many anteaters. Then maybe I could hire an Apostropher to wrangle them.
The title to this post is really bugging me.
Seriously, did I not rant about how much I want an anteater already? I'm pretty sure I tried to do that like seven times already. I want a motherfucking anteater.
I somehow doubt they get along with hyperactive siamese cats, though.
(Aaaaand my browser finally loads)
34: Hmmm. Given the video evidence, I'm not sure putting the anteaters in the same room as a ginger nubbin is wise.
35 -- Agreed. I keep wanting to read it as "Just walk away Heebé"
Which is to say that if you're saying that to yourself, you've probably figured it out already.
The title to this post is really bugging me.
Am I missing something?
39/40 make me think I'm not missing anything, and you guys are objecting to the post title on the grounds that it implies I already know what to do? What the hell kind of standard is that to hold me to?
41: The ability to ignore the various technologies that bring heat and water into your house?
It's easy to ignore the water faucets when nothing happens when you turn them on for the past week.
41: I was puzzled to0, all I could think of was a possible earworm of "Walk Away, Renee" which isn't that bad as earworms go (for me, anyway).
Only with Apo there 's demonstrated proof. Internet in his
pocket .
Aw. I thought he was just happy to see me.
The anteaters really are adorable, DQ has it right. You really need to watch the video if you haven't; the owner apparently has a bunch of anteaters, and a lot of videos of them being cute.
41, 45: Right, as Halford's 38 makes clear, the thing that's bugging me, at least, is that "Heebie" doesn't scan right in place of "Renée". "Just walk away hee-BIE" sounds weird.
Oh, that's fine. Parsley's being an outlier then.
46: Back pocket, Di. "I'm so happy to see you, I crapped my pants."
Ah. It took 48 to make 38 clear to me.
51: That makes two of us. And I still don't know what song you guys mean. And I'm not about to find out, because I like my current earworm (David Bazan), thanks.
And I still don't know what song you guys mean.
You can read a description here without being in danger of hearing the song.
53: Except that where it says "1996", it should say "1966".
53: Oh, thanks. Never heard it, I don't think.
Except that where it says "1996", it should say "1966".
It's clearly a bit of a rushed post. In addition to that error I think it isn't as well written as many of her posts.
But I'm still amazed that she did actually write a post about each one of her top 100 singles (not top 100 songs, top 100 songs that she originally bought as a single!).
I'd never heard "Walk Away, Renee" before today.
Impossible
Nope. Having youtubed it, it's news to me.
58, 59: Wow. I'm old, my feet stink and I don't hate Obama; but at least essear seems to be old as well.
I am totally stunned by 58. Young Stanley is one thing, but Apo??
61: This reminds me of neb never having heard CSN&Y's cover of "Woodstock." But at some level it does make sense that given folks like neb and apo havve heard so many, many songs that I've not, that there should be some that go the other way due to time constraints if nothing else.
Never heard the Renee song either. Clearly the canonical song for the lyric "Just walk away" is Ace of Base, Don't Turn Around.
I've got to test this on my kids. Of course, they grew up around old people.
Have none of you ever turned on the sort of oldies station that can be found all across America, before or after ClearChannel standardized them all, for even a single hour?
There's a lovely quasi-cover of "Walk Away, Renée" by Billy Bragg, which is mostly his doing a spoken word thing whilst strumming out the chorus on his guitar. The very wonderful final line is, "And then she cut her hair and I stopped loving her."
Have none of you ever turned on the sort of oldies station that can be found all across America
That's actually what surprised me most about not having heard it. My music-listening history was basically all-oldies-station-all-the-time and then I discovered Bad Religion. This Renee song sounds like one I almost certainly would have heard, but I'm pretty sure that I had not.
And, for those playing along at home, that oldies station was Oldies 104.3, with the fantastically named Dick Biondi.
Youtube tells me it has also been covered by The Four Tops (which is why I'm a little surprised not to have heard it before) and Bon Jovi.
Seriously, you're better off not knowing.
I figured the "Walk Away, Renee" song was following on a previously existing use of the phrase "just walk away", to tell you the truth. This might be Minivet's territory.
70: They were recently covered by Lady Gaga. Does that help?
Ace of Base is the '90s version of ABBA.
66: The internet tells me that it is actually Johnny Marr on the guitar. (Incidentally, I once spent way too much time Googling to find out if he chose his name because it sounded like "j'en ai marre" [I'm sick of it, or fed up, more or less]. The answer is "probably not," but a whole lot of folks were asking the same question, it seems.)
73: You are asking a serious question?
When Jeff Tweedy was interviewed on Fresssssssssssssh Air, he mentioned that ABBA was one of his favorite bands. I couldn't tell if he was kidding. Kidding on the square, maybe.
76 cont'd: I just realized maybe 73 was to explain that a band that Lady Gaga covers is like ABBA. Sorry -- I'd taken it to be a pointer, like maybe I'd have heard their song(s) because Lady Gaga covered one of them. But I don't know her music either.
Sorry, sorry.
77: We disagree about that, but I don't feel strongly enough about it to argue the point.
Stephin Merritt is also an Abba fan.
I think I am too. I enjoyed the Mamma Mia! movie anyway.
Richard Thompson covers "Money, Money, Money" as part of the 1000 Years of Popular Music thing; it's a good song.
a band that Lady Gaga covers is like ABBA
No, both are Swedish bands made up of two men and two women that sold huge amounts of slick, overproduced, disco-flavored Europop.
79: It was a reference to this sort of thing, though admittedly not a helpful one.
Richard Thompson covers "Money, Money, Money" as part of the 1000 Years of Popular Music thing; it's a good song.
Sinead O'Connor covered "Chiquita" and it's a nice version.
I figured the "Walk Away, Renee" song was following on a previously existing use of the phrase "just walk away", to tell you the truth. This might be Minivet's territory.
My public!
"Just walk away" was used going far back, but early uses are prosaic, not idiomatic; it seems to have really vaulted in popularity starting around 1965.
Surveying usage, it seems like it was semi-idiomatic by the early 60's, but used in more laconic, tough-guy contexts in the early 70's. So conceivably it was the song (or something else around that time) that turned it into a popular phrase on its own. Also, I notice that it was only after the 60's that the capitalized version became consistently popular, implying more standalone use.
And "Just walk away" in the song is probably believed by half the population to be "Don't walk away". I was in that half for many years.
66: I'm the most illegible bachelor in town.
87: Your fan!
Thanks. The Google ngram thing is interesting; I'm probably behind the times not to have known about it.
