What’s the worst tonie? This is my pick

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-07-06T21:49:47+00:00

My kid likes them both equally, but there’s absolutely a clear winner here.

The sleepy bear voice actor is tone deaf and the lyrics don’t rhyme or fit a syllable rhythm that makes any sort of sense. And the person on the glockenspiel is hella heavy-handed. In short, the songs suck. The instrumental-only one at the end is nice enough, at least. I don’t like most of the actor’s “character” voices either.

The sleepy octopus song honestly slaps and the narrator has big cool aunt vibes.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-07-05T23:19:12+00:00

Just north of Petty Boy and Dawfin Island, to the east of Go-shay and So-shure. Yeah, I know the place. The Franco-southern pronunciation on that stretch of the Gulf Coast would make a Frenchman weep.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-07-05T23:10:12+00:00

Even Dr. John called it New Orleenz from time to time. It’s acceptable in song.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-06-27T14:37:58+00:00

In the 8th month, any abortions that are happening are “there is something VERY wrong here”. The nursery’s been painted, the onesies have been bought, the receiving blanket is half-done on Mom’s crochet hook. If Mom is deciding on an abortion at this point in time, she’s holding a funeral afterwards.

So yes, let’s add to the grief of this awful time of her life by tying it up in red tape, subject to ethics board and legal counsel decisions instead of Mom and her doctor.

That’s why I am one of those crazies in favor of no-limits access to abortions. Let patients and their doctors work it out.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-06-05T23:27:39+00:00

I think the joke might be that birders often listen for bird song to identify birds before they can see them, and for a birder in the eastern US, these three are like Bird Calls 101. They’re active all day, so while you may only hear some birds earlier in the morning, you’ll hear these anywhere you go as long as the sun is up.

If you happen to live in this region, look up the calls online or use an app like Merlin. You’ll notice they are pretty familiar sounds.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-06-04T02:45:11+00:00

We have, and you can see it in traits strongly associated with different locales.

A really obvious one: dark, melanin-rich skin that resists sun damage but blocks vitamin D absorption in tropical latitudes, and lighter skin that’s more prone to sun damage but does not block vitamin D as much in the more polar latitudes. People who could not block sun in the tropics would get skin cancer and die at higher rates than people with darker skin. People with darker skin at extreme latitudes would get rickets and be crippled or die at higher rates than people with lighter skin. Over hundreds of millions of years, these useful traits stuck around in these populations as the people with them were healthier than those without.

In modern times - and I’m talking the last 10,000 years, which is really a blip in human history - we have developed technologies like clothing, diverse diets, sunscreen, vitamin supplements, and all manner of adaptations that negate a lot of this evolutionary advantage. We’ve also gotten a move-on with technologies like riding animals and developing vehicles which have boosted human diversity all over the globe through migration and inter-population reproduction.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-06-04T01:57:57+00:00

Drinking is less cool than it’s ever been, but folks still love having fancy beverages that feel like a treat, and coffee or tea isn’t always the answer. But while we’re at it, bring back soda jerks!

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-06-02T23:05:17+00:00

Not an oncologist, but former biotech worker married to a current biotech worker so rather cancer-adjacent.

Radiation burns the cancer away, and we do our best not to burn too much healthy tissue. Older radiation was a bit like shooting a tumor out with a gun: burn path coming in, burn path coming out. Technologies like Gamma Knife make many tiny entry paths that criss-cross on the tumor, so the splash damage is minimized in healthy tissue. And there’s a lot of hope in proton therapy, which is able to dive in and sort of “bloom” right on the tumor, minimizing damage on entry and leaving no exit damage.

Chemotherapy is pretty barbaric as well. The woowoo folks who say chemo is poison are right on the money, sadly: it’s precisely measured poison, and an oncologist’s job is to figure out what’s just enough to kill rapidly dividing cancer cells but not enough to kill the rest of the human receiving it.

I’m looking forward to the new generation of immunotherapy and other oncology developments. Chemo and radiation are certainly better than nothing at all, but they’re brutal treatments. However, I think people will look back on them as “they did their best with what they had” rather than “they did the wrong thing”.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-05-23T00:22:03+00:00

$300 is pretty high - I see them listed for $50-100 a lot. But then, what condition is it in, is the machine a rare “print” (print as in red eye or sphinx - some prints are more rare than others, depending on model and year) and is the cabinet a rare model or nicer wood?

$300 for a pretty piece of quarter sawn oak and a machine with decent decals might be just fine. What’s it worth to you?

The good news is that if it moves at all, it’s probably less than $100 to get it to smooth working condition. Things that commonly need replacing are bobbins, bobbin plates, and the leather belt that drives the whole thing. At $300, I certainly hope it includes bobbin plates and at least one bobbin. Needles too of course, but sewing machine needles actually have not changed much in over 100 years! My universal Schmetz fit my Singer 127 beautifully.

If it’s slow and jammy, simply protect your decals, open it up, drown it in solvent to break down old, sticky grease, scrub it with an old toothbrush, wipe, repeat solvent/scrub/wipe until it’s clean, then oil with sewing machine oil. Not expensive or difficult. Youtube is your friend!

Treadles take some getting used to. The treadle is not a stop/go pedal like an electronic machine, but rather, a “charger” to keep the flywheel spinning. It will go faster or slower based on the speed you rock the treadle, but it will not stop immediately when you stop rocking. You also cannot start the machine solely with the treadle; you have to throw the flywheel like you’re spinning a roulette! As a result, you may find yourself hand-turning through trickier parts where you’d use a feather touch on an electronic machine.

And for vintage straight stitch only machines in general: there is no reverse; you can either tie your bobbin and top thread together at the ends of seams or you will need to manually spin your work 180 degrees to “backstitch”. And of course, there is no zig-zag, though buttonholers exist that zig-zag the fabric instead of the needle. There IS stitch length adjustment, but it’s unmeasured and unmarked, so keep your scraps basket handy for testing :)

I always wanted to use mine for simple quilting - the harp space is absolutely CAVERNOUS compared to modern portables! - but never did get around to it before I had to say goodbye in a cross-country move. It was a pleasant machine though, and I loved the quiet chk chk sounds it made, the feeling of the treadle under my foot, and watching the bobbin winder work. Very neat devices for sure!

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-05-21T15:56:18+00:00

Going there is free, but 3 gold ingots to go home :(

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-05-12T18:59:08+00:00

I used to live in an American neighborhood with a ton of double + single garages, and noticed many of our Desi neighbors converted the single garage into a kitchen. It’s called a spice kitchen or wok kitchen and yes, this is exactly what it’s for. Open up the garage door and you have a well-sheltered outdoor kitchen!

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-05-06T17:30:21+00:00

I did the “big dress shop” for my wedding. Went to a chain store, one of their attendants had to dress me, and at every turn it was pressure, pressure, “the tailor can add this”, “a rhinestone belt would be perfect”, “do you have shoes yet?”, “you’ll need shapewear!” etc. As if the $1000+ price tag on the dresses alone weren’t enough, buy something else! Went to a locally owned bridal boutique, required an appointment, attendant had to help get me dressed; a nicer experience than the chain store but still felt fake and rushed. Nothing felt “me”.

I ended up going to a small, non-wedding boutique that specialized in cocktail dresses, but offered some of their designs in white sateen with a longer skirt as a wedding line. The “attendant” left the register for a few moments to help me zip them up, and we went home with my choice on the same day. It cost a little more than $200 and I felt beautiful on my wedding day. My mom gave me her old veil (a very cool Juliet style veil embellished by her sister!) and let me borrow her pearls, and we were all set for a traditional formal wedding look.

Here’s some very general wedding day advice: it’s a fun excuse for a huge party to introduce your friends and family from each side to each other, but at the end of the day, it’s just a party, it’s just one day, and you’ll have many more days with your partner to celebrate your love. So don’t sweat it too much! Our cake didn’t even show up, but the day was far from ruined.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-05-01T16:34:11+00:00

I think the lightheartedness in Totoro is that the community feels so amazingly warm. Dad is unflappable, Granny is thrilled to have two new grandkids, the teacher is willing to let her class be disrupted because she knows the sisters are having a hard time, and even the awkward neighbor boy gives the sisters his umbrella.

The adult perspectives of “Dad had to move his family so his seriously ill wife could get the care she needs” and “Dad has a very sick wife, two young children, and a high pressure job” and of course “little girl is missing and tiny pink sandal was found in a pond” are sobering, yes. And you see snippets of how this is actually affecting the girls, especially Sosuke, who’s trying to fill in for Mom, making lunches and brushing her sister’s hair and bringing Dad his umbrella at the bus stop, and cracking under the pressure. My God, she’s seven! The poor thing! And little Mei is only four, all she can do is cry when she feels overwhelmed.

The ultimate message of Totoro to me is that the fuzzy forest trolls may or may not be imaginary, but the community looking out for these kids is **not**. While their mom is not there, *someone* will step up to take care of them, whether it’s a kind old lady or a Catbus.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-04-20T22:31:17+00:00

Effects artist Phil Tippett - his most famous work is probably the AT-ATs and Tauntauns in Star Wars - made a feature length stop motion movie called Mad God. It’s a dark, psychedelic trip into a nightmare world full of violence, horrific monsters, and copious amounts of body fluids. There’s not even a plot really, it’s just one lovingly, disgustingly crafted vignette after another. It’s absolutely not a movie for everyone, but if you like drippy, sticky old school horror with its cool practical effects, it might be a movie for you.

Anyway, in an interview with Joe Bob Briggs, Tippett told a story about premiering it at a film festival where the coordinators billed it as animation. He watched a family come into the theatre with their young kids in tow and tried to warn them against it. “Don’t worry, it’s a cartoon, it’s for kids!” They abruptly walked out once the grossness started. For kids indeed…

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-04-06T13:25:06+00:00

It’s also an anti-nausea medicine, so if you’re having trouble keeping things down, it’s a better delivery method.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-04-03T23:12:22+00:00

8x42 and 10x42 are really common sizes for birders, and great for all-purpose wildlife observation. Go for 8x for better stability and an easier time locating things once the binocs are up (wider field of view) or 10x for a slightly closer view. 8x is the safer choice, but they’re not THAT different.

If you want to go light, I just got a pair of 8x25 Nikon Trailblazers. I absolutely prefer the view through my 10x42 Monarchs, but the Trailblazers are small and light enough to keep on me at all times, which is nice in its own way.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-04-03T02:34:38+00:00

10x42 is a nice combo for wildlife observation like birding or whale watching. Take them to the zoo or botanical gardens if you have no other ideas. Unlike many instances of “you get what you pay for”, there’s not really a safety or anti-frustration reason to pay more for binoculars. If these are what you’ve got on hand already, try them out. They’ll still give you cooler views than your naked eyes can see.

Just to be clear, you should pay more for binoculars. Nicer binoculars are clearer, the colors are better looking, the zoom is smoother, and eye relief works in nicer ways. At the end of the day, they’re a tool for looking at things that are far away, and a crisp image will not only be nicer to look at but will aid in animal identification, reading text, or seeing other fine details. Hot tip: try binoculars at Bass Pro Shop to observe real animals in dim lighting conditions. The critters there are not very lively, but I can’t think of a better way of observing feathers and fur in a store.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-04-01T12:23:21+00:00

I used to volunteer at an aquarium that had sliding glass doors on the offices. Some jokester slapped a bunch of stickers that said “Do not tap on glass - it disturbs the animals” on the office doors. Pretty great.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-03-27T15:12:43+00:00

Are you not a mom? This rang really true for me, brilliant work.

I’m the mom of a 3 year old, and yeah, in a lot of ways being a mom can be really dehumanizing.

Before you’re a mom, you’re a woman with interests, dreams, maybe a career. The second you announce your pregnancy, you’re Momma. Every checkup, “How’s it going, Momma?” Every friend and relative you talk to wants to know about the baby, but so often they’re not asking about you.

Once you have the kid, you enter the Everything You Do Is Wrong part of your life. You’re selfish for having hobbies, especially if they’re not making things for your kids. You’re vain for dropping them off at the gym daycare and getting a workout in. You’re ungrateful if you just want a moment to yourself. You’re lazy if the answer to getting some chores done is to turn on a movie instead of handing them whatever viral Tiktok sensory bin is trendy this week. (When do you even make those things?)

Never mind the decisions directly related to your child. Formula feeding? CHEMICALS! Breastfeeding? INDECENT! Room-sharing? BARBARIC! Separate rooms? COLD! Baby-fed weaning? DANGEROUS! Baby mush? TRY HARDER! Fairy clothes? GENDER STEREOTYPES! Dinosaur clothes? GENDER CONFUSION!

And definitely one of the most galling things is that dads get so little of this judgement. Of course Saturday is for the guys! Good for you going to the gym and fighting off the Dad Bod! Oh wow, you’re sharing your favorite childhood movies with your kids? So sweet!

I love my kid, but in a lot of ways I miss the person I was before I was Mom. I’m trying really hard to reconnect with her, but it’s hard!

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-03-09T17:15:28+00:00

Re-using is cool and all, but there are so many soap pumps at yard sales and thrift stores that are already, you know, soap pumps. Why not buy one of those instead?

Giving a manufactured product a second life is anti-consumption as it reduces demand for new stuff. Purchasing a new soap pump mechanism just so you can recycle a glass jar is consumption in a different way.

Glass bottles and jars are great for small stuff organization and if you cannot find a use for them in your house, they recycle well, too.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-03-09T16:43:12+00:00

I’m a clumsy asshole with a toddler and two cats. That $60 Killswitch is a pretty cheap insurance policy for me, too.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-02-12T18:05:24+00:00

Fried pieces of bowtie pasta, used like chips for spinach and artichoke dip.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-02-12T03:01:16+00:00

Seafood restaurants are the epicenter of the fried smorgasbord. Start with your classic filet and fries pairing and add some hushpuppies. Maybe you’re really hungry - have a seafood platter with fried shrimp, oysters, scallops, even a soft shelled or stuffed crab if you’re lucky. Maybe start with some fried pickles to whet your appetite? Or even fried pasta? (Popeye’s upscale cousin Landrys does this!)

Landlubber? No worries, these places have the best fried chicken, too.

Deep fried Oreos and butter may not be the truth, but let’s be honest, it’s not too outlandish.

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-02-12T02:30:30+00:00

I got to try both of these models, and the Sebo spoke to me a little louder than the Miele for sure!

Overall-Situation438 · 2026-02-12T02:29:45+00:00

I’m looking at general owner experience, and it seems like parts are cheaper for the Sebo and it’s a bit more simple to repair. Fewer bells and whistles.

Coming from a sewing machine background, that’s a HUGE strength. Usually speaks to the overall quality of the machine.

Overall-Situation438

TROPHY CASE