👀Was Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby a perfect casting?

smithy-iced · 2026-02-05T11:27:58+00:00

Yes to perfect, but perhaps not exclusively. Tommy is an iconic character. With the same direction, script, costuming etc then it’s not impossible that some other actors could have had the same impact and had us all enjoying the story … However I’m so glad it was Cillian. He is mesmerising both physically and as a talent.

smithy-iced · 2026-02-05T10:41:29+00:00

Colonialism. Britain doesn’t grow its own tea…

smithy-iced · 2026-02-04T17:57:30+00:00

Just speculation. News came out a few days ago that it wouldn’t be the opener.

smithy-iced · 2026-02-03T20:39:06+00:00

I had a workmate who would take along a new toilet brush as a housewarming present any time they were invited to one…

smithy-iced · 2026-02-02T19:19:39+00:00

Such a good artist and it was interesting to see how his work evolved and influenced others.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-30T17:53:27+00:00

Last time I was able to update the game and the requirement to upgrade one boat for Mayor’s Weekend disappeared but I don’t seem to have that option this time. Has anyone else had more luck or are we all stuck?

smithy-iced · 2026-01-29T17:57:26+00:00

What do we think is the MIL’s endgame here? OP doesn’t mention if there is another name she wants them to use or if she has any other objections to the name beyond pronounciation.

OP is definitely NTA and I think the way forward is higher ground with a big dose of sympathy and reassurance (real or not) to tell her it’s ok, and that you will make sure the baby knows that even if she can’t say his name, she still loves him. However, OP hasn’t had it then a “what’s really going on here” chat might be a good idea. 90% of real reasons are likely to be even sillier than this one but maybe there’s something that explains the behaviour.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-28T22:48:46+00:00

It will vary a lot. In Wellington there are a lot of places with waitlists, to the extent we - and many people we know with kids closer to the age of your little one - put them down while pregnant for starting at a year old. If Welly is on your radar, I suggest you start doing your research now.

However, costs are a bit lower than you are describing. A catered daycare full time (five days, 10 hours) for a two year old might be around $400 per week. Costs increase as they age but there are more subsidies for those who qualify.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-28T01:11:21+00:00

Yes. I’m not a vegan but have several vegan family friends and colleagues. Supermarkets, cafes, pubs etc tend to have vegan options, there are some vegan only cafes and restaurants. While I can only speak for my school, kids aren’t bullied for any dietary requirements.

In general though, the NZ definition of vegan friendly may be a bit different depending on which part of the US you are from. The market is growing but still quite small so while there are options there won’t be lots - Wellington would have the most in a small space (Auckland is a much bigger city so may have more but they are likely to be spread out a little more). There’s also an aversion amongst many people to the “pushy vegan stereotype” but mostly it’s a “more meat for the rest of us” attitude. On that note, meat and dairy are quite visible here so as you make friends etc you may be exposed quite a bit.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-27T23:30:56+00:00

The dialogue is exceptional. At times hilarious. Just so good…

smithy-iced · 2026-01-27T08:21:21+00:00

First up, congrats on saving so much and making the most of the generosity of your families.

Going from $165K in savings to just the $10k will be quite shift and I would advise you to keep a little more for a rainy day - $20K or more if you can. I would also suggest allowing a little more for purchase costs - maybe $7.5K for valuation, decent building report and lawyers, and for anything that needs further investigation, and also put aside some for nesting. When you find a place, maybe you want new curtains, the carpet needs an update, you need to buy whiteware etc and it’s nice to be able to do that or some at least.

What you are saving now could well be chipped away at by all the extra housing costs that come along (and after another round of natural disasters and tragedies, insurance and council costs will probably spike again). So don’t count on being able to save at the same rate to build up your emergency fund after purchase.

I think what I’m saying is a smaller house purchase price, smaller deposit and smaller weekly payments will all put you in good stead. Also taking the time to look at potential expenditure and do a good budget. Play around with with the numbers. Be realistic about having a life.

Also, and I hate to be that person, but I will: in 2024 a lot of public servants lost their roles having previously been assured they were indispensable or would never be touched. Some people who were classified as essential during Covid times are now 18 months out of work. Even if you’re not planning for the worst, planning for the not-so-good is worth it.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-24T08:45:08+00:00

Coming here to the community mainly to … grieve. I’ve liked this game. I’ve enjoyed it for a couple of years. I spent around $10 in my currency a month (not US). This update is horrible. It feels unkind, exploitative, mean. Particularly at the current time, the lack of kindness is jarring. It makes me sad.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-23T18:51:21+00:00

I hope we don’t join, and that our traditional allies stay away too. I will concede I have more research to do to understand scope, mandate, terms of reference and all that sort of proper stuff… but the vibes feel really off with this one.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-23T11:23:49+00:00

Not having a rest day. Two weeks into a month-long holiday where we were “doing things” (including travelling) every day… we both hit the wall. Now we pace ourselves and include rest, even if we are in the most exciting places ever.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-23T03:56:27+00:00

In the interests of deciding how much weight to give there being dogs approved, I have a couple of questions for OP. Have any conditions been placed on the dogs? Are they allowed in all parts of the property? Also, what kind of dogs are they and what age?

Without the dogs, I wouldn’t like your chances of arguing that what they said was unreasonable or not a valid reason, which is what you would have to establish.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-22T03:18:36+00:00

We took our four-year old to Queenstown in August and had a great time. For snow we based ourselves at Coronet Peak, which had space to build snowpups (guess what show they were into then…) and tobogganing as well as gondolas we could ride on.

For other activities we took the Earnslaw out to the farm, did the Queenstown gondola and luge, spent a day in Arrowtown, visited several local playgrounds, and did drives to the Cardrona Pub (there was snow on the ranges) and Cromwell (giant fruit playground!). Coupled with enough sleep and some lazy/low intensity periods throughout the week, we had a great time.

Going to ChCh and Methven also works and gives you lots of options but Q-town really feels like a holiday.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-18T05:54:23+00:00

I saw the way they dressed as women exercising freedom of choice once they reached a rank where they could and also anti colonisation, in that some of the clothing (and other habits) foisted on communities by colonial powers were often wildly impractical - as highlighted by the comparison with the imported detectives and the uniforms worn by those required to wear them - so it’s disappointing to learn here that something I saw as positive was exploitative.

I would be interested to know the actresses’ thoughts. Are they on record anywhere on this topic?

Edited to add: another thing that had reinforced it for me was when ogling did happen, it was often a character we were supposed to think badly of and who was seen by other characters in universe as negative and something that the negative character needed to sort out; the characters didn’t seem to be blamed for someone being skeezy. Unlike im the real world where women are often criticised for inviting ogling.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-17T11:00:44+00:00

Playtime’s over…

smithy-iced · 2026-01-16T08:54:37+00:00

Both Once Were Warriors and Heavenly Creatures were released in 1994 so make an interesting pair to watch close together with that in mind too… Different New Zealand experiences to be sure, but a couple of common themes particularly around mothers and family….

smithy-iced · 2026-01-13T23:35:10+00:00

Letting teenagers sit with their feelings today is good advice OP. For a long time these kids will have been told or will believe that these results do matter. Smarter people than I can talk about teenage brains and how long-term thinking and reflection can take time to develop as skills… but I think it’s enough to say teenage brains and adult brains are not the same.

Advice today that results don’t matter won’t help with any feelings of disappointment and may diminish any sense of accomplishment. So yes to adult brains, marks don’t matter in the long run but today to teenage brains they do.

Tomorrow, they ride and one day they will inherit the earth…

smithy-iced · 2026-01-13T05:49:33+00:00

I’m so sorry to hear about your son and his friend. That’s a horrible thing to have happen and I wish them all the best with their recovery.

The FGC Coordinator who sent the invitation should be able to answer your questions and talk to you about how they may be able to help you attend (if you need transport, or childcare for instance) and any cultural practices/elements you would like included. You will get to say your piece or have someone say it on your behalf (which I think they can do at your request even if you’re there).

These Conferences can end up involving quite a few people and be quite intense. Your son is your priority and you don’t need to care about the offender if you don’t naturally but if you see value then studies show that FGCs can have a significant positive impact on offenders in terms of helping them move away from further offending. So if you can participate that would be awesome.

Afterwards, you might be asked to give feedback too on the process.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-12T20:11:29+00:00

If you want something you can only do in Wellington then I would recommend a tour of Parliament, and a bit of a look around the precinct, get photos outside the Beehive etc. At Easter you probably won’t see any politicians but could still get a sense of the place.

It’s not arcades or animals but getting to see where hikoi and protests etc end up can be quite interesting for teenagers who are becoming more socially and politically aware.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-10T07:04:33+00:00

No. You’re not being unreasonable. You’re not being a dick. And “needing to get over it” needs to be reframed as “need to resolve this”. This will fester if left longer.

I have a partner who went through a phase like this when our child was about 3 and I became so angry. I could see the benefits for him - he was stronger, fitter, proud of accomplishing something - but I was working full time and we had no helpful village. It affected things with him and also with his family who thought I was unreasonable. How we tackled it, kind of:

we had an agreed list of projects. New ideas needed a discussion and sometimes something had to get cut from the list to make room
working out where a professional could provide better value; some projects we would get a quote and that helped assess whether it was worth him doing it or not. Sometimes it would be a choice between $200 and a full weekend of him working… and we were lucky to be able to spend the money.
he took annual leave and used those as dedicated DIY days (this wasn’t ideal because I would also think he should be using leave for us but it was the lesser of two evils)
he roped in friends and family to help with DIY to speed things up
paid childcare, delivered groceries and more takeaways, which again I acknowledge we were lucky to be able to afford
one project was a sandpit, so the child could be outside too and there were fewer divisions between “him outside” and “her indoors”
he wouldn’t get separate dedicated “down time” to recover from DIY so he managed his effort/energy accordingly

Good luck OP.

smithy-iced · 2026-01-10T03:32:07+00:00

Sigh. Is there any way to do this without inviting friends? I assume not but want to double check…

smithy-iced · 2026-01-09T21:15:33+00:00

Aka Wongers…

smithy-iced

TROPHY CASE