What Grinds Your Gears? :) - Page 443

*MsMarvelDuckie* · 03-07-2021, 08:17 PM

As I understand it, the series is set around the time of the Great Conjunction BEFORE the one in Jen's time, so about a 1000 trine (years) earlier. Though it was interesting that Deet saw that vision of Jen and the Crystal, the hiding of baby Jen when the Garthim wiped out the last Gelfling village, etc. I think that was why she left after the final battle, in addition to her drawing the Darkening into herself.

Also, it is almost certain that Jen was a Stonewood, and Kira is Vapran. So Brea may he an ancestor to her? I wish I had bought that book when I saw it ages ago, but I do think some of the details from it and the series are a bit different- for one, Rian apparently had a sister in the book, but she wasn't in the movie.

As a related gear grind, Today I ran across an absolute troll on YouTube while looking through the comments under a clip of the ending scene of the original movie, where the Skeksis and Urru rejoined. The dude was just sh**ting all over the film based on a 30+ year old memory of seeing it in 1982, so basically having watched it ONE time in a likely crowded and noisy (because kids) theater. I spent a good bit of time explaining why his analysis was full of crap, but- well you know the type. A hater who is absolutely CONVINCED that their opinion is the only "correct" view, and refuses to even consider they could be wrong about even the most basic plot and theme points. It would be funny, if not for the fact he was being a prick about why he thought it was "slow, plodding, and boring", and had a message of "magic fix-all". Which is both oversimplified(and wrong about the magic) and basically ignores half the movie.

*IndigoErth* · 03-10-2021, 04:32 PM

I hope maybe someday they'll continue it.

Grind... when you get subs for dinner and you order a really complicated one consisting of... plain turkey and Swiss and a container of pickles on the side and you end up with... just turkey on a roll and that's it.

The place is usually really good, but how do you mess up a sandwich so simple, esp when the info is even printed right there on the receipt. They owe me extra free Swiss next time...

*IndigoErth* · 03-24-2021, 05:52 PM

When life is hectic and you apparently misplace a couple of your marbles... Look forward to finding those over the weekend before the pressure is on again come season change overs.

After last week esp and getting home late enough I didn't get on the computer after work some nights... my car insurance, due the 16th, never crossed my mind even once until I got a letter from them yesterday warning of pending cancellation if I didn't pay up. Oops. That was a first. >.<

And I frigging left my keys in the ignition last night. Cute. Normally my car will yell at me, but guess I'd left it sitting only half in and didn't trigger the alert. I know I forgot when I sat for a sec considering how to take stuff in without making a second trip to the car.

Off my game a bit the last week or so.

*newfan* · 03-25-2021, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

When life is hectic and you apparently misplace a couple of your marbles... Look forward to finding those over the weekend before the pressure is on again come season change overs.

After last week esp and getting home late enough I didn't get on the computer after work some nights... my car insurance, due the 16th, never crossed my mind even once until I got a letter from them yesterday warning of pending cancellation if I didn't pay up. Oops. That was a first. >.<

And I frigging left my keys in the ignition last night. Cute. Normally my car will yell at me, but guess I'd left it sitting only half in and didn't trigger the alert. I know I forgot when I sat for a sec considering how to take stuff in without making a second trip to the car.

Off my game a bit the last week or so.

Are you a little over worked? Hopefully picks up. I can relate to frustrations on feeling off your game though.

My gears have been grinding more than usual at the moment due to my current mood.

*IndigoErth* · 03-25-2021, 11:26 AM

Not sure if it's overworked per se, but more just too many things at once, Easter being quite early this year complicating it, and a company that makes decisions in some office in another state and whose planning doesn't always make it the easiest for the people who actually do the work.

~~Leo656~~ · 03-28-2021, 05:01 PM

I found out today that before we rescued him from the shelter a few years ago - which turned out to be a kill shelter; thank God we got him out of there - our dog had been left in there twice because his previous owners just "couldn't handle" how hyper he was. For all we know he could have been in that shelter for over two years; his first owner dropped him off, someone adopted him after a while, and then those people brought him back. He was in there quite a long time, that's all we know.

I can't stand that sh*t. I swear some people only adopt a pet when what they really want is a big stuffed animal and nothing else. It kills me to even think about how he might have been put down just because he's excessively happy, which is really all it is. It's not like he's destructive or anything or barks too much or whatever; he just likes to go out a lot and demands a lot of attention, and gets excited when people are around. How "unbearable".

He's super-happy and crazy affectionate and really, really smart (I'm still amazed at how he managed to stay alive for that four whole months he was lost in the woods last year). I can't even imagine how or why anyone would have ever had it in them to reject him. He's such a good dog.

On the upside, I guess we were meant to have him, so it all worked out. But it pisses me off that he apparently got such a raw deal before we found him. Too many people don't understand the responsibility of caring for a pet.

Iroh · 03-28-2021, 05:31 PM

"karens" grind my gears.
Anti-maskers grind my gears.
Parents that let their kids run around a store and destroy it grinds my gears the most! The parents and their kids need their asses whooped and put in time out!

*IndigoErth* · 03-28-2021, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leo656

I found out today that before we rescued him from the shelter a few years ago - which turned out to be a kill shelter; thank God we got him out of there - our dog had been left in there twice because his previous owners just "couldn't handle" how hyper he was. For all we know he could have been in that shelter for over two years; his first owner dropped him off, someone adopted him after a while, and then those people brought him back. He was in there quite a long time, that's all we know.

I can't stand that sh*t. I swear some people only adopt a pet when what they really want is a big stuffed animal and nothing else. It kills me to even think about how he might have been put down just because he's excessively happy, which is really all it is. It's not like he's destructive or anything or barks too much or whatever; he just likes to go out a lot and demands a lot of attention, and gets excited when people are around. How "unbearable".

He's super-happy and crazy affectionate and really, really smart (I'm still amazed at how he managed to stay alive for that four whole months he was lost in the woods last year). I can't even imagine how or why anyone would have ever had it in them to reject him. He's such a good dog.

On the upside, I guess we were meant to have him, so it all worked out. But it pisses me off that he apparently got such a raw deal before we found him. Too many people don't understand the responsibility of caring for a pet.

Poor guy, but so lucky you guys came along and meant to be his people. How did you end up finding that out this many years later?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iroh

The parents and their kids need their asses whooped and put in time out!

Can't even say how many times I've pretty much had the same thought when adults fail to teach their kids how to behave in public.

~~Leo656~~ · 03-28-2021, 06:34 PM

My wife and her Mom were apparently talking about it earlier, it was something her Mom was talking about with the people at the shelter the day they brought him home but my wife either didn't hear or had forgotten that part of the conversation until her Mom brought it up this afternoon. Knowing my wife, she probably was too busy fawning over the dog at the time they adopted him while her Mom and the shelter staff were going over all that stuff.

I've always been a bit sad that I wasn't there when they got him, but that's what I get for sleeping in I guess.

I'm guessing his previous "owners" didn't have a ton of regard for him because the shelter people didn't even know his "real" name. They just started calling him "Bambi" because he seriously looks like a little deer. But my wife and her parents thought that was too "effeminate" (even though Bambi is a boy, but whatever) and so they renamed him Riley. Because my wife loves that show The Boondocks.

I was fine with "Bambi", but it's fine. Like most pets, he seems rather indifferent to his name anyway. He responds exactly the same no matter what I call him.

I often call him "Mr. Handsome" because I think he looks rather distinguished.

We just had him groomed so he's really quite dapper at the moment.

He must've had a great time because my wife bought herself a new hairbrush the other day and when he saw it he went nuts and got all excited.

He's a nut.

*IndigoErth* · 03-28-2021, 07:05 PM

lol Reminds me of the dog we had a while ago (an Airedale), he loved getting groomed. I know some dogs hate it, but we used this service that would pick him up on the "doggie bus" van, along with other dogs with appointments that day and probably the ones he became familiar with. Perfectly happy to ditch us and go hang out with them for the afternoon to get his new cut. Was always excited when that van showed up.

~~Leo656~~ · 03-28-2021, 07:30 PM

I think a lot of it has to do with the type of groomer and how they operate.

They took him to a new place this time after finding out that the previous place keeps the animals in kennels before and after they groom them. Lord knows that after being in a kennel for around two years, he's had more than enough of that kinda thing, so they found a different place that lets the dogs run around and play and whatnot. Not surprisingly, he seemed to have a much better experience this time.

It's weird, though, in that while he definitely doesn't like being in a cage or a kennel, he still feels "safest" in confined spaces as a preference. Some numbnuts gave us a hard time on FB one time when we posted some pictures of him sleeping in "his" closet, but that's where he likes to be, he just picked that spot when we brought him home. We've tried moving his bed around to different places but that's where he likes to be. Even after we got him back after he was gone for that four months, after he got done doing a "lap" of the whole house, he went right to his closet to curl up and rest.

I do think it's a bit weird, but it just goes to show you that these animals are all individuals with their own personalities.

*IndigoErth* · 03-28-2021, 07:49 PM

Not odd, imo, it's probably his den and not uncommon. Ours loved his kennel the same way, as it was tucked in a quiet corner behind a chair in the living room. If those FB people even own dogs you'd think some of them might have realized that it's normal. Most dogs just aren't as lucky to have their own "bedroom" via closet.

~~Leo656~~ · 03-28-2021, 08:17 PM

I found him this morning in a totally new spot; he'd made himself a "bed" out of a bunch of those plastic clothing bags you put comforters and stuff in and was taking a nap on the other side of the room from where he usually sleeps.

Apparently from what we've seen, read, etc., dogs "laugh" often but it can be hard to tell because it's pretty much the same as when they pant. But he definitely seems to laugh whenever I tell him he's a crazy nut. Which is often.

*IndigoErth* · 03-30-2021, 02:36 PM

Okay, maybe he is a tad weird... lol

Grind... When you want to order something on eBay, but the seller is away until the 29th and it won't let you order, but that's fine since you'd still have a couple days to order before eBay's rewards program ends April 1st (another grind, damn them)... so you go look and it now says they are away until April 6th.

Just a second order of the gemstones I got some small amounts of recently to check it out and wanted to get a bit more, and I probably will eventually, but now sorry to say for the seller, with that program ending and before they are back... eh, it can wait until whenever, if I don't lose interest before then.

Ebay ending the rewards is a really stupid idea.

~~Leo656~~ · 03-30-2021, 03:11 PM

Also on the subject of eBay Grinds, when the ONE figure you need to complete your collection is so prohibitively expensive that it has to remain forever out of reach.

Specifically, I now have all but one of the figures from the old Playmates line of Dick Tracy figures. The "one"? The Blank, which is the one everybody wants most but almost nobody actually has. Long story short, the action figure and packaging spilled the beans on The Blank actually being Madonna's Breathless Mahoney character (uh... "Spoilers" for a 30+-year old movie, I guess

) while the movie was still out in theaters, so they pulled it from production and it ended up being a Canadian exclusive with a super-low run. When we were kids everybody wanted The Blank but nobody ever found one, and there was no internet to tell us why, so it was very frustrating.

Now, thanks to eBay they're very easy to find... supposing of course that you have a spare $1300-2000 laying around for a f*cking action figure.

It's just so annoying. Every other figure in the line is super easy to find, and at $10-50 each it's not hard at all to have a "complete" collection... except it's not really complete. And it's not like The Blank is a minor character or anything, either. So while I'm super glad to finally have the rest of the line, I'll never be able to look at them without feeling a giant pit of emptiness in my gut.

I mean, it's obviously not the end of the world or anything. It's just... very frustrating.

*IndigoErth* · 03-30-2021, 04:09 PM

$1300-2000? Ouch!

Well, in the unlikely event that somehow some clueless person ever lists one for far better, having no idea what they've even got, I hope you're the one that finds it first.

Reminds me of the darn TMNT figures I'd like to get for my nephew, one or the other. He really likes my Monster Hunter Leo, but it took me quite a while to find an affordable loose one for myself to begin with. If not another of that one, the Undertaker Donnie would be a cool alternative he'd probably love...but of course that is no better on eBay. FAR better prices than what you're after, but for a 4-year-old? Yeah, I don't think so. I'll keep watching...

edit: Sucks that the one more reasonable one of that Donnie has to be sold along with two non-TMNT figures I don't want to also pay for (hate when people do that) and they've got the shipping jacked up to over $15, so that's not happening.

**Jester** · 03-30-2021, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leo656

Also on the subject of eBay Grinds, when the ONE figure you need to complete your collection is so prohibitively expensive that it has to remain forever out of reach.

Specifically, I now have all but one of the figures from the old Playmates line of Dick Tracy figures. The "one"? The Blank, which is the one everybody wants most but almost nobody actually has. Long story short, the action figure and packaging spilled the beans on The Blank actually being Madonna's Breathless Mahoney character (uh... "Spoilers" for a 30+-year old movie, I guess

) while the movie was still out in theaters, so they pulled it from production and it ended up being a Canadian exclusive with a super-low run. When we were kids everybody wanted The Blank but nobody ever found one, and there was no internet to tell us why, so it was very frustrating.

Now, thanks to eBay they're very easy to find... supposing of course that you have a spare $1300-2000 laying around for a f*cking action figure.

It's just so annoying. Every other figure in the line is super easy to find, and at $10-50 each it's not hard at all to have a "complete" collection... except it's not really complete. And it's not like The Blank is a minor character or anything, either. So while I'm super glad to finally have the rest of the line, I'll never be able to look at them without feeling a giant pit of emptiness in my gut.

I mean, it's obviously not the end of the world or anything. It's just... very frustrating.

This is why I'm most cheesed off about the Dr. Seuss books being pulled from production. We have an extensive children's book library with most of the Dr. Seuss books except 3 of the 6 that were pulled. Now if we want them they have the label of "BANNED" on them (figuratively that is) and will be more expensive that I'm ever going to be willing or maybe even able to pay.

*Jephael* · 04-01-2021, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leo656

Also on the subject of eBay Grinds, when the ONE figure you need to complete your collection is so prohibitively expensive that it has to remain forever out of reach.

Specifically, I now have all but one of the figures from the old Playmates line of Dick Tracy figures. The "one"? The Blank, which is the one everybody wants most but almost nobody actually has. Long story short, the action figure and packaging spilled the beans on The Blank actually being Madonna's Breathless Mahoney character (uh... "Spoilers" for a 30+-year old movie, I guess

) while the movie was still out in theaters, so they pulled it from production and it ended up being a Canadian exclusive with a super-low run. When we were kids everybody wanted The Blank but nobody ever found one, and there was no internet to tell us why, so it was very frustrating.

Now, thanks to eBay they're very easy to find... supposing of course that you have a spare $1300-2000 laying around for a f*cking action figure.

It's just so annoying. Every other figure in the line is super easy to find, and at $10-50 each it's not hard at all to have a "complete" collection... except it's not really complete. And it's not like The Blank is a minor character or anything, either. So while I'm super glad to finally have the rest of the line, I'll never be able to look at them without feeling a giant pit of emptiness in my gut.

I mean, it's obviously not the end of the world or anything. It's just... very frustrating.

I used to feel that way when looking up Toon Shredder. I've always wanted one mint on card, but they were way too much. Ultimately, I settled for one out of package.

I'm actually surprised people still care so much about Dick Tracy. That franchise hasn't seen the light of day for some time now.

*IndigoErth* · 04-02-2021, 04:49 PM

I don't now much about that particular property, but it's an oddly quiet one? Was the 1990 the most "recent" thing produced? I'm surprised someone hasn't grabbed it up for a modern reboot of some sort. Assuming it isn't somehow locked up and untouchable.

~~Leo656~~ · 04-02-2021, 08:51 PM

I know Warren Beatty owns certain rights to Dick Tracy (and still swears that he's TOTALLY gonna make that sequel movie one day!) and takes every necessary action to keep them. Nobody can make a TV show or movie without his permission and he's been very vocal that he isn't gonna give it. He's very protective of the character and the franchise. Which I understand; part of why the 1990 movie was so great was because he oversaw every aspect of production personally. He's a huge, huge fan of the character and would rather not see anyone screw with it just to make a fast buck.

See, as a huge fan myself (I own most of the original strips in various formats, hardcover/softcover collections, etc. etc.), I rather respect and appreciate that approach. Like, a LOT. I love Dick Tracy. There's been great stuff (the early 30s and 40s stuff) and terrible stuff (the "Space Era" of the 50s and 60s where suddenly this hardboiled detective was suddenly hanging out with literal Moon People and sh*t). When you've seen all of it, what really stands out is that the BEST stuff was when it was simple, clean, and "of its time". When they tried to make it "hip" and "modern"... it was terrible. And that was 50+ years ago.

A "modern" reboot of Dick Tracy set in the present day would be absolutely, 110% godawful. It would be like "House", but with a detective. Nobody actually wants to see 20-something Dick Tracy wearing torn jeans and a yellow blazer, sporting 5 O'clock shadow and his trademark fedora sitting askew on his head "Hipster Douchebag" style, cracking wise and being a smartass. Maybe sounds good on paper to people who aren't actually big fans of the property. Trust me... it would be AWFUL.

There's simply no way to do a "modern" Dick Tracy without completely going against what the character is and what the material is about. It's a very black-and-white, gritty, true-to-life crime procedural that just so happens to feature a revolving cast of grotesque gimmick villains. It was created by a man who had a very clear-cut idea about Good and Evil, and that played out in the strips. In today's more "progressive" world, where "Good" and "Evil" are abstract concepts open to interpretation rather than absolutes, there's simply no room for a character like Dick Tracy to exist... not without becoming a completely different, and likely unrecognizable character.

The strips are still in print and they're still publishing new material, so... there's that. By what I've read, a lot of it's pretty terrible, on account of they for whatever reason went back to all the Moon People sci-fi stuff, which had NO place ever existing in the Dick Tracy strip in the first place... not to mention the fact that ALL Dick Tracy strips are canon going back to the 1930s, and it's not on a "sliding timeline", so the characters age normally and reflect the natural passage of time... which means that in-universe, Dick Tracy is over 100 years old and they keep having to come up with more and more contrived ways to explain that.

And that's whatever, but that's as far as it needs to go, I feel. The absolute LAST thing I want from that franchise is any kind of "modern reboot". It's a story about a Prohibition-era detective who did his talking with his wits and his fists, in a world where Good and Evil weren't open to interpretation and the Good Guys won while the Bad Guys died awful and ironic deaths. I'd be up for "retellings" of certain stories set in the original era, that's one thing. But outside of the 1930s/1940 setting... I would STRONGLY argue that the material simply doesn't WORK. It NEEDS to be of that time and place, not outside of it. That's what the movie did so very well; it wasn't a 1:1 retelling of the comic strips - they fudged a lot of details and got a lot of things flat-out "wrong" - but it was spiritually VERY true to the original material in every way that mattered. If they'd tried to set in in 1989/1990, it wouldn't have worked.

Anything based on Dick Tracy really HAS to be a period piece. And to be blunt, there's no market whatsoever for detective stories set in the 1930s anymore. So, as much as I love the character, I only care about something that remains true to the roots of it. I'm with Beatty; I'd rather the property stay dormant, rather than have someone try and make a "hip, modern" version and completely ruin it by turning it into something that's completely unrecognizable from what it was originally intended to be. By that point, it's just a brand name, a corporate product. And it was never created to BE that, even though in its day the franchise had so much merchandise it would make Batman blush. But those products were created to supply a demand based on people's authentic love for the character(s). Pushing plastic was never the character's sole purpose of being. And I'd much rather not see it go the way of TMNT, where it ONLY exists to hawk toys to little kids and there's nothing resembling a heart or soul left in the entire property. Sure, TMNT is "evergreen", but it's all garbage now. I'd never want to see the Dick Tracy "brand" end up that way, I simply love it too much. It would break my heart.

"Sometimes, dead is bettah."

03-07-2021, 08:17 PM	#8841
MsMarvelDuckie I Married a Duck! Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: The bowels of Hell, Texas(otherwise known as Decatur) Posts: 8,773	As I understand it, the series is set around the time of the Great Conjunction BEFORE the one in Jen's time, so about a 1000 trine (years) earlier. Though it was interesting that Deet saw that vision of Jen and the Crystal, the hiding of baby Jen when the Garthim wiped out the last Gelfling village, etc. I think that was why she left after the final battle, in addition to her drawing the Darkening into herself. Also, it is almost certain that Jen was a Stonewood, and Kira is Vapran. So Brea may he an ancestor to her? I wish I had bought that book when I saw it ages ago, but I do think some of the details from it and the series are a bit different- for one, Rian apparently had a sister in the book, but she wasn't in the movie. As a related gear grind, Today I ran across an absolute troll on YouTube while looking through the comments under a clip of the ending scene of the original movie, where the Skeksis and Urru rejoined. The dude was just sh*ting all over the film based on a 30+ year old memory of seeing it in 1982, so basically having watched it ONE time in a likely crowded and noisy (because kids) theater. I spent a good bit of time explaining why his analysis was full of crap, but- well you know the type. A hater who is absolutely CONVINCED that their opinion is the only "correct" view, and refuses to even consider they could be wrong about even the most basic plot and theme points. It would be funny, if not for the fact he was being a prick about why he thought it was "slow, plodding, and boring", and had a message of "magic fix-all". Which is both oversimplified(and wrong about the magic) and basically ignores half the movie. __________________ "You IDIOTS! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -from "Spaceballs" "Where Science ends, magic begins." -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491 My various stories and fan-fics are now here- https://m.fanfiction.net/u/4770494/#end Last edited by MsMarvelDuckie; 03-07-2021 at 08:26 PM.*

03-28-2021, 05:31 PM	#8847
Iroh Stone Warrior Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: United States Posts: 546	"karens" grind my gears. Anti-maskers grind my gears. Parents that let their kids run around a store and destroy it grinds my gears the most! The parents and their kids need their asses whooped and put in time out! __________________ https://www.youtube.com/yurushiigaming

03-10-2021, 04:32 PM	#8842
IndigoErth Team Blue Boy Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: U.S., East Coast Posts: 16,296	I hope maybe someday they'll continue it. Grind... when you get subs for dinner and you order a really complicated one consisting of... plain turkey and Swiss and a container of pickles on the side and you end up with... just turkey on a roll and that's it. The place is usually really good, but how do you mess up a sandwich so simple, esp when the info is even printed right there on the receipt. They owe me extra free Swiss next time...

03-24-2021, 05:52 PM	#8843
IndigoErth Team Blue Boy Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: U.S., East Coast Posts: 16,296	When life is hectic and you apparently misplace a couple of your marbles... Look forward to finding those over the weekend before the pressure is on again come season change overs. After last week esp and getting home late enough I didn't get on the computer after work some nights... my car insurance, due the 16th, never crossed my mind even once until I got a letter from them yesterday warning of pending cancellation if I didn't pay up. Oops. That was a first. >.< And I frigging left my keys in the ignition last night. Cute. Normally my car will yell at me, but guess I'd left it sitting only half in and didn't trigger the alert. I know I forgot when I sat for a sec considering how to take stuff in without making a second trip to the car. Off my game a bit the last week or so.

03-25-2021, 11:26 AM	#8845
IndigoErth Team Blue Boy Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: U.S., East Coast Posts: 16,296	Not sure if it's overworked per se, but more just too many things at once, Easter being quite early this year complicating it, and a company that makes decisions in some office in another state and whose planning doesn't always make it the easiest for the people who actually do the work.

03-28-2021, 05:01 PM	#8846
~~Leo656~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,703	I found out today that before we rescued him from the shelter a few years ago - which turned out to be a kill shelter; thank God we got him out of there - our dog had been left in there twice because his previous owners just "couldn't handle" how hyper he was. For all we know he could have been in that shelter for over two years; his first owner dropped him off, someone adopted him after a while, and then those people brought him back. He was in there quite a long time, that's all we know. I can't stand that sh*t. I swear some people only adopt a pet when what they really want is a big stuffed animal and nothing else. It kills me to even think about how he might have been put down just because he's excessively happy, which is really all it is. It's not like he's destructive or anything or barks too much or whatever; he just likes to go out a lot and demands a lot of attention, and gets excited when people are around. How "unbearable". He's super-happy and crazy affectionate and really, really smart (I'm still amazed at how he managed to stay alive for that four whole months he was lost in the woods last year). I can't even imagine how or why anyone would have ever had it in them to reject him. He's such a good dog. On the upside, I guess we were meant to have him, so it all worked out. But it pisses me off that he apparently got such a raw deal before we found him. Too many people don't understand the responsibility of caring for a pet.

03-28-2021, 06:34 PM	#8849
~~Leo656~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,703	My wife and her Mom were apparently talking about it earlier, it was something her Mom was talking about with the people at the shelter the day they brought him home but my wife either didn't hear or had forgotten that part of the conversation until her Mom brought it up this afternoon. Knowing my wife, she probably was too busy fawning over the dog at the time they adopted him while her Mom and the shelter staff were going over all that stuff. I've always been a bit sad that I wasn't there when they got him, but that's what I get for sleeping in I guess. I'm guessing his previous "owners" didn't have a ton of regard for him because the shelter people didn't even know his "real" name. They just started calling him "Bambi" because he seriously looks like a little deer. But my wife and her parents thought that was too "effeminate" (even though Bambi is a boy, but whatever) and so they renamed him Riley. Because my wife loves that show The Boondocks. I was fine with "Bambi", but it's fine. Like most pets, he seems rather indifferent to his name anyway. He responds exactly the same no matter what I call him. I often call him "Mr. Handsome" because I think he looks rather distinguished. We just had him groomed so he's really quite dapper at the moment. He must've had a great time because my wife bought herself a new hairbrush the other day and when he saw it he went nuts and got all excited. He's a nut.

03-28-2021, 07:05 PM	#8850
IndigoErth Team Blue Boy Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: U.S., East Coast Posts: 16,296	lol Reminds me of the dog we had a while ago (an Airedale), he loved getting groomed. I know some dogs hate it, but we used this service that would pick him up on the "doggie bus" van, along with other dogs with appointments that day and probably the ones he became familiar with. Perfectly happy to ditch us and go hang out with them for the afternoon to get his new cut. Was always excited when that van showed up.

03-28-2021, 07:30 PM	#8851
~~Leo656~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,703	I think a lot of it has to do with the type of groomer and how they operate. They took him to a new place this time after finding out that the previous place keeps the animals in kennels before and after they groom them. Lord knows that after being in a kennel for around two years, he's had more than enough of that kinda thing, so they found a different place that lets the dogs run around and play and whatnot. Not surprisingly, he seemed to have a much better experience this time. It's weird, though, in that while he definitely doesn't like being in a cage or a kennel, he still feels "safest" in confined spaces as a preference. Some numbnuts gave us a hard time on FB one time when we posted some pictures of him sleeping in "his" closet, but that's where he likes to be, he just picked that spot when we brought him home. We've tried moving his bed around to different places but that's where he likes to be. Even after we got him back after he was gone for that four months, after he got done doing a "lap" of the whole house, he went right to his closet to curl up and rest. I do think it's a bit weird, but it just goes to show you that these animals are all individuals with their own personalities.

03-28-2021, 07:49 PM	#8852
IndigoErth Team Blue Boy Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: U.S., East Coast Posts: 16,296	Not odd, imo, it's probably his den and not uncommon. Ours loved his kennel the same way, as it was tucked in a quiet corner behind a chair in the living room. If those FB people even own dogs you'd think some of them might have realized that it's normal. Most dogs just aren't as lucky to have their own "bedroom" via closet.

03-28-2021, 08:17 PM	#8853
~~Leo656~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,703	I found him this morning in a totally new spot; he'd made himself a "bed" out of a bunch of those plastic clothing bags you put comforters and stuff in and was taking a nap on the other side of the room from where he usually sleeps. Apparently from what we've seen, read, etc., dogs "laugh" often but it can be hard to tell because it's pretty much the same as when they pant. But he definitely seems to laugh whenever I tell him he's a crazy nut. Which is often.

03-30-2021, 02:36 PM	#8854
IndigoErth Team Blue Boy Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: U.S., East Coast Posts: 16,296	Okay, maybe he is a tad weird... lol Grind... When you want to order something on eBay, but the seller is away until the 29th and it won't let you order, but that's fine since you'd still have a couple days to order before eBay's rewards program ends April 1st (another grind, damn them)... so you go look and it now says they are away until April 6th. Just a second order of the gemstones I got some small amounts of recently to check it out and wanted to get a bit more, and I probably will eventually, but now sorry to say for the seller, with that program ending and before they are back... eh, it can wait until whenever, if I don't lose interest before then. Ebay ending the rewards is a really stupid idea.

03-30-2021, 03:11 PM	#8855
~~Leo656~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,703	Also on the subject of eBay Grinds, when the ONE figure you need to complete your collection is so prohibitively expensive that it has to remain forever out of reach. Specifically, I now have all but one of the figures from the old Playmates line of Dick Tracy figures. The "one"? The Blank, which is the one everybody wants most but almost nobody actually has. Long story short, the action figure and packaging spilled the beans on The Blank actually being Madonna's Breathless Mahoney character (uh... "Spoilers" for a 30+-year old movie, I guess ) while the movie was still out in theaters, so they pulled it from production and it ended up being a Canadian exclusive with a super-low run. When we were kids everybody wanted The Blank but nobody ever found one, and there was no internet to tell us why, so it was very frustrating. Now, thanks to eBay they're very easy to find... supposing of course that you have a spare $1300-2000 laying around for a fcking action figure. It's just so annoying. Every other figure in the line is super easy to find, and at $10-50 each it's not hard at all to have a "complete" collection... except it's not really* complete. And it's not like The Blank is a minor character or anything, either. So while I'm super glad to finally have the rest of the line, I'll never be able to look at them without feeling a giant pit of emptiness in my gut. I mean, it's obviously not the end of the world or anything. It's just... very frustrating.

03-30-2021, 04:09 PM	#8856
IndigoErth Team Blue Boy Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: U.S., East Coast Posts: 16,296	$1300-2000? Ouch! Well, in the unlikely event that somehow some clueless person ever lists one for far better, having no idea what they've even got, I hope you're the one that finds it first. Reminds me of the darn TMNT figures I'd like to get for my nephew, one or the other. He really likes my Monster Hunter Leo, but it took me quite a while to find an affordable loose one for myself to begin with. If not another of that one, the Undertaker Donnie would be a cool alternative he'd probably love...but of course that is no better on eBay. FAR better prices than what you're after, but for a 4-year-old? Yeah, I don't think so. I'll keep watching... edit: Sucks that the one more reasonable one of that Donnie has to be sold along with two non-TMNT figures I don't want to also pay for (hate when people do that) and they've got the shipping jacked up to over $15, so that's not happening.

04-02-2021, 04:49 PM	#8859
IndigoErth Team Blue Boy Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: U.S., East Coast Posts: 16,296	I don't now much about that particular property, but it's an oddly quiet one? Was the 1990 the most "recent" thing produced? I'm surprised someone hasn't grabbed it up for a modern reboot of some sort. Assuming it isn't somehow locked up and untouchable.

04-02-2021, 08:51 PM	#8860
~~Leo656~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,703	I know Warren Beatty owns certain rights to Dick Tracy (and still swears that he's TOTALLY gonna make that sequel movie one day!) and takes every necessary action to keep them. Nobody can make a TV show or movie without his permission and he's been very vocal that he isn't gonna give it. He's very protective of the character and the franchise. Which I understand; part of why the 1990 movie was so great was because he oversaw every aspect of production personally. He's a huge, huge fan of the character and would rather not see anyone screw with it just to make a fast buck. See, as a huge fan myself (I own most of the original strips in various formats, hardcover/softcover collections, etc. etc.), I rather respect and appreciate that approach. Like, a LOT. I love Dick Tracy. There's been great stuff (the early 30s and 40s stuff) and terrible stuff (the "Space Era" of the 50s and 60s where suddenly this hardboiled detective was suddenly hanging out with literal Moon People and sht). When you've seen all of it, what really stands out is that the BEST stuff was when it was simple, clean, and "of its time". When they tried to make it "hip" and "modern"... it was terrible. And that was 50+ years ago. A "modern" reboot of Dick Tracy set in the present day would be absolutely, 110% godawful. It would be like "House", but with a detective. Nobody actually wants to see 20-something Dick Tracy wearing torn jeans and a yellow blazer, sporting 5 O'clock shadow and his trademark fedora sitting askew on his head "Hipster Douchebag" style, cracking wise and being a smartass. Maybe sounds good on paper to people who aren't actually big fans of the property. Trust me... it would be AWFUL. There's simply no way to do a "modern" Dick Tracy without completely going against what the character is and what the material is about. It's a very black-and-white, gritty, true-to-life crime procedural that just so happens to feature a revolving cast of grotesque gimmick villains. It was created by a man who had a very clear-cut idea about Good and Evil, and that played out in the strips. In today's more "progressive" world, where "Good" and "Evil" are abstract concepts open to interpretation rather than absolutes, there's simply no room for a character like Dick Tracy to exist... not without becoming a completely different, and likely unrecognizable character. The strips are still in print and they're still publishing new material, so... there's that. By what I've read, a lot of it's pretty terrible, on account of they for whatever reason went back to all the Moon People sci-fi stuff, which had NO place ever existing in the Dick Tracy strip in the first place... not to mention the fact that ALL Dick Tracy strips are canon going back to the 1930s, and it's not on a "sliding timeline", so the characters age normally and reflect the natural passage of time... which means that in-universe, Dick Tracy is over 100 years old and they keep having to come up with more and more contrived ways to explain that. And that's whatever, but that's as far as it needs to go, I feel. The absolute LAST thing I want from that franchise is any kind of "modern reboot". It's a story about a Prohibition-era detective who did his talking with his wits and his fists, in a world where Good and Evil weren't open to interpretation and the Good Guys won while the Bad Guys died awful and ironic deaths. I'd be up for "retellings" of certain stories set in the original era, that's one thing. But outside of the 1930s/1940 setting... I would STRONGLY argue that the material simply doesn't WORK. It NEEDS to be of that time and place, not outside of it. That's what the movie did so very well; it wasn't a 1:1 retelling of the comic strips - they fudged a lot of details and got a lot of things flat-out "wrong" - but it was spiritually VERY true to the original material in every way that mattered. If they'd tried to set in in 1989/1990, it wouldn't have worked. Anything based on Dick Tracy really HAS to be a period piece. And to be blunt, there's no market whatsoever for detective stories set in the 1930s anymore. So, as much as I love the character, I only care about something that remains true to the roots of it. I'm with Beatty; I'd rather the property stay dormant, rather than have someone try and make a "hip, modern" version and completely ruin it by turning it into something that's completely unrecognizable from what it was originally intended to be. By that point, it's just a brand name, a corporate product. And it was never created to BE that, even though in its day the franchise had so much merchandise it would make Batman blush. But those products were created to supply a demand based on people's authentic love for the character(s). Pushing plastic was never the character's sole purpose of being. And I'd much* rather not see it go the way of TMNT, where it ONLY exists to hawk toys to little kids and there's nothing resembling a heart or soul left in the entire property. Sure, TMNT is "evergreen", but it's all garbage now. I'd never want to see the Dick Tracy "brand" end up that way, I simply love it too much. It would break my heart. "Sometimes, dead is bettah."