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We were lucky to have him, and the last tweets he had someone else send were beautiful. I'm happy he managed to stay so coherent for so long with a condition like his, because I'd been absolutely dreading reading something like Mervyn Peake's last work. I'm sad that he's gone, but he'd studied death, talked about it in public, maybe accepted it, and he mustered an impressive amount of humanity and dignity these past years.

Jeez, I hadn't even thought about Peake. That's sobering, but good to bring up. Thanks, Nachimir, and rest in peace, Mr. Pratchett.

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Speaking of cats the kitten we've had for almost two weeks now was due to be neutered today but surprise he's actually a girl. Which is pretty funny given how much I kept misgendering kitty as a female and how much I had to keep reminding myself the kitty was a boy.

We've still been undecided on what to name kitty so maybe we'll find some new inspiration.

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He's a handsome big old kitty (big ass tom cats are my favs)!  Speaking of which, our big ass tom is seriously behaviorally challenged at night.  He actually gets locked into a room when we go to bed because 9 times out of 10 he will wake one of us up.  His schtick is to just wander around the bed howling at the top of his lungs, and then running and hiding when you get up to deal with him.  His howl kinda sounds like the alien death laser from Mass Effect, with an eow at the end of it.

 

finally, some cat talk

 

Our 2 and 3 yr old cats like to chase each other around 4am.  One is all white and the other is a tuxedo so depending on moon lighting there are interesting flashes of movement as they fly around the room.

 

Our 13yr old has been having some digestion problems over the last few months.  Ranging from full food pellets to a nice thick (smelly) paste - in addition to hairballs.  We've tried a few different foods, next step is soft food, then idk.  anyone with senior cats have similar issues? She is missing 2 front canine teeth...but that shouldnt affect it this much

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Our 13yr old has been having some digestion problems over the last few months.  Ranging from full food pellets to a nice thick (smelly) paste - in addition to hairballs.  We've tried a few different foods, next step is soft food, then idk.  anyone with senior cats have similar issues? She is missing 2 front canine teeth...but that shouldnt affect it this much

Man, I wish I had better advice for you, but for an older cat with severe digestive issues, all you can really do is try to balance what she wants to eat with what causes her and you the least pain in passing that food, and cleaning up that passing. There are less fatty and more fibrous (which seems like the problem there) cat foods available, but it's hit and miss whether they'll eat it willingly. We did switch to soft food and it works better for us. Cats are obviously really picky, but what's the point of having a cat that hates it's older years of eating? That and sleeping/cuddling are their main happy things in my experience. 13 is old as hell in cat terms, treat her like you would an aging human family member and you'll both end up okay.

On that note, my childhood cat (Jasmine the orange kitty) is getting to about 15 or 16 (she's a rescue, we don't know for sure) and she's definitely feeling it. She still eats (with soft, arthritic kitty food) and poops fine, but her mobility is really suffering and it's hard to watch her trying to jump from floor to my mother's voluminous breasts on the couch like she used to (her favorite place. God bless fat German mothers.), or even her using stairs or jumping to the entryway stool to grind her claws against your pant's belt area. Basically her cat joints stop her from doing her traditionally favorite things, and it's hard to know whether it's her time or if she'd like a bit more of staring out that window at the local intruding ducks and pheasants.

We've talked about her possible end (and putting her down), but I'm really afraid of getting a phone call about her falling off some dumb shit and getting really hurt or her just dying under some furniture and being alone for it. We all know the end is near, but I'm selfishly afraid of her dying so far from me at some random time and I don't know how to think about it. I don't want her to be alone when it happens, but my country-style parents see that as the natural end of a cat's life, and don't really want to pay a guy to kill our kitty, which I understand.

I don't know what's right here.

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Our 13yr old has been having some digestion problems over the last few months.  Ranging from full food pellets to a nice thick (smelly) paste - in addition to hairballs.  We've tried a few different foods, next step is soft food, then idk.  anyone with senior cats have similar issues? She is missing 2 front canine teeth...but that shouldnt affect it this much

 

Seems obvious, but have you talked with your vet about food options?  There also may be a hydration issue, weirdly enough.  Cats naturally don't drink a lot of water, they evolved to get much of their water from the flesh of their prey.  A decreased appetite can also lead to decreased drinking, which can exacerbate any digestive issues.  Canned food is good in this case as it has a lot more water in it.  But even simple changes can encourage them to drink more.  Our oldest is 15, and as he's gotten older he's much pickier about what he drinks water out of.  A couple of years ago, he quit drinking from the communal water bowl, and we'd constantly catch him drink to drink from our water glasses.  So now he gets a fresh glass of water in a clean cup twice a day that's separate from the bowl the other cats drink from, and he drinks a ton more water. 

 

He's in great health for 15, and still a spry dude.  But he's losing weight, dropped about 3 pounds in the last year and a half.  It's worrisome, but natural at that age to start losing weight.  We intentionally keep three cats though, with several years spaced in between each.  It's crushing when a kitty goes, but it helps a lot still having a couple of the furry psychopaths around to keep you company. 

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Hello everyone, I have returned!

Things got a little crazy for a while and so I haven't been here much in the past few months.

First, I moved into a new apartment. The move was stressful, but it's nice. I'm on the 11th floor, with an awesome view of the city. Plus I pay about $100/month less than I did before, and all utilities are included, so it's been a huge money saver. (Also, the apartment building has a pool, a gym, and a convenience store, so that's cool. And the laundry machines in total cost about $1 less per load of laundry than they did at my old apartment building... sometimes it's the little things that excite me.)

Shortly after the move, I got a new job. I work for a research group at a university. It's a decent job, with good pay, but can be incredibly boring. It's also a little nerve wracking because I spend all day in a small room at a big table with between 3 and 10 other people (depending on who is scheduled to come in that day) and everyone talks to each other but I'm not good at talking to people and just get nervous... 

On top of all of that, I've been spending my spare time working on a small game in Unity. It's been taking up a lot of my spare time outside of work.

...so how's everyone else doing?

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I think, of all his characters, Sam Vimes has had the most profound affect on me. Of all the heroes in all of the myriad books I've read over my life, he's the one character that a part of me really does look up to. 

 

....don't mind me, i'm going to be curled up under a pile of blankets with a bourbon, reading Snuff and totally not crying. 

 

I've read most of his books once, but the City Watch books are the only ones I've returned to several times to read through them all, back to back, to catch the subtle changes in character and general continuity of the whole thing.

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My cat woke me up at 5:30 this morning because I thought he was throwing up on my bed! (He was throwing up on the floor) Then since I was awake, he was pestering me. When I snuggled him off the bed his claw clipped my pinky so I have a fun half inch cut to go along with all my other nicks and bruises.

 

Ever since I bought an automatic dispenser, our relationship has been so much better. I can let him sleep on the bed without him waking me up, or spend time being swatted and cried at for dinner when I get home (since it feeds him before I arrive). Thankfully it's basically the correct amount of food dispensed and I didn't have to tinker with it much. Fat kitty has been on a diet basically since I got him.

 

I have a date on Saturday! I have been dating plenty off and on for the past year, but when I asked her for some reason I was extremely nervous, and relieved/excited when she said yes. I hope that's a good thing. I'm really pumped.

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Is it cat talk time because I have the most beautiful cat and I feel bad for anyone who follows me on Twitter because I just post cat pics. 

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Is it cat talk time because I have the most beautiful cat and I feel bad for anyone who follows me on Twitter because I just post cat pics. 

 

What do you mean feel bad? They are #blessed.

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We totally need a cat thread.  It's always time for cat talk.

 

 

Edited to add:  Done.

 

Edited link to correct thread.

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We totally need a cat thread.  It's always time for cat talk.

 

 

Edited to add:  Done.

 

Aaaaaaaaand now we have 2.  Whatever, I'll let you cat people* figure it out amongst yourselves.

 

*I don't hate cats or anything, I'm just SUPER allergic to them so I'm not a cat person by default.

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I was fairly allergic to cats when i moved in with my wife (swollen eyes, heavy congestion, generally itchy)

But a regiment of clariten and vacuuming 3x a week kept it generally at bay till I developed tolerance over a few months.

Didn't have much of a choice, she would have chose the cats over me if it didn't work out

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Tonight my best friend in the world, my closest mental and psychological partner, my fellow German-Ukrainian immigrant, my distant relative, and my eternal sibling by our choice came out as trans. I've known about that feeling of theirs for a while now, and I could not possibly be any prouder of them. God and the universe did not see fit to allow my biological brother to live, and I could not ask anything for a better replacement or surrogate in any way than Reed. I'm happier and prouder right now than I could have possibly have ever guessed possible. My brother (they're okay with that word, we've talked. There's no closer word to describe us I guess.) is stronger, braver and less fearful than I could possibly have hoped for or than I I could possibly be. I can only hope to live up to their example.

I just feel like bragging and honoring them. I love'em like I can't even say. Heroyam slava.

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Without dragging up the whole debate again (take it to the QUILTBAG thread!), have they decided on/thought about pronouns yet? I notice you're using "they", wondering if that was their choice...

 

Either way, well done to them for coming out and you for supporting them. Hope it all goes well.

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Mangosteen juice drink. Finally checked out the local asian food specialists and found a whole bunch of my favourite SEA fruits in cans. Shame we're about to move. These fruits are sooo good unf.

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I got my tax return and now I'm going to buy a TV for the first time in... well, ever. I've never bought my own TV before. But whatever that's not the point. I don't know anything about TVs!

 

This seems good for the price? But I can't find any reviews besides the one on Amazon? The one. http://www.amazon.com/VIZIO-E43-C2-43-Inch-1080p-Smart/dp/B00SMBFP2W/ref=sr_1_2?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1426395296&sr=1-2&keywords=hd+tv

 

And this seems sorta well-rated? I don't knowwwww. It's more expensive for less inches but more Hz!! http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN40H6203-40-Inch-1080p-120Hz/dp/B00K4UJ2Q4/ref=sr_1_5?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1426400754&sr=1-5

 

Is there a thread for TV hunting? I know there's a thread for asking if there are threads. I guess I'll ask THERE, TOO.

 

I also need a couch and a TV stand to go with the TV!

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I wouldn't recommend the first, it's this year's version of this which had a fair amount of reported issues - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IXPP7W0

 
We're kinda in a lull on TV stuff because new product lines get announced mid-year, Wirecutter is currently recommending this guy - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/panasonic-50-class-49-1-2-diag--led-1080p-smart-hdtv-black/3730034.p?id=1219093274525&skuId=3730034
 
The Samsung you linked also looks alright, I'm quite happy with my Samsung but I have no insight on whether that model is good or not. CNet is generally okay for TV stuff, as is Consumer Reports.

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I wouldn't recommend the first, it's this year's version of this which had a fair amount of reported issues - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IXPP7W0

 
We're kinda in a lull on TV stuff because new product lines get announced mid-year, Wirecutter is currently recommending this guy - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/panasonic-50-class-49-1-2-diag--led-1080p-smart-hdtv-black/3730034.p?id=1219093274525&skuId=3730034
 
The Samsung you linked also looks alright, I'm quite happy with my Samsung but I have no insight on whether that model is good or not. CNet is generally okay for TV stuff, as is Consumer Reports.

 

Hmm okay I won't get the first one then.

 

I don't really care if new or old, long as it's good and won't fall apart. I also probably don't care about smart TV features, as I'll have a PS3 and Wii U hooked up, both of which will be able to do anything I'd want. That said, it'd be nice to have, since it's more convenient than turning on a console every time I want Netflix or whatever.

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Hmm okay I won't get the first one then.

 

I don't really care if new or old, long as it's good and won't fall apart. I also probably don't care about smart TV features, as I'll have a PS3 and Wii U hooked up, both of which will be able to do anything I'd want. That said, it'd be nice to have, since it's more convenient than turning on a console every time I want Netflix or whatever.

 

My beloved Panasonic ST30 plasma broke last month and I wasn't sure if the cost to repair it would be more than the cost to replace it, so I started doing research again.

 

For under a thousand dollars, the best TVs for your money right now are the Vizio M Series. Specifically, any of the M Series that are forty-nine inches or larger, because those have the actual full-array LED setup that makes it worth the price. I know that we all think of Vizio as a Taiwanese company cobbling together budget TVs from panels rejected by Samsung, Sony, and LG, but they apparently turned over a new leaf in 2013. The E Series is still their entry-level brand that's not really made in-house, but the M Series (their mid-level TVs) and the P Series (their high-level TVs) are actual products designed to compete with the big dogs. They do thirty two-zone full-array LED backlighting, as opposed to the edge lighting that turned me off of LED TVs back in 2011, and true 120 Hz (that can spoof 240 Hz, but who cares about bullshit like that). A Samsung TV of similar size and quality will be slightly better, but at the price you pay for an M Series, it's the best in its class.

 

My plasma turned out fine, just two hundred for a new SN board, but if I were buying a new TV this spring, it'd be this 49-inch M Series. I prefer a 42-inch TV, but it apparently doesn't have the same full-array LED setup. If you don't have an aversion to edge-lit LED lighting, that Panasonic that JonCole recommends might be the better deal, but I can't stand the light bleed and the poor white-level performance that comes with it.

 

 

I swear I'm not a shill for Vizio. I've always hated them for flooding the market with shit and confusing the public about what a good TV is worth, but the numbers don't lie here. Even CNet liked the M Series, and I don't think they've ever done a positive review of a Vizio product before this year.

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Nice, more information to work on! I'd read similar things about the M-series vs. E-series after JonCole told me about how that first one I was looking at was no good. Rad. I'll sleep on it and make a decision sometime tomorrow. Thanks!

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Nice, more information to work on! I'd read similar things about the M-series vs. E-series after JonCole told me about how that first one I was looking at was no good. Rad. I'll sleep on it and make a decision sometime tomorrow. Thanks!

 

No problem! I tried to find a comparable Samsung TV with full-array LED backlighting to help you with a price comparison, but apparently in 2013 Samsung decided that full-array setups are only for their UHDTVs (which is the ugly way that electronics manufacturers have decided to market 4K) and have instead used edge-lit LEDs for even their high-end HDTVs with something called "micro-dimming technology," which is supposedly as good as full-array LEDs but looks to me like they're just trying to confuse people with something that sounds like "local dimming," another term for a full-array LED setup.

 

So, long story short, there's no real comparison between Vizio and Samsung. Good luck, and let me tell you, no matter which TV you buy, you will be wracked with doubt that you bought the wrong one and spent too much on it anyway. No pressure! If you're lucky enough that the TV doesn't break or go to pot in the first few years, those doubts will go away, mostly.

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Buying a tv seems like such a strange thing now. Sure I can see some use for it but..

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