The Random Crap Thread 2: It Hits the Fan.

Bubble181

Bubble181

So a guy in my neighborhood won the Euromillions this week - biggest Belgian win ever at €168 million. Good for him.
Anyway, turns out it's a 48-year-old, self-employed chimney sweep. I'm just plain surprised that's still an actual job that exists.
 
Celt Z

Celt Z

Cog said:
I think I will never love or hate some things at the same level some people here love or hate some things. You are so apassioned about your hobbies, characters, books, movies, games, technologies. Maybe it's a cultural thing. Am I missing something?
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Bubble181 said:
I know the feeling. Some people can be incredibly passionate about things where I wonder....why? How does this hurt or impact you? Yes, you enjoy....Miniature sail boat racing. Fine. have fun with it. Why is my not liking that a big deal? Why do you need to go on and on about it forever and ever?

Also, yes, Americans are just all a little bit Trump - everything is AMAZING and AWESOME and WOW and so on, they're really a nation of exaggerators ;)
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I'm sorry, but did you two forget soccer? (football, whatever)
 
Null

Null

Bubble181 said:
So a guy in my neighborhood won the Euromillions this week - biggest Belgian win ever at €168 million. Good for him.
Anyway, turns out it's a 48-year-old, self-employed chimney sweep. I'm just plain surprised that's still an actual job that exists.
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People still have chimneys, so they still need to be cleaned.
 
Null

Null

You don't have to have a fireplace to have a chimney. We've got an oil furnace, and in fact we need to have our chimney serviced.
 
Cheesy1

Cheesy1

So the main freeway that goes through my area, Highway 99, was recently named the deadliest highway in the nation. Yeah, I believe it, so many fucking stupid people driving on it out here. It's why I take the back roads whenever I can, even if it might take a few minutes longer. At least I'll get there safely.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

Celt Z said:
I'm sorry, but did you two forget soccer? (football, whatever)
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No, didn't. I didn't say "only" Americans are that passionate, only that being Incredibly! Upbeat! And! In! Your Face! About! The THING! really is a bit of an American thing, too. The two are two different types of passion: all over the world, there's plenty of people who are genuinely passionate about stuff - be it football or sailor knots in dental floss.
On the other hand, there's a very big cultural difference in how expressive and expansive you are in showing that. There's a reason the cliché of the loud and obnoxious American exists. In America, you're really supposed to shout your enthusiasm from the rooftops, and make sure everyone knows about you and your opinions and oh my god listen to me hear me. Compare and contrast the British stiff upper lip - which is dying out, but still. And again - I don't mean this in a negative way, or anything. It *can* be a negative, but it can also be positive, just like most traits.
 
Celt Z

Celt Z

Cog said:
I couldn't care less about soccer, unless my daughter is the one playing.
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It doesn't matter if you like it, my point was that your countrymen, along with number of non-American nationalities, getting pretty worked up about it in a way you were describing as being "American". Enthusiasm, or fanaticism, is universal. Unless you're a Vulcan.

Bubble181 said:
No, didn't. I didn't say "only" Americans are that passionate, only that being Incredibly! Upbeat! And! In! Your Face! About! The THING! really is a bit of an American thing, too. The two are two different types of passion: all over the world, there's plenty of people who are genuinely passionate about stuff - be it football or sailor knots in dental floss.
On the other hand, there's a very big cultural difference in how expressive and expansive you are in showing that. There's a reason the cliché of the loud and obnoxious American exists. In America, you're really supposed to shout your enthusiasm from the rooftops, and make sure everyone knows about you and your opinions and oh my god listen to me hear me. Compare and contrast the British stiff upper lip - which is dying out, but still. And again - I don't mean this in a negative way, or anything. It *can* be a negative, but it can also be positive, just like most traits.
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Oh, I'm not arguing the "loud American" stereotype, I'm just saying it can depend on the subject. Some of the loudest, most raucous dinners I've ever been to were usually my immigrant-family get-togethers or ones with Mr. Z's family in Taiwan. Basically, groups of people that hadn't been raised in an American atmosphere. I just thought it was funny that it was a sort of a "why do you guys get like that" question, when, like I said above, it can be fairly universal.
 
Cog

Cog

Celt Z said:
It doesn't matter if you like it, my point was that your countrymen, along with number of non-American nationalities, getting pretty worked up about it in a way you were describing as being "American". Enthusiasm, or fanaticism, is universal. Unless you're a Vulcan.
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I didn't say "American" I said "here". I don't understand fanaticism in general. It feels like a waste of time. Maybe I'm a Vulcan after all.
 
Tinwhistler

Tinwhistler

Celt Z said:
It doesn't matter if you like it, my point was that your countrymen, along with number of non-American nationalities, getting pretty worked up about it in a way you were describing as being "American". Enthusiasm, or fanaticism, is universal. Unless you're a Vulcan.



Oh, I'm not arguing the "loud American" stereotype, I'm just saying it can depend on the subject. Some of the loudest, most raucous dinners I've ever been to were usually my immigrant-family get-togethers or ones with Mr. Z's family in Taiwan. Basically, groups of people that hadn't been raised in an American atmosphere. I just thought it was funny that it was a sort of a "why do you guys get like that" question, when, like I said above, it can be fairly universal.
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http://www.businessinsider.com/worst-behaved-tourists-2013-5
 
Cog

Cog

Thanks for the hugs but is not that my life is sad or anything like that. I like a lot of things, gaming, comics, movies but I can't understand to be angry about the things I like. I feel proud of my work but that is because I did it. Fanaticism is like being proud of the work of a random other person.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
DarkAudit said:

The '87 Sun Bowl shows this to be a lie. A week of 60s and 70s, and then 30 and SNOW the day of the game. The OK State band even got snowed in at the airport that night, while we were merely delayed for an hour or two. :p
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Ok, but you don't build fireplaces with chimneys for a single freak once-every-30-years-maybe snowstorm :p
 
Tinwhistler

Tinwhistler

GasBandit said:
Ok, but you don't build fireplaces with chimneys for a single freak once-every-30-years-maybe snowstorm :p
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We had a fireplace/chimney growing up in Pasadena. We would occasionally light fires, and would often smell someone else's fires outside in the winter. My houses in Houston, Lewisville and Denton had them, too.

I think this is the first place I've ever lived (not counting apartments) that didn't have a fireplace. I thought it was kind of weird that it was even an option to not have a fireplace, considering how cold it gets up here.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
Here's mine in Houston, also featuring my Martin Frasier La-z-boy I refuse to part with much to my wife's dismay.
IMG_4093.JPG
 
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