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Weekend Open Thread

by thebesig••102

Happy Halloween! This is the last Friday before we switch the clocks back an hour this coming Sunday. For many, this represents an extra hour of sleep. For those in the military whose guard/watch shift is in progress during the “fall back”, this represents an extra hour. Folks at many clubs get to enjoy an extra hour of partying. This thread is both a HOT and WOT for those keeping tabs on firsts.  Enjoy your weekend!

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Weekend open thread

Weekend Open Thread

Weekend Open Thread

102 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread”

  1. Oh wise and all knowing Magic 8- Ball, will International Jet Setter Hack Stone continue his kind but benevolent dictatorship over his loyal subjects by scoring three consecutive First Comments in the Weekend Open Thread, or will be he tried in a kangaroo court and exiled to living in an abandoned Jaguar on the River Road off-ramp of I-495?i Magic 8-Ball says…

    2. Three in a row for Hack Stone.

      Hack Stone would like to also claim title for being the only Deplorable Garbage to score a Fiest Comment on the Weekend Open Thread on three separate continents.

      1. Did you know, if you drink the liquid from a Magic 8-Ball, you can actually see the future?

        Had a friend recently do it. He said “I’m think I’m going to die.”

        He did.

        1. Hardy Har, Har, speaking of seeing into the future, I told my wife I wanted to be cremated.

          Just heard her on the phone setting an appointment for me for next Tuesday. / s

          1. MRS D says that when I go, she’s having me cremated and she’ll keep me on the mantle in a Guinness bottle. I’m ok with that.

        2. I don’t need the 8-Ball liquid to see the future and as I’ve mentioned on this site a few times, I can go into the future in my cardboard box time machine. I could tale you 2 hours into the future in exactly
          120 Minutes

    4. Hack Stone was pumping that refresh button like Daniel Bernath filing lawsuits before the courthouse closed for the weekend. Two hours wasted/invested for bragging rights. With his title firmly secured, Hack Stone will head out to the grounds of Stately Stone Manor to do catch up on yard work that has been deferred for the last few weeks.

    5. Cong-Rats Hack, Was in the recliner grabbibg some zeeeeeees and forget to light off my brand spanking new Amazon Magic 8-Ball to even up the competion…………

      1. No, that was his tribute to Thomas “Turd” Bolling, of Ambassador Worldwide Protection Agency. Anyone heard any updates on him? He’s probably still trying to find that misplaced firearm of his.

  6. Present! Happy Halloween! The staff and management of D’s Cantina are considering handing out fried eggs and beer this evening. Thoughts?

        1. I haven’t heard of the “Trick or treat for UNICEF” since I was a kid in the early 70’s, I wonder how much of the money collected from that was skimmed off even back then?

  7. ‘about daylight saving time – If I’m going to screw up; I’m going to screw up big.

    Back in the olden days of the Ford administration, I was the Technical Training Squadron duty student leader one October weekend. My job was to lead my fellow Airmen in the performance of the weekend details. So there I stood on the squadron drill pad all by myself, slowly a few Airmen showed up yet some were still missing. Racklefratz this, said I, let’s go wake them up. Armed with the duty roster, my fellows and I sought out our missing members. When the growing crowd got to last guy, he was still abed. When he finally came to he regaled us with much profanity and reminded us daylight saving time started that day. Oops.

    So off we marched to the detail, with me in the lead. We set forth performing our chores when a TSgt came up and asked what the hell were we doing. I explained we were doing our weekend details. The TSgt (who appeared as the second coming to those of us with one or no stripes) announced weekend details had been cancelled because of the holiday. He also announced to all of us not to be anywhere near the orderly room when he went there to straighten them out for not telling us. This was an order well received and gladly obeyed.

    In atonement for my waking the guys up, I got us snuck into the TDY dining hall instead of student dining hall. There was much joy as the food was so much better.

    1. I just bought Starbucks House Blend (Decaf) at Wally-World this morning.

      Can you believe it’s $9.97 (plus tax) for a little 12 oz. package?

        1. Jeff, the 10-cent price was established for a cup of coffee in 1954, which was a 50% increase from the previous year. But, Yeah, I can remember when the bums used to say: “Psst, Hey, Buddy, got a dime for a cup of joe?” /s

        2. That was back when the old GB was in high school working behind the counter of an all-night greasy spoon in Houston.
          For $0.90/hour.

          I was a fairly decent short-order cook, but the gals got all the tips.

      2. Claw:

        Have not been keeping up with price of ground coffee packages because we bought a Keurig a few years back that was on sale at our local PX. We buy the bulk pods at a super price at our local Commisary and PX.

        Then again, we remember spending $7.00 for a 10 oz ground of Kona coffee before we had the Kerug, so we guess $10 is a good price for 12 oz of Starbuck ground?

        🫡

      3. Claw: Well we tried to reply…dont know what happened…guess we put in wrong email address.

        Hopefully, Admin will approve our reply to you soon! 🫡

      4. Hell, Black Rifle / Fire Dept Coffee is even more than that… (but much better, soo….)

      5. $10.00 for 12oz?? For that price, I would want the full strength blend, but that’s probably more costly.

    1. Now they want to run the legislative branch as well as the executive branch too? Perhaps its time to tell the judicial branch to go fucketh themselves as they seem to be getting a god complex.

    2. Anyone else notice it’s always the effing judges in the blue states and the District of Criminals that do this crap lawfare?

    1. “I have seven different baby daddies and none of ‘em no good for me,” she said.

      She’ll have better luck with Baby Daddy #8.

    2. I once asked a sexually active woman why she had so many babies. She replied she liked sex (who doesn’t?). The sadder thing was, when I asked her why didn’t she use birth control; she replied her body was a temple and she would not have any foreign object in her body. My reply of, “Unless you’re born with one, a penis is a foreign object”; proved the ability to duck kept me out of the hospital. The saddest part was she left each of her children as a foundling on her dirt poor grandmother’s doorstep.

  18. Happy Friday you gents. Finally woke up enough to give you guys an update: I finished the term with Brakes, Steering, and Suspension with my usual marks and I am heading into Capstone (my final class) for the next term. After I finish with school, I aim to try to work with Tesla when I graduate. Tesla is my first option, but now I also need to look at my second, third, fourth, and so on options because I don’t want to put my eggs all in one basket.

    But anyway, hope all you had a great week. Without further ado, here’s Fire Department Chronicles (please, read the sign in the background of the short):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfSewKUvmFs

  19. Here is an interesting short on the evolution of the US Army using AI (I know, I know. I’m Navy, but most of my family is Army, so I get to share this. I also did try to find a US Navy equivalent with the evolution of our ships, but I couldn’t find one). There are some inaccuracies with how the AI portrays infantry equipment going through the eras, like for the Korean War and Vietnam War the example US soldiers were carrying around AK style rifles and the American War for Independence soldiers was utilizing a plug bayonet when that was well into being phased out at the time (it was still used in the war, but it was rather rare for either side to use them, with both sides preferring the socket bayonet). If you guys spot other inaccuracies, be sure to point them out:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMXhtjQk-gk

      2. I wonder if Casca the eternal mercenary is pictured there. I used to read all of those books by Barry Sadler when i was a kid.

      1. Good eye. US Cavalrymen of the time used the Springfield Model 1873 rifle or carbine. Some did go out of their way to purchase and use the Winchester, but the Springfield Model 1873 was standard issue.

        1. Yes, I am well aware. In 1999, I died four times with my trusty Springfield carbine with General Custer at the annual Battle of the Little Big Horn reenactment in Montana. (The “battle” was performed four times for the approximately 5,000 spectators.)

          The only repeating lever action rifle ever issued by the Army is the Spencer rifle and cavalry carbine.

  20. I also need to announce my basement portable heater committed suicide and caught on fire. Gonna toast it’s life of keeping me warm tonight. 🫤

    1. He was looking to be out of the hospital earlier this week; he said like Ah-Nold,
      “I’ll be back.”

  28. Present & unaccountable.
    My grandchildren are cuter than yours, but I won’t rub that in.

    Busy doing chores around the Compound.

  29. Happy Hack-O-Weenie!!!!

    Better late than never.

    Checking in, but not checking out.

    Have a fabulous funky fucking weekend.

    Boo.

    👻

    Be safe, head on a swivel, arm up!!, prepare and look out for the EBT goblins.

    1. I live in deep Red State America where pretty much everyone, their Grandma and her hound dog stay strapped, if those goblins do what they say they will, they’ll simply be targets in my neck of the woods.

      1. For some of those dependopotomuses the ammo needs to penetrate deep to even make them feel it.
        12″ penetration in 14″ of fat don’t cut it.

  31. Gotta love the shutdown, yard has put out flyers listing local food banks, and now there is a rumor going round that Navy Fed and USAA are running out of money from making short term loans. Fortunately I have a good rainy day fund tucked away to last me several months.

  32. I am finally – finally – home from the hospital. Two or three weeks on home oxygen and some serious meds and I’ll be good as new. (Or something like that.)

    I’ve asked Ed about what to do with the trivia columns I missed – post ’em here or send ’em to him to post as a topic – but here’s this week’s. It’s good to be back. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and support. God heard you, and He gave me yet another chance at this silly thing called life.

    DID YOU KNOW…?
    Did one of the four Marx Brothers almost always have his stage name mispronounced?
    By Commissioner Wretched
    didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com
    Copyright © 2025

    Halloween is Friday! (Now that’s a combination that can’t be beat – Halloween and the weekend. Wow!)

    I, of course, am not participating. One, I’m way, way too old to be dressing up in a costume and trying to extort candy from my neighbors. And two, well … I couldn’t find a costume befitting my station in life anyway.

    Next on the parade of year-end holidays is Thanksgiving, and if you want to share your favorite dessert for the meal with me, that would be fine.

    Pack it carefully, especially if there’s liquid in it.

    And enjoy this week’s trivia!

    Did you know …
    
    … the North Star won’t always be the North Star? Polaris, a star in the constellation Ursa Minor, has the distinction of being the star that Earth’s North Pole points toward. But, because of the precession of the Earth’s axis over eons of time, it won’t always be there. Astronomers say that by the year 13,000 A.D., the star Vega will be directly “above” the North Pole. Not to worry, though; by 26,000 A.D., the North Star will be Polaris once again. The constellations won’t always be the same, either, thanks to stellar drift. (Don’t lose any sleep over it, though.)

    1. … not all hamsters are small? Most that are kept as pets usually range two to six inches in length, but the largest hamsters are the black-bellied hamsters of Europe. Found in the wild, they can grow up to 13 inches in length. (How’d you like to see the running wheel for those?)

      … baby rabbits are not called bunnies? Properly, a baby rabbit is called a kitten or kit. Mature female rabbits are does, while males are bucks. So why do we call the babies bunnies? It’s actually the same as calling a cat a kitty or a dog a doggy … cute, to be sure, but not scientific terms. (Don’t be pedantic. That’s my job.)

      … one of the four Marx Brothers almost always had his stage name mispronounced? The brothers – Chico (born Leonard, 1887-1961), Harpo (born Arthur, 1888-1964), Groucho (born Julius, 1890-1977) and Zeppo (born Herbert, 1901-1979) – were stars of the Broadway stage and numerous film comedies. But the oldest, Chico, found his name almost always pronounced wrong. The name is properly pronounced “Chick-o,” though most people said “Cheek-o.” Originally, when the brothers adopted their stage names, his was spelled Chicko, but an advertising typesetter once accidentally left out the “k” and Marx simply went with it. Marx never corrected anyone who called him “Cheek-o,” though his brothers usually said his name correctly. Additional trivia note: There was a fifth Marx brother, Gummo (born Milton, 1892-1977). He only performed with his family in the early years of the act; later, he became their theatrical agent, letting Zeppo take his place on stage. (Say the secret word …)

    2. … you may have found yourself in something called zugzwang? You could have if you play chess, anyway. Zugzwang is a situation where, in a chess match, every single move you can make would hurt you in the game. (Not unlike life, when you think about it.)

      … salt-water crocodiles can hold their breath underwater for up to two hours? They do it while waiting for unsuspecting prey to come by. (I’ve always wondered about that phrase, “unsuspecting prey.” Have you ever encountered any suspecting prey?)

      … an Indian palace has a very appropriate name? In the state of West Bengal in India, you will find the Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad. Hazarduari translates into English as “a thousand doors,” and it’s appropriate in that there are actually 1,000 doors in the palace. But only 900 of them are real. (Guess it was too goofy to call it “900 Door Palace.”)

      … a sports stadium had its own courtroom and jail to deal with rowdy fans? Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia was home to the NFL’s Eagles from 1971 to 2002. During that time, the stadium operated its own courtroom, presided over by an actual judge. Philadelphia fans, usually some of the rowdiest in sports, would be fined $150 to $300 for misbehaving at the stadium, and it was possible for jail time to also be imposed. (Thanks to Mason for the tip!)

    3. … a town in Wisconsin holds an annual “Coffee Break Festival”? Stoughton, Wisconsin, holds an event every year on the third Saturday in August, and the featured parts of the special day are a coffee “brew-off,” tastings, and even contests of coffee-bean spitting. City officials claim the idea of the “coffee break” was born in Stoughton in the 1880s, as women working at the local Gunderson Tobacco warehouse would pause work during the day to brew some coffee and chat. (Now that’s my kind of town!)

      … a group of wealthy men tried to stage a coup d’etat against an American president? In 1933, several millionaires formed a plot to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) and replace the elected government with a fascist dictatorship. The men had asked retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley D. Butler (1881-1940) – a two-time Medal of Honor recipient – to help with the plot, but Butler instead told Congress about it. No prosecutions of the wealthy men ever took place as a result of the “Business Plot.”

      … the first mechanical calculator was built to help a tax collector? When he was a boy, French mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was the son of a French tax collector who was having difficulty keeping track of his collections. In 1642, the then-19-year-old Pascal designed and built a mechanical adding machine to help his father. It is recognized as the first mechanical calculator in history. (A somewhat besmirched history, at that.)

      Now … you know!

      2. Being an old Scout leader teaching Land Nav I was aware of the apparent drift of Polaris and the constellations. (As well as magnetic North) But it’s fun stuff anyway.

        Glad you drifted back into our skies as well, CW. Continued prayers.

  33. These idiots are from the conservative vail school district outside of Tucson,Az
    I guess the school went woke

      1. The great thing about freedom of speech is the idiot self-identify, and the proponents of evil do as well.

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