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Toss a cardamon pod into your coffee beans before you grind them up. Unbelievable.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 3:06 PM on February 29, 2020

I found the mayo grilled cheese thing to be barely different from normal grilled cheese, but it's the unsettling conceptual hurdle of cooked mayonnaise that will keep me from trying it again.

IMO people who enthuse about this method just aren't using enough butter, which is to say, what would seem at first glance to be a dramatically unwise amount of butter.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 8:56 AM on March 2, 2020

I'm a trans person who strongly prefers cis people do not use the term "dead name" without explicit permission. I didn't die when I transitioned. You don't get to decide I did.

I had no idea this was the case, I thought it was the correct/preferred term. I'll make sure not to use it in the future.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 12:24 PM on November 21, 2019

A few years ago I was hosting Thanksgiving at my house and decided to finally make some leaves for my dinner table - I found it on the sidewalk with the purpose-made leaves missing. I'm reasonably handy but had never attempted anything like this before.

I did some googling, and then I bought a circular saw, a doweling kit to make the holes, and a couple of Ikea shelving boards, and I just figured it out. Put drop cloths over my furniture and did the sawing right in the… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 3:54 PM on November 12, 2019

So my mom is a graphic designer, and she has been since the early 80s, when everything was done by hand. I remember going to her office and seeing all the machines and art supplies and stuff. She taught herself to do everything on a computer by the late 80s - but because she still kept a lot of her old supplies, we had an essentially endless supply of X-Acto blades when I was growing up. In middle school I loved to go through old magazines and cut things out with X-Actos and tape them to my wall… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 3:34 PM on November 2, 2019

I've always worked at places that insisted on using PowerPoint, even though better cheap software existed when I was in college. I'm pretty good at it but god do I hate being good at it.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 8:53 PM on November 5, 2019

I made a post about Truvada (PrEP, the pill that prevents HIV transmission) in 2013. At the time, there were a lot of negative reactions to the concept, disbelief that it could really work, etc. Now it's extremely widespread and broadly accepted as a public health intervention.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 10:37 PM on September 18, 2019

"we are doomed" is a feeling disguised as a fact

This exactly. Nobody on Earth actually knows that climate change will kill us all, because in a day or a year or ten years we could all either be dead from a superplague/saved by some undiscovered technology/dead from a superplague/saved by the second coming of Christ/dead or saved by aliens/WHATEVER.

None of those outcomes seem particularly… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 2:54 PM on July 29, 2019

If we’re throwing “doomshitting” on the pile of somewhat-insulting, definitely-insidery terminology to scale back on, does “threadshitting” go also?

I wouldn't call the word "threadshitting" insidery - I've definitely seen it on other forums, it's not a Mefi thing specifically.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 7:32 AM on July 30, 2019

Not saying anything about you or your posts specifically, but it's completely possible to have genuine feelings about a thing and still express them in a performative way.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 1:43 PM on August 1, 2019

In 2008, MetaFilter was cracking down on "electionfilter" posts, so I posted this question and was directed to the SomethingAwful Forums. Because of what I learned there, I was the first at my big election watch party to know that Obama had essentially won the election when he won a certain state.

I'm still a member of SomethingAwful today, and I still mostly only read the political forums. They have their own weird culture for sure, but I have gotten a TON… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 2:13 PM on July 24, 2019

I'd love people's suggestions for where to go on bike tours! Anywhere in the world ambitious or very modest welcome.

You should come to the New York City Century this September! It's the only all-urban century in the country and this is the last year it's happening.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 9:06 AM on June 24, 2019

Once I flew to South Africa for work, and my seatmate and I got to talking. He told me he was an astronomer on his way to Namibia, because at night it was one of the darkest places on Earth (not counting the oceans - can't really set up a high-powered telescope on a rocking boat). Ever since, I've wanted to visit Namibia and go stargazing. I've spent pretty much my entire life on the East Coast of America, and I've never seen the sky without major light pollution.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 9:12 AM on June 24, 2019

I found out that my godmother had died a few days after I broke up with my first serious boyfriend. I loved him but I didn't see a future with him, and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

After the funeral, we went to my godmother's house with the rest of her family. I was looking around the living room for distractions, and I saw a poster covered with text that I must have seen a hundred times before, but had never paid any attention to. So I read it… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 11:51 AM on May 23, 2019

Once or twice I've gotten a comment along the lines of just "This is cool, thank you for posting this!" And let me tell you, it makes my day when that happens. No need to get more elaborate than that.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 9:07 AM on May 21, 2019

So I guess my question is, would it come across as obnoxious? Can I just post to say I‘m laughing?

I've seen people quote funny stuff and say "flagged as fantastic." Or just "holy shit" or "amazing" or "A+" or something. Personally, I find the specific examples of "haha!" or "that's hilarious!" to be sort of - I don't know, like a comment you'd get from an elderly aunt… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 10:30 AM on May 21, 2019

Speaking of, what's with the upside down quotation marks (eg, „haha!“) ? I've seen a few people doing that and I don't understand the meaning.

It's a thing in a lot of European languages - maybe posters who use them just have it as a default setting because they more often use a language other than English, or don't have an English-language keyboard?
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 10:39 AM on May 21, 2019

In middle school I went to an estate sale with my mom, and I had my eye on a nice wicker laundry basket. In the auction it got lumped in with a lot of other cheap stuff, including a few items I turned around and sold back to other bidders, totally recouping the cost. And it also included a big white bedspread and several pairs of the thickest socks I have ever seen - they are literally sweaters for your legs. I'm not sure, but I think they may be handmade.

That laundry… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 2:31 PM on May 20, 2019

The secret to a happy marriage is a king-sized comforter on a queen-sized bed.

If I ever cohabitate again, I'm going with the Scandi-style setup of one duvet for each half of the bed. Once I ran across that idea I couldn't imagine doing it any other way.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 2:33 PM on May 20, 2019

I spent the first 20 years of my life in the Southeast, and I never knew how important rain was to me until I went to Beijing for a semester in college. It turns out Beijing gets very little rain except in the middle of summer - I think it rained once in the 4+ months I was there, and it was very surprisingly depressing to me. Now I know I could never permanently live anywhere without frequent rain.

Now I'm in NYC, and I guess it has about the same average rainfall as my… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 7:31 AM on May 2, 2019

If the crappy hot takes are the problem, why not delete those and put in a mod note discouraging them, rather than 86ing the whole post?
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 2:22 PM on April 15, 2019

I barely remember that the chatroom exists. I've used it maybe 5 times ever.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 7:40 PM on April 15, 2019

I feel like maybe that can be sort of managed with MyFanfare, seeing only your shows?

This doesn't seem like a good solution - a person might want to see their chosen shows and also new content, but mute stuff they really don't want to see or know they will never care about.

Personally I probably wouldn't use this feature, but I can see why others might like it, especially if there's triggering involved.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 1:26 PM on March 25, 2019

My family got cats when I was 16, and I liked them a lot but never really bonded with them before I moved out a couple years later. Then over the next decade I had a string of roommates with cats and I got along with most of them OK but I just wasn't that into them as a concept, you know? They did their thing, I did mine, I cleaned up their hair and smelled their poop and it was just kinda whatever.

Then this past November, I got a new roommate who… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 8:55 AM on March 18, 2019

At a middle school drama camp, we were doing a performance of a thing where we did a series of static tableaus, and had the audience close their eyes in between as we reset. For one tableau, we had to quickly move school desks from one end of the stage to another - basically running while pushing them.

I was closest to the audience, and I misjudged my trajectory and ran right off the edge of the stage. Everyone's parents were there. But at least they mostly had their eyes closed!
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 2:38 PM on February 27, 2019

I live in NYC and take the subway to work. A couple months ago I was on a very crowded train and I wound up in one of the spots near the doors where you can’t reach a support pole, so I was awkwardly trying to keep my balance by reaching for the ceiling. A really tall guy next to me (who was able to reach a pole) realized I was having trouble and wordlessly offered me his arm. I was wearing headphones and he didn't even try to talk to me, just let me hold onto his arm for a bit and then when the… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 11:38 AM on February 22, 2019

I really need to finish my goddamn Hannibal/Star Trek AU thanks for the reminder
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 11:27 AM on February 20, 2019

No question whatsoever: the ability to freeze time for everything/everyone but yourself and not age while it's frozen. I would get SO MUCH SLEEPING done, and reading, and writing, and laundry, and I could finally bike around NYC without fear of cars. From the perspective of other people, I'd functionally have teleportation powers, so I'd never be late to anything ever again. And then the times when I was back in the normal timestream, I'd always have the free time and energy to do fun stuff with… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 10:18 AM on February 8, 2019

I was expecting a below-the-fold example of a time when this would be useful or necessary.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 10:33 AM on January 22, 2019

Recently, soothing video games like Stardew Valley or slow-paced games like Sunless Sea. Rewatching The Good Place or Planet Earth. Also weed.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 12:06 PM on January 17, 2019

I'm wearing my MeFi's own Nasty Woman t-shirt (by TangoCharlie) to vote today!

The one with the shark? I wore that shirt on election day 2016 and I've never been able to bring myself to wear it again. I thought about it for today, but just looking at it gives me bad vibes by association. Hopefully today will bring me closer to being able to see it in my t-shirt drawer without flinching a little bit.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 9:28 AM on November 6, 2018

I've already told my boss I'm going to be in late tomorrow.

Guess who has to wake up 2+ hours earlier than normal tomorrow to staff a huge conference at work? THIS GUY. Urgh.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 10:03 AM on November 6, 2018

But I do miss getting a “I voted” sticker.

They should come with the mail-in ballot! What an outrage!
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 10:05 AM on November 6, 2018

I grew up knowing it as a synonym for "ditz" with absolutely zero awareness of any association with a disability. I only know of that connotation from the previous MetaTalk thread, and I'm almost certain I never would have found out otherwise. I think changing the wording in the question was a good call, but regardless of whether "every American" does or doesn't know about the offensive connotation, I can definitely tell you that lots and… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 5:29 PM on October 24, 2018

It's ok for people to simply not know things if they correct themselves after they learn, isn't it? I don't see anybody saying it isn't abilist, just that they didn't know it was.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 8:35 AM on October 25, 2018

As far as terms for losing thy shit in a spectacular tantrum I like “he lost his rag!” as something that’s clever without being ableist. (So far as I’ve researched the term...)

The first time I ever heard this phrase was on GBBO, when Paul Hollywood said it to hijab-wearing contestant Nadiya Hussain. I did quite the double-take before I checked and realized it had nothing to do with the slur...
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 8:38 AM on October 25, 2018

I started working for a safe streets org here in NYC a year ago, and I am so much more aware of and sensitive to dangerous driving now. I even cringed during the (technically stunning) car chase scene in Black Panther - that stuff is hard for me to watch now! I've heard too many speeches from people who've lost family members who were just walking down the sidewalk when a speeding car crashed into them.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 5:55 PM on September 8, 2018

I always notice left-handedness in movies/TV because it's so rare (and I'm left-handed).

My parents are both left-handed and this is like their superpower. They will always notice immediately when someone else is left-handed, and they are incredulous that my sister and I (both righties) never ever notice it. I wonder if they're disappointed to have produced a couple of normies rather than propagating the lefty race.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 9:40 AM on September 12, 2018

Side note - because my parents are both left-handed, I am ambidextrous at exactly one task: using a computer mouse. When I was a kid, the mouse just lived on the left side of the keyboard, and it never occurred to me to move it.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 9:46 AM on September 12, 2018

If another part of the state gets smashed, the "overhyped!!" brigade will be a lot quieter even if it does miss the Triangle.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 8:00 AM on September 12, 2018

(Every time someone in my new Yankee home complains about "overhyped" blizzard forecasts, I passive-aggressively post the Wikipedia page for the Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888. WEATHER FORECASTS SAVE LIVES, GUYS! FUCK OFF!)
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 8:03 AM on September 12, 2018

Have you heard about the new restaurant on the moon?
Great food, no atmosphere.

One of my favorite jokes is to gleefully tee up this joke to someone who I'm pretty sure has heard it before - "Have you heard about the new restaurant on the moon?" And then when they sigh and say "nope, tell me about it," I switch to being super solemn and say "There was an explosive decompression. There were no survivors."
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 9:32 AM on August 27, 2018

My landlord came over this weekend to fix my stove, and he brought his very young sons with him. I recently brought a few childhood toys up from my parents' house for this exact eventuality (child in apartment needs distracting), so I was excited and pleased to be putting them to use. I poured out my big bag of pattern blocks and handed them a couple of toy schoolbuses.

I guess I expected them to... you know... build things or make patterns with the blocks. What I did… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 10:18 AM on August 27, 2018

I always thought "it breaks the guidelines" was a gentler way of saying "WHAT A DICK."
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 5:40 AM on July 6, 2018

HOORAY, now I can go on a spree of flagging Ask answers as "comment says 'have you tried Thing' when literally the first goddamn sentence below the fold is 'I have already tried Thing'"!
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 5:42 AM on July 6, 2018

Thanks to this thread I am now frantically rethinking every word I've ever written online and wondering if anyone dislikes me enough to want to hide my very existence from their sight.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 7:41 AM on July 4, 2018

the vague "I hate so and so and I'd love this site much more if I never saw them again" stuff is better than open call outs

I'm not sure I agree that it is, honestly!
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 8:02 AM on July 4, 2018

The karaoke host was visibly annoyed.

Um they should be fired because this is amazing
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 8:42 AM on June 18, 2018

A fun karaoke innovation someone introduced me to last week: you know how sometimes you'll accidentally pick a song with a massively long break in it, and you're just standing there like a moron? Tell a joke. The cornier the better. See if you can time the punchline for right before the lyrics start up again. So fun.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 8:46 AM on June 18, 2018

Mefi user Elsa's lemonade with lemon peel syrup, which merited its own post eight years ago and which I still try to keep around every summer.
posted to MetaTalk by showbiz_liz at 7:33 AM on May 29, 2018