May 19
When we were done in bed, Aric got dressed and went downstairs to make breakfast like he'd promised. He said he was going to make scrambled eggs and pancakes and hash browns.
I asked if he minded if I watched, and he said that he didn't mind at all.
The first thing he did was to make coffee, though. He has a pot called Mister Coffee and it makes the coffee for you, so he filled it with ground coffee seeds and started it. I think if I'd still been upstairs, the smell would have been enough to bring me down.
For some reason, he kept the eggs and butter and cheese in the refrigerator. I'd noticed that at the grocery store, too, but I hadn't asked why, so I asked Aric, and he said that they would go bad otherwise. They must be different on Earth, then, because in Equestria they'll keep for weeks out in the open.
His stove made little snapping noises when he turned the knobs, and then it started burning all on its own. He got out pans for everything and let them start warming up and melting the butter while he was making the pancake batter.
Humans have really clever pancake batter. It was in a yellow jug and he just added some water and shook it up a lot and all of a sudden it was batter.
It didn't take too long before all the food was cooking, and I heard some footsteps on the stairs. Pretty soon David opened the door to the kitchen and I think he was surprised to see me there.
I was surprised to see him, too. Even though I knew he lived downstairs, I didn't know that the stairs went up into the kitchen. Plus, he wasn't wearing a shirt and I saw he had earrings in his nipples and belly button which I had never seen before.
He mumbled a greeting and went to the bathroom. Aric said that he was glad he'd bought enough breakfast for everyone, and just then remembered that the pancakes needed to be turned.
When David was on his way back downstairs, Aric asked him if he wanted breakfast, and he said he did, and that probably Angela would, too.
She came upstairs right after he left, and she was wearing a white shirt and a pair of sleeping shorts that had fire trucks on them. When Aric saw them, he asked if they were David's, or if she had her own pair, and she said that they were his fire truck boxers, but she was only wearing them because he was wearing her underwear. Aric said that he didn't need to know that, and she shrugged and then asked him if he wanted any help cooking.
I could tell that she thought he wasn't doing it right, but she kept her mouth shut and cooked the pancakes while he stirred the eggs and made sure that the hash browns weren't burning again, and then they filled up plates when they were done, and David set out places with plates and silverware that were exactly like the ones that the college dining hall had. The coffee cups all said Denny's on them.
People like advertising stuff on their clothes and on their cars and on their coffee cups, too, I guess.
It was kind of crowded at the table, and Angela had to sit on David's lap because there weren't enough chairs for everyone. But we had a nice breakfast even if the hash browns were a little bit burned and a couple of pancakes weren't all the way cooked through. I bet if Aric practiced a little bit he could be a really good cook.
When breakfast was over, Angela said that she and David would clean up the kitchen, and Aric and I went out to the front porch, where I got dressed and then got permission to fly.
It was a beautiful day for it: the sky was perfectly clear, so you could see everything. I was glad it was Dori giving directions, 'cause I wanted to be as high as I could just so I could look around and see the world. And it was worth it, even though there was a bit of nagging guilt at the thought of airplanes getting re-directed because of me. I couldn't quite see Lake Michigan—I thought maybe I was, but the haze at the horizon could have been fooling me. It always looks a bit ocean-y right where the horizon is, unless there are mountains.
I flew around for a while, not really exercising but just having fun, until it was time to go back.
I didn't notice until I had landed but my blinking light had stopped working while I was flying, so when I was getting undressed, I changed the batteries before I forgot. Then I went to the shower and cleaned myself off before I went to lunch.
I was just on the way out when Brianna came in. I hadn't talked to her in a while, and I thought about how I had said that I was going to try and invite Aquamarine for a weekend, and then I'd forgotten to do it. I'd have to do it soon, there wasn't much more time left before the end of the year.
I did remember to bring the poem to read. When I sat down I told Leon that he looked more tan, even though he really looked the same as he had yesterday and the day before that. But it's always nice to compliment a person.
Cedric thought that was pretty funny, and then I asked if they minded if I read a poem, and they both said that I could.
Of course when I was done they were both laughing and joking about it. Cedric said that the part about the housemaids ought to be familiar to Leon, and he swore that none of their maids were despondent but that the butler had a rather hangdog look to him. And then Cedric admitted that it did kind of remind him of waking up in the city, that it never really went to sleep but it sort of napped at night and in the afternoon on hot days. He said that it had been hard to get used to how quiet the college was, and I thought that was funny because it was a lot louder than I was used to.
Conrad began by reading us a poem called Rhapsody on a Windy Night, and I thought about what Cedric had said about the city never sleeping. I had seen it half-awake in the morning, the sidewalks empty and the traffic lights signaling cars that aren't there. But I had never seen it at night, and I thought that maybe I should.
I liked poems about the sky and the sea and the forest and open plains, but why shouldn't the cities have poems of their own? I could almost imagine myself walking through the downtown of Kalamazoo at night, with nothing but the light of the moon and the streetlights to guide my hooves.
We followed that by a poem called Gerontion, which was kind of sad. It was about an old man who had never done anything that he thought was useful, and I could kind of think of how a pony person might think that, 'cause I think that they like to remember their heroes.
But maybe that's not right. Apple Bread never did anything heroic, except every morning he was at his bakery from sunup 'till sundown, and the village just wasn't the same without him.
He finished with Portrait of a Lady, which felt like kind of the opposite view to me. Like it was about him being young and her being older and wiser.
I think that there are two worlds, the one of the old and the one of the young. To the old it's changing and decaying from what they knew, but to the young it's new and full of promise. And I guess it's the same world no matter what, so perhaps the thing is to always see it as if you're young, and look for the wonders of it.
At the very end of class, he said that if we wanted to, we should read The Waste Land, and Morgan asked him if there was extra credit and he got that little smile I liked and said the satisfaction of having read it was extra credit enough.
I was still thinking about the poems at dinner, and so I didn't really pay all that much attention to what everyone was saying. Nobody really noticed; they were talking around me, and that was okay. Just before I got up to get dessert, Peggy rubbed my mane and by that I knew that she'd noticed.
I wonder if she misses me? I haven't slept in our room in a while.
Liz and I talked about bad kings and flawed prophets. She reminded me that the Bible was written by one tribe of people, and that I should keep in mind that who was a bad king to the Israelites might have been a very good king to the Philistines or the Babylonians or any of the other tribes who lived there that the Israelites were fighting with, which was something I hadn't thought of.
So I told her about what I'd thought about Eliot's poems, and how it was a matter of perspective, and she said that she thought I was getting wiser.
I asked her if she was going to stay at college for the summer, and she said that she lived in Kalamazoo, and we could meet at her house and continue our discussions if I was in town. It didn't have to be Thursdays, either; she could meet whenever we wanted.
And then I asked her about the bears, and she said that it was a difficult passage. She said that the youths were challenging Elisha's right to speak for God, and God's authority as well, and so right there in front of everybody as proof, God made the bears maul the youths.
I wasn't too happy with that explanation, but I guess at least He didn't flood the world again or destroy the whole city. And she reminded me that the people of Bethel were supposed to be following God's word, and they weren't.
When I got back to my room, I wrote a letter to Aquamarine inviting her to come to Kalamazoo the weekend after next if she could, and then I made another dreamcatcher, while I was thinking about if I should go to Meghan's room or spend the night with Peggy instead.
I finally asked her if she minded if I invited Meghan over to spend the night, which would kill two birds with one stone, and Peggy said that she didn't mind so long as we didn't have sex. So I sent a telephone telegram to Meghan, and she came over while I was finishing up helping Peggy with her math.
The three of us chatted for a little bit—it was kind of tense at first, but we all had a couple of bottles of beer which maybe wasn't so wise, but it really lightened the mood. And it was kind of late when we went to bed, but I felt like I was going to sleep really well, and I was right.
I guess that's the thing, the idea of instant pancake batter is so novel to Silver that she doesn't consider the idea that it may be a poor alternative to batter made from scratch.
7402544 and that fresh blueberries get all squashed when you add them in, before you shake. Ask me how I know...
I don't log in for a month and when I come back my feed is filled with dozens of new chapters to this story. The update rate is incredible Admiral. Keep up the good work
Someone tell Silver Glow about rechargeable batteries!
Maybe someone should introduce Silver to sourdough pancakes; they make buttermilk pancakes seem almost bread-like.
For the eggs, at least, it's just America; we keep them unrefrigerated as well.
You'll have him trained yet, Silver.
7401836
1981. We're on the cusp of today's entertainment, here
I guess there are plenty of movies where they break in horses, but that's the only one I can think of with a winged one.
Called it. Angela cleans the bathroom. The Y chromosome renders humans incapable of cleaning. Bathroom, dishes, clothes, can't clean anything. On the plus side, it lets us mow the lawn, take out the trash & kill bugs among other useful skills.
For city poems, Sandburg's poem about Chicago.
God damn spell checker. It guesses what word you mean. If you guess wrong it assumes you are too stupid to know the right word. But, this is your lucky day! It puts the right word in for you. I hate the -ing internet
Portrait of a Lady! I have the beginnings of a ponyfic based on that poem tucked away somewhere.
It's kind of bleak. It's got the same disconnectedness as Prufrock, where there's this sort of questioning of any form of human interconnectedness.
...isn't it over for most universities at this point?
Before anyone starts taking real life advice from a colorful Pegasus regarding food storage.
Here's a good web site with food handling guide and includes an explanation about why (in the United States) eggs need to be refrigerated. (Yes US Eggs ARE different than Eggs from other countries. At least how they are prepared for market.)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-52/do-you-really-need-to-ref_b_7812628.html
a sentence (or a half) saying so much with so little words ...
holy cow, even i, as fellow german, know how to make pancakes that does not involve the full might of our bio-chemical weapons arsenal.
so much comedy gold ^_^
and suddenly we know why aric is so hard to shake ^.^
so much wisdom hidden in this story ...
I never really got big breakfasts like that. They just take to long to do.
That's a nice way of putting it! I admire people who go out of their way to be positive.
Well said. Most of the people I know are on the older side, and only a scant few manage to maintain a youthful outlook. I treasure those people; it's very frustrating to be constantly told what's wrong with today's youth. Not that we don't have our problems, but the younger generation has some good ideas too, which are often dismissed out of hand.
I don't get it. That sounds like saying a CEO who loses billions of dollars for his company is a great CEO to his competitors. Shouldn't leaders be rated by what they do for their own people?
I have also read that the cultural context for this situation is that when a lone traveler was being jeered at by a band of youths, they had reason to fear for their lives. In other words, Elisha was about to be attacked by a gang. This is the only instance I know of where bears were summoned in self-defense. (And today's old folks think we don't respect our elders!)
Great chapter!
7403168
Ancient Israel was a nasty place. One thing that struck me is how the laws dealing with killing, intentional or not, aren't so much regulations on punishment as they are regulations on how the victim's family is allowed to murder you in revenge. The part dealing with accidental deaths that the one responsible shouldn't be punished for doesn't even take into account that they might have hung around instead of fleeing for their life.
7402685
From what I know, this is because US regulations require eggs to be washed before sale, which makes them more sanitary to handle, but also removes the protective layer under the dirt, resulting in a porous shell and mandatory refrigeration.
In the EU, it's the opposite - washing isn't allowed so that the layer stays and the eggs remain safe for consumption even if not refrigerated.
I'm assuming that the different regulations stem from local habits - if people refrigerate them anyway, it makes sense to clean them. If people are used to leaving them outside, the longer shelf life is more important. My guess is that most parts of the world don't clean the eggs either as doing so requires less tech in the production/storage chain.
Translation: Aric is currently a terrible cook, but I'm too polite to put that in writing.
The Waste Land is a fun poem, but only if you also read Sanskrit and German and Greek, or else have a annotated version.
It's nice to listen to readings of it (and the Hollow Men, and The Wanderer) while wandering in Fallout 4.
7401801 I have read Off The Beaten Path actually. It was actually the human protagonist transported into Equestria whilst driving his Ford Ranger. As he was teleported through his body turned into a pony. That caused him to lose control of the truck and crash into Twilight, who was responsible for teleporting him there in the first place.
Nixon resigned because Senator Goldwater warned him that he would be impeached if he didn't. Afterwards, he was interviewed by David Frost in so many words said "It's not a crime if the president does it"
I have noticed a good many leaders think that way.
7403520
True love looks not with the stomach, or however that goes.
I wonder if there's any Equestrian equivalent that starts "I see the pegasi of summer in their ruin..."
Each time I see Mr.cofee, I think of Mel Brooks' Spaceball.
Well, Aric don't bien salad, but he don't really know how to cook... instant pancakes...
7402753 I'd be interested in reading that.
Haha there's dorm life, and then there is shared college apartment life!
7404454 the problem with explaining Job is that 95% of those attempting to explain it are over emphasizing the theodicy angle...
Job isn't a comprehensive account of evil. It was never supposed to be. It's about two things--human suffering as an experience and the sovereignty of God. It's less that God "makes a wager" and more that suffering is common to all, and how we think and talk about it to those who endure it may be important.
7404600
Any particular genre? My favorite mangas are Ghost in the Shell, Ranma 1/2, Ah! My Goddess, Saint Young Men and Yurara.
As for the series that got me into anime, my first was Fables of the Green Forest in the mid '80, but I was in that innocent "what do you mean it's not an American cartoon?" age.
Years later in middle school, a kid brought the first season of The Slayers in on VHS. It's still one of my favorites. Quite close to my heart.
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7401836 thaaaat was actually me, ragging on Fiat's fancy valves.
And, while you are right that hydraulics are not necessarily inherently slow*, my research tells me that the only respect in which my description of Fiat MultiAir is wrong is the word "secondary" (teach me to believe that the Fiat marketing team's use of the prefix "Multi" meant anything substantial). It is absolutely cam driven.
The MultiAir system is essentially just an old achool hydraulic lifter with a fast solenoid valve that bleeds off some, or all, of the oil pressure inside the lifter (thereby collapsing it) on demand. Just like lifters, it is supplied oil by the regular engine oil pump, but gets all its internal pressure from the action of that cylinder's intake cam lobe. The biggest difference is one of packaging, which allows the system to drive a pair of intake valves off each lobe, where old school lifters only ever drove one valve each, and also makes room for other fiddly little details and complexities to make it more precise and reliable than it would be if it actually was just a lifter and a fast solenoid valve. (This packaging also takes up all of the space where a second cam would be on a DOHC motor)
It does allow some control of lift, duration, and timing but neither full nor independent control. You can't open the valve before the cam would have, you can't open it wider than the cam would have, and you can't keep it open longer than the cam would have. In order to get less lift, you have to settle for less duration also, since you get less lift by disengaging from the cam early, or by delaying cam engagement. You can't open it early, and the later tou open it, the less it opens. The system doesn't operate off the absolute position of the cam follower, only the change in its position during those times where it is engaged, so, if you wait too long, the valves won't open at all, even though the basic cam profile would have still had them open.
In the end, it's just a variation on tbe theme of VVT. It can do some tricks that VTEC can't, and some that the "cam phasing" systems can't, but it also can't duplicate all of the tricks they do either.
Freevalve, though....
*actually I am not entirely convinced of this. Yeah, the injectors in Power Stroke diesels are hydraulically actuated, but my understanding is that the speediness of their operation is almost entirely due to the inherent speediness of the solenoids in the injector unit that control the flow of that oil, and the relatively low volume of oil involved. My understanding is that the oil's job is solely to supply the pressure needed, not the timing or the speed, and that the reason the injectors aren't purely electric is that it's difficult to make an electromechanical device extremely responsive and extremely strong simultaneously.
Also....
Are you sure about the multiple injection? I always heard that that made diesels quieter, and Navistar has yet to make a quiet engine. I darn near daily'd a Navistar powered bus all this last school year, and the only time it wasn't making a racket was when the injectors were shut down during engine braking. It might be a Big Six inline, but it still sounds almost exactly like the V8s clatter clatter clatter
Now Cummins, they make a quiet motor
7404600
the only anime I like is RWB which is a heavily americanized one.
that's one of the reasons I don't read it anymore. I couldn't do school, read it, read other fics and work through my backlog. i've only read the first two arcs. I stopped reading it partway through the third arc. The first arc is really good and after that it just changes a lot and it isn't as good.
7403749
With the collerary that most followers think it isn't a crime if their leader does it. Even if it's an obviously horrible thing to do, like feeding children to bears. "Oh by my leader is different and special." Uh huh. Not to put too fine a point on that but when everyone makes the same claim it cease to become the most convincing argument in the world.
7403393
And maybe also from lobbiests.
"So if we wash our eggs, they go off quicker and consumers have to buy more, driving our price up? Even though Wasing isn't strictly needed? Well that sounds like an absolutely vital safety regulation that Congress needs to pass as law right away!"
7404674
Darkness beyond Twilight?
And I guess it's the same world no matter what, so perhaps the thing is to always see it as if you're young, and look for the wonders of it.
And that right there is why I am the way I am. If you lose your sense of wonder as you get older you begin dying a little inside. Until you're just a cold, cranky cynical shell.
7402544
Y'know, that's the funny thing. I bet a hundred years ago there were any number of housewives cooking over wood stoves who would have given their left arm for instant pancake batter . . . especially in the summertime.
It's not as good, but damned if it isn't convenient. I suppose that's the thing with food: you can either take your time and do it right, or buy overly-processed products.
Maybe it's good that we have the choice.
7402578
Huh. Hadn't thought of that. Only thing I've ever put into instant pancake mix was cheddar cheese and spinach.
7402587
It's a crazy ride.
Thanks!
7402613
She's got them in her radios, just not her blinky light.
7402632
<Drooling intensifies>
7402685
The cleaning process they use for eggs in the US leaves them nice and white . . . and removes a protective layer from the shell, which is why they have to be kept in the fridge.
Wait 'till he asks her if she can cook. Cloudhomes aren't known for their amenities.
7402711
There were some pretty good movies that came out in the 80s. Excaliber, for example, is way better than most more-recent remakes of the tale of King Arthur (plus it has Patrick Stewart with hair, so that makes it worth watching). Granted, the special effects are dated, but still. . . .
I guess there are plenty of movies where they break in horses, but that's the only one I can think of with a winged one.
Maybe she could watch The Horse Whisperer and gripe throughout the whole thing how they're doing it wrong.
7402716
I don't mow my lawn except when I've lost something out there and need to find it. Big stuff, that is, like a trailer. I'm one bushy weed away from losing a s-10. Did you know burdock plants can get six feet tall? Because they can.
A good choice.
7402753
Do tell.
7402756
It is (but Silver wouldn't necessarily know that). Most start in late August and end in early May; K-College started in mid-September and ended the first week in June.
7402788
As a general note, it's usually wise to do some research before taking life advice from fictional characters. While I don't have it right before me, I have looked up before why the US needs to refrigerate eggs (and also why some butter can be kept out on the table but other kinds can't). In most of my other stories, I'd've brought those facts up in a blog post, but this one updates so fast, that's not feasible.
7402860
As an American man, I can proudly say that if it isn't in a box with directions printed on it, I'm in trouble.
College life, man. It prepares you for the unexpected. Like your roommate and his girlfriend sharing their clothes . . . all of their clothes.
7403091
Totally worth it on a weekend, though. Or when you're trying to impress your girlfriend/marefriend.
7403168
I think a lot of ponies default to cheery. Anyhow, he tried, and it's not like Silver Glow could cook any better.
I've currently started working with a guy who's so set in his ways it's annoying. Pretty much any suggestion I make is dismissed out of hand. And I'm only five years younger than him. Bah.
I try to keep my eyes open at the wonders of the world and not become a cynic.
Maybe that wasn't quite as clear as I meant it to be (not a Biblical scholar), but I think a lot of the kings that the Israelites hated were kings of other tribes or other religions, and might have done a very good job leading their people; they just weren't Jews. So it depends on which side you're on.
A thestral might think that Celestia is a very wicked princess, because she causes the ponies to turn away from the darkness, and he might wish that Luna were princess instead to bathe the world in eternal darkness.
That's another possibility . . . it's been a good 20 years since I've had a religion class, so I'm a little bit rusty on a lot of it.
Really, if you could summon bears in self-defense, why wouldn't you?
3.bp.blogspot.com/-mO5uNwfxF-Q/TeHcwQNe9iI/AAAAAAAAA0c/z5LvOkDpmIE/s1600/Panzerbjorne.jpg
7403342
In many ways, laws have gotten much softer than they were in Ye Olden Times, and that's a good thing.
7403393
I think that American commodityism (ought to be a word) plays a part in that. We like things that are sanitary and are willing to take everything that comes with that as part of the cost. And once we start doing something, by golly it's the best way to do anything and every other nation is full of backwater jerks. Murica!
Seriously, when I was in Europe and Australia, the number of things I saw where I thought "Why don't we do that," and then later on discover that we've tried but nobody in our country has the balls to change anything. Like metrification. We tried that in the early eighties, and then just gave up on it.
7403520
You hit the nail right on the head.
7403579
That's one thing about older poems, man. They assume you have a classical education.
7403666
Yup, that's the one. That's what TotallyNotABrony though had Applejack crashing the truck (she might have done that in a later chapter?). If not that one, I've got nothing. Probably would have read it three or four years ago, so it wouldn't be a new fic.
7403749
Yeah . . . I don't want to turn the comments into a political debate (I've got other fics for that ), so I'll just leave it with "Yeah."
7404217
Eh, that's probably close enough.
7404234
I think that they would mostly write more upbeat poems. Happy poems. But maybe not. Maybe there are a bunch of depressed poet-ponies who are fated by their cutie marks to wander Equestria writing sad melancholic poems and eventually dying of a drug overdose in a Baltimare gutter.
7404461
I'm going to remember this, because the pragmatic agnostic parts of me have a real problem discussing certain parts of the Bible.
7404674
I've got no experience with magna at all. I think I may once have flipped through an old, shitty book of it (like, printed on telephone book-type paper) that wasn't translated, so I was just looking at the pictures.
7405186
Also true. You've got to lead by example. If you want to be the shining beacon on the hill, you can't say 'well, everyone else does it.'
It would be interesting to see why that particular safety measure was put into place. There may have been a very good reason for it.
(My favorite to quote is the TPMS requirement--in 2000, when Explorers were rolling over because of low/flat tires, everyone said "why doesn't Congress do something about this?" So they did. They mandated tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) on all passenger cars and light duty trucks, starting in September 2007 (to give the technology time to mature, to allow for the design requirements, etc.). By 2008, people were griping about it and complaining about how the government just made regulations for no reason at all.)
7404743
Heh, oops.
I was sure that the system was independent of lobes--I did know that they used the cam to pressurize the oil, but that's hardly a new idea; GDIs do that for fuel pressure, and of course some diesels have cam-driven HP oil pumps. It was brought up at the very end of a class, and just briefly touched upon (and I've never worked on one, so I don't have to be up to speed with the engine tech yet).
If so, it's potentially a simpler version (the linkage on Nissans . . . how does that even work? I've gotten headaches just looking at the pictures. Never buy a Nissan, kids. If it can be overcomplicated and have too many moving parts, they'll do it.
Yeah; the electronics are for the speed, and the hydraulics are for the pressure. Probably conceptually similar to ABS, but a lot faster.
Ford's new Powerstrokes are pretty quiet for diesels. IIRC, after the 7.3, they (Ford) decided to design and build their new engines in-house, which basically lead to a lot of brilliant innovations . . . and a lot of really bad ideas. The newest ones, they're hardly louder than a gas motor.
And speaking of clatter, my old 6.2 Detroit in my Suburban . . . gotta get that thing going again. It sounds (and smokes) like a real truck.
7405071
If I wasn't writing, I could do pretty good reading . . . but it's sort of one or the other, y'know?
Maybe I'll read the first arc and then see from there.
7406824
Agreed 100%.
I've read that the butter & cheese at least are because they are Pasteurized differently in the USA. Our system is faster, cheaper, & can more easily handle large amounts. Europe's system is more thorough & the stuff keeps longer. Not sure about the eggs
8729792
Butter, it depends on what kind you've got. The traditional, salted kind, can be kept unrefrigerated, IIRC. When I was a kid, the butter was kept unrefrigerated.
For the cheese, I'm not sure if it needs the wax coat (like some have) to be kept out of the fridge. Even then, it gets moldy slowly, and you can trim off the mold and have good, edible cheese inside (did that on occasion as a kid, too).
Eggs is because part of the process is washing them to make them a uniform white, which also gets rid of the protective coat that they've got on them when they come out of the hen.
And yay Dori being all extra helpful and getting the Pony extra flight space just so she can have some pony fun. The gradual take over of our Pony Overlords is proceeding!
Taking longer then a human to get through a door, resulting in getting tails caught in them when someone tries to slam it behind you. #Ponyproblems
Snuggling and petting a pony while studying, the best study method. I wonder how many ponies realize the humans that do get around to petting them are basically falling back on acting like they are a large cat (Which they partly are) and treating them like, well a pet. And how many of those really care, since hey, it gets them pettings!
Pony, with book, in mouth, being all adorable... HHHHHNNNNGGGGG!!!!!!!
"Parchment" I'm at the point now, I can't tell if that is legit, or just Silver being Silver.
Somepony is nearly just as huge a little sex fiend as Cayenne, just better at hiding it and happy with just one (for now) fuck buddy. But she still gets all pent up and frustrated when she doens't get her some.
The space where fractals live being some magical place she imagines....
Pony... watching... Miyazaki? ALL OF THE YES! That needs to be some kind of multi-universal law, that any time Ponies get a chance to interact with humans, we must see them seeing some of those, and also one other series that comes up later.
The whole 'race' thing really is odd to ponies, for them, there are clear cut physical differences, horn, wings, non, and that's before you bring in the whole other species they live with. Just going by color? How is a pony supposed to ever figure that bit out?
Then she goes and confuses the hell out of some deer. "No small like horse, look like, not act like. Smell odd. Run away!"
And gets instant karmic revenge when she gets spooked at lunch. Important note, when spooking a pegasus, stay well clear of her sides. Also, be ready with apology hugs!
And yes, I can see Conrad reciting some of the 'man from nantucket' limericks. Now if only these guys would realize how not-innocent Silver is.
Oh wait she reminds them, yes, I'm sure blue girls are quite weird.
Moonglow, very pretty, shame she changed it, that suits her as well. Still we have more proof that ponies do change their names, just look at Mrs. Cake
Bacon, the downfall of vegetarian's everywhere, even ponies. As best Pony-Story says
"Ponies are vegetarians!"
"Ya only say that 'cause ya ain't tried bacon."
And even ponies can be hit by the beauty of a Miyazaki film. And yes Silver, enjoy your time with all your friends down here.
Then right into being awesome, caring, ultra dutiful pony ready to spring into action to help out, even without knowing helping with what. She really is one of the most 'grown-up' students there.
The Day of Gracious Living is a great idea, though you know there are some that do sneak in some school work, at least if they are behind and really need the time to catch up. Or are just such huge nerds this is their idea of fun. Also, Peggy, for Silver, reading the bible isn't school work, it's fun... somehow.
Also a reminder, Peggy.... you do not fuck with or deny her what she wants, she is even better at getting her way then the Pony is, just look at who the Pony listens to after all. Just, damn. "We are going to go have fun, and you WILL have fun, or I will make you regret it!"
Being able to squeeze into places most humans can't fit. #ponyperks
Also very helpful pony being all helpful to the nice fisherman, d'awwwww
Sometimes, I can't tell if she really just does not get what they mean, or does and is just playing along "If you decide to not not be here, we are over there"
Also, he is not wrong about the effect of topless women on men at the beach...
And then the pony goes hunting for meat to sate her new found craving for flesh...... Guys... we might have a problem here!
Birdies getting used to the big, silly looking birdy and landing on her back.. d'awwwwwww,you've earned some birdy treats!
Well on the keeping stuff out longer, part of it is transport times,also while that stuff may stay good for some time out of the cold, it lasts longer when cold. Also as far as cheese, likely depends on the type of cheese, some would take longer to go bad, or just need a bit of scraping. Really, overall, it's mostly because while some of that stuff MIGHT stay edible, we prefer not to take chances. Plus a whole lot of other reasons.
You just know some pony saw body piercings, and came back to Equestria to set off a new craze.
Somehow, I get the suspicion there is a good reason the flatware looks just like the ones from the mess hall......
Her blinky light just chews through those batteries...
Silly pony being silly while trying to be nice and compliment people on things they were joking about. So Pony, and cute.
Then right into the wisdom of the pony, on how even someone doing the same thing, every day, can still be an important part of many ponies lives, just by doing what he does.
Then into more bible talk, and Silver REALLY needed someone to give her a secular view on things as well and explain what is going on with the book, without the religious undertones. Liz is great, but Silver is lacking a bit of firm grasping of the context that Liz isn't quite giving directly,either through not really seeing it that way herself, or failing to grasp Silver hasn't had the same general cultural osmosis others do.
Yes, spend time with both Peggy and Meghan YAY! Though, why tense at first?
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Could you say no to Silver Glow if she wanted more airspace to fly around in?
I mean, that's a legit issue.
I think that nine out of ten ponies would take the free petting (and brushing and whatever other kinds of grooming the humans felt obligated to do) even if it is a little bit demeaning . . . well, from a human perspective. From a pony perspective, that's just something that friends do; probably the real awkwardness for some is when the pony tries to reciprocate. And you're right, ponies are at least half cat.
That is actually legit. Just like duffel bags being made out of duffel (it's true; look it up), Parchment the town in Michigan is named for the parchment company that was there.
Yeah, she does have a rather active sex drive. But she is more selective than Cayenne when it comes to partners.
It really is a magical place.
I honestly can't think of a single better movie to show a pegasus than Castle in the Sky. Even if it is kind of sad.
That's it, exactly. Some readers had a bit of trouble seeing the difference between racism and Silver Glow's tribalism, and while I'm not going to say that she's right to be tribalist, or that unicorns are all like that (or even any), it's a fact that there are rather substantial differences between a pegasus and a unicorn, both in physical appearance and in in abilities.
I would guess that most deer would probably run away from horses, too, unless they were really used to them.
It's always fun to surprise a prey animal by sneaking up on her. Although they should know by now that Silver Glow can get aggressive (or hasn't that scene happened yet? I can't remember. :P)
Conrad totally would, and I doubt he'd be in the slightest bit embarassed. He'd probably chuckle and then ask people what they thought about them.
Cedric and Leon might have some idea of how non-innocent Silver is, but at the same time, they can't help themselves but to pretend that she is.
I always thought that they did, and it does help to explain how the names so often match the cutie marks neatly. And it's not without historical prescedent; people getting 'adult' names when they have their adult baptism or endure a trial by fire or whatever else that particular culture uses as a sign of growing up.
Mmm, bacon.
I think in Quantum Castaways, Marshall never got Twilight to try any. Which was really Twilight's loss (so long as she tried it in moderation, anyway).
And Silver Glow isn't exactly a vegetarian, anyway. She eats fish a lot, and sand crabs when she can get them.
Anybody can (and should) be hit by the beauty of a Miyazaki film. That's just a fact.
Enjoy your friends where you find them I think is a good lesson for life.
She honestly is. She's got way more 'real life' experience than a lot of her fellow students, that's for sure. Especially at a somewhat exclusive college like Kalamazoo College.
I confess that I did catch up on schoolwork on some Days of Gracious Living.
That's why Peggy is best roommate--sometimes she knows that she has to order birdpony around, and she's willing to do it.
There are certainly some advantages to being small.
Most of the time, she really doesn't get it. Sometimes, though, she is messing with them.
I mean, it depends on how used to it you are, at least IMHO.
Bah, it's not the first time she's eaten meat. I seem to recall her being mad at a fish sandwich for tasting bad months ago. And I hear sand crabs are delicious.
True fact, red-wing blackbirds don't give a
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The hawk is less impressed with how things are going.
Yeah, all the reasons for why our human food isn't/can't be kept unrefrigerated is really complicated and there's a whole lot of 'it depends' in there. In a place where reliable refrigeration isn't a given (like Equestria), anything that could be made to sit out would be, whereas in the US where it would be assumed that everyone has a fridge, you might as well use it. Other production reasons and modifications to traditional recipes are also factors, plus the modern American human tendancy to not want to scrape mold off something they're about to eat. . .
I'm sure they've already figured out that they can pierce their ears and noses and other piercings for ponies might be cultural. And yeah, there's likely to be some human influence going forward in what they pierce and how.
It's also a safe bet that those Denny's mugs are of dubious providence as well.
Being bright enough to allow other airplanes to see her in time is not exactly conducive to long battery life, even with LEDs.
It's true, and there just aren't enough stories about the guy who works every day and then goes home to his family. Or the pony who does that, for that matter (although I'm writing stories that address that deficiency).
I just read through a blog today explaining some of the Bible things and why there's a phrase about a camel going through the eye of a needle (apparently, in the original language, it's a mooring line passing through the eye of a needle). It's complicated, and even very educated people--specialists in the field--don't know all the answers. I probably could have spent hours talking with my dad, getting more details and specifics on some of the passages and how they should be interpreted, but I didn't.
Peggy's still a bit uptight about Silver Glow's 'free love' philosophy and how she's pretty much gone back to Meghan on the side, even though to Peggy's mind she shouldn't.
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Well the eggs get washed mainly because the chicken in the US farms are closely packed and can't really move away from the laying area. So the eggs get quite hit by guano, as this is bad for sales they get washed... In the EU it's forbidden to wash them and so they try and keep the chicken a bit more able to move around...
For the metrification the problem was one of implementation... from what I read they tried doing it all at once and without a real criterion so, for example, you would get signs that said "Next city 24.14 Km" instead of placing the sign eight hundred meters earlier and writing "25 km" or a speed limit of "104.6 km/hr"
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I don’t think that it’s entirely factory farms’ fault (although that certainly plays a part). In the US, as far as I know, it’s required to wash them.
Our problem with metrification was like our problem with adopting dollar coins. When you have two systems, people are going to keep using the one they’re familiar with, rather than adopt the new one. So as long as we still have dollar bills, nobody wants a dollar coin. We put up a bunch of signs that had both standard and metric on them, people grumbled and complained, and the powers that be wimped out and didn’t follow through with phase 2, which would have been putting up metric signs only.
If we’d just done it, people would have grumbled and complained, and then they would have figured it out.
While I can’t say for sure that there weren’t any signs with decimal conversions on them, I never saw one. All the signs I saw were rounded either to the nearest km or nearest 5km (for speed limits).
So my parents have been keeping butter on the counter for a few years now, because they got annoyed with having to soften it. I think it's a little unusual, but I've been using it as well and so far, nobody's gotten sick. Though I did see a gnat get stuck in it once, as well as mold another time, but that was really easy to see.
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From what I understand, traditional salted butter doesn't have to be refrigerated and has a counter life of a long, long time. Unsalted butter doesn't. When I was a kid, the butter was usually left out on the counter/table, but now it isn't any more.
American eggs have the protective coat washed off to make them white and shiny, which means they'll go bad quick if not refrigerated. If they're brown eggs, they are also counter-safe for a long period of time (how long, I don't know).
Some kinds of mold are easy to spot, and easy to remove when spotted (hard cheeses, bread), while others are not (soft cheeses, jams). There's a lot of foods where the modern American is worried about spoilage when they shouldn't be.