Tuesday, July 23, 2013

At the Slanted Light Coffeehouse



















tomatoes and gloriosa daisies speak without words.


40 comments:

Beta Rube said...

Instapundit has a post about male victims of domestic abuse. With comments enabled.

Oh,oh.

Patrick said...

Firefox still shows Insty is under construction. I can get individual posts, but not the main page.

Anonymous said...

Gift

You tell me that silence
is nearer to peace than poems
but if for my gift
I brought you silence
(for I know silence)
you would say
This is not silence
this is another poem

and you would hand it back to me.

-- Leonard Cohen

rhhardin said...

Patrick, google instapundit and update your bookmark.

Old site doesn't forward properly.

Methadras said...

I am starting a new venture in aromatics and oils. Fun times and concoctions.

Sydney said...

Gloriosa:

All parts of the plant contain colchicine and related alkaloids and are therefore dangerously toxic if ingested, and contact with the stems and leaves can cause skin irritation.

Colchicine is used to treat gout. It also comes from the autumn crocus. Had no idea Gloriosa were also a source.

FYI- Colchicine used to be a very very cheap medication because it is such an ancient medicine. But, a couple of years ago the FDA in all of their wisdom decided that since it was so old and predated them to such an extent that they had not been able to give it their seal of approval prior to its widespread adoption, that it was not a drug to be used and sold here. So, all the old generic colchicines were disbanded and a drug company got the FDA seal of approval to be the one and only manufacturer of colchicine, raising the price substantially.

Probably more than you all wanted to know, sorry.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Methadras said...

I am starting a new venture in aromatics and oils.

So basically you're a teenager with poor hygiene.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Methadras, you aren't wearing patchouli are you?

Chip Ahoy said...

In the Takashi Amano videos the Japanese kids climbing all over the place like scrawny monkeys doing the bidding of their Jedi master, they produced pods of apparent junk plants, purposeful bundles of chaos placed strategically in the rock, they called it wabi-kusa so I looked that up and turns out it's a thing. A new thing the kids are doing, going down to the river and grabbing some mud and cultivating the random plants therein. Along with some help. In cups, and glass snifters, dishes and tiny aquariums. Weeds.

I like this a lot because tomatoes are scraggly to begin with, they're sort of gross as plants, sticky, somewhat random, and those flowers mix perfectly. It looks like wabi-kusa perfected to me, because you get to eat it. And they're always better than regular tomatoes too.

Synova said...

The best thing about tomato plants is how the leaves smell when you brush them... and tomatoes.

:)

Also... if it's not out of place, it's not a weed!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Doesn't matter Doesn't matter Doesn't matter he's a D.

Virtue? Class? Who needs that? If he can screw over his wife, certainly he won't screw you over.
Trust.
Trust the Weiner(D).
Trust the Clinton!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Fresh tomatoes and fresh basil. Catnip for humans.

edutcher said...

Coffeehouse, huh?

Does TOP know about this?

Patrick said...

Firefox still shows Insty is under construction. I can get individual posts, but not the main page.

You need to be sure Javascript is turned on.

Synova said...

The best thing about tomato plants is how the leaves smell when you brush them... and tomatoes.

Our tomatoes are finally showing some progress.

Mirabile dictu!

Trooper York said...

Do they serve Chinese food at the Slanted Light Coffeehouse?

Or is that just racist?

Synova said...

"If he can screw over his wife, certainly he won't screw you over."

I suppose that people are right when they insist that the two don't necessarily go together but personal discipline gets stronger with practice, which is part of the reason to pursue it. Insty linked an article that said that people who had quit smoking were more successful in their careers than people who had not quit smoking or people who had never started. Obviously quitting smoking is unrelated to your career (as perhaps cheating on your wife is unrelated to how you govern) but the character element is still there. The person who quit smoking had to develop pretty strict self-control to overcome an addiction. That self control translates to EVERYTHING. Just like a lack of self control translates to everything.

Methadras said...

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Methadras said...

I am starting a new venture in aromatics and oils.

So basically you're a teenager with poor hygiene.


Ha!!! Even as a teenager I was very aware of my hygiene and made sure to maintain it.

Shouting Thomas said...

Damn! You guys need to cool out!

This place is even meaner than Althouse's abode.

edutcher said...

Before we get another speech from His Awesomeness about how he identifies with "Trayvon", we all may wish to consider this.

Synova said...

If he can screw over his wife, certainly he won't screw you over.

I suppose that people are right when they insist that the two don't necessarily go together but personal discipline gets stronger with practice, which is part of the reason to pursue it.


No, if he'll do it to Huma, he'll do it to you.

Think Willie.

Think Choom.

Methadras said...

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Methadras, you aren't wearing patchouli are you?


Oh hell no!!!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Weiner says: “I’m deeply flawed.”

Yep. We need more deeply flawed people running our government.


Synova--
... self control translates to EVERYTHING. Just like a lack of self control translates to everything.
Precisely. But of course admiration of self control can be applied at random depending on political party affiliation.
Self control isn't recognized as virtue in America. It's just something we can laugh off.

Anonymous said...

Ah for once I can agree with Shouting Thomas. Funny.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

ed - (link) no doubt.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

I love rubeckias (especially those giant ones with the yellow flowers and green heads). But I really like a great tomato.

It is sublime.

deborah said...

Great info, sydney, I had no idea they were poisonous, which is funny considering tomatoes were once believed to be poisonous. Great info on history of colchicine.

Thanks, Chip, that's what I call my messy garden. Going for the English cottage garden thing.

Trooper.

Synova said...

"No, if he'll do it to Huma, he'll do it to you."

But a cheater doesn't *necessarily* also steal. A thief doesn't *necessarily* also sell his votes. It's just all a bit more likely, because... character.

What they say is true, though... When a man marries his mistress he creates a job opening. If your BFF gossips with you about friends behind their back, she's doing it to you too. If your business partner is always looking for an angle to get something for nothing, hire an auditor, quick.

deborah said...

Ed:
"Coffeehouse, huh?"

I really wanted coffeehouse. I considered kaffeehaus, but it looked disconcerting, and salon sounded too fussy.

Evi, thanks for the Ace link last night. Is there anything better than a garden-grown tomato and Miracle Whip, salt and pepper sandwich?

Synova said...

Deborah... I suggest "cage fight".

;-)

Patrick said...

Wait a minute. Hold on.
What?

Weiner did it again? That cannot be. No one, but no one could be that monumentally stupid.

No way.

Michael Haz said...

We need another one of those educational topics. "How To Get a Restraining Order" might be fun.

Lydia said...

deborah said:
Ed:
"Coffeehouse, huh?"

I really wanted coffeehouse. I considered kaffeehaus, but it looked disconcerting, and salon sounded too fussy.


Synova said:
I suggest "cage fight".

Or maybe "carousel", since sometimes the conversation just goes round and round so long it's dizzying, and you can't wait to jump off. And other times it looks so inviting, so challenging you try to hop on for the ride.

Methadras said...

Wow, Weiner struck again. He's stiffing everyone.

ad hoc said...

Home grown tomatoes are one of the most sublime pleasures of summer, without a doubt.

rhhardin said...

The plot of 007 Bond Casino Royale (2006) makes no more sense on second viewing than the first.

The imdb plot summary seems accurate but doesn't help.

You can't have Bond quitting and and marrying the girl but that's no reason to write in just anything.

rhhardin said...

Four simultaneously shrinking pop-up thunderstorms to the west means it's probably safe to bike to the store.

Downgoing air, that means.

edutcher said...

Synova said...

No, if he'll do it to Huma, he'll do it to you.

But a cheater doesn't *necessarily* also steal. A thief doesn't *necessarily* also sell his votes. It's just all a bit more likely, because... character.


Actually, a lot more likely.

deborah said...

Coffeehouse, huh?

I really wanted coffeehouse. I considered kaffeehaus, but it looked disconcerting, and salon sounded too fussy


And, if you used the ethnic spelling, someone might have accused you of being a Narzi.

Synova said...

"Or maybe "carousel", since sometimes the conversation just goes round and round..."

Oh, I like that!

If someone wanted to be really silly they could alternate tilt-a-whirl, roller coaster, and teacups.

deborah said...

Great suggestions Synova and Lydia :)

And here's for my bud.

deborah said...

Oops, wrong version, but here's the best part of the second version.

Darcy said...

Deborah, did you take this photo?

It's really lovely. I'm going to set it as my background. I often did that with Althouse's photography.

deborah said...

Yes, Darcy, that's a picture I took in my mother's yard. I jokingly used to call myself her Japanese gardener.

And what a compliment to set it as your background! I have also used Althouse's photos for backgrounds. One day I will hunt up a few that I have used of hers to show you.