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Minor Strangeness (IHTM)

GeorgeP said:
Or theres a mass army of men called Jim. :eek:
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In Scotland, all men over 60 yrs of age are required by law to be named Jimmy.

In the other home nations, the default name varies between Jim, James as you travel further south, then back to Jim again.

All women over 60 used to be called Jean (Jeanie in most parts of Scotland, Jeanette in the Midlands etc).

There are exceptions, of course, but for reasons that need no full explanation, it's true in about 80% of cases. Something to do with the second state pension and Thatcher's legacy, we got it in Modern Studies, but I always got to that class late after double Potions and Spells in middle school.
 
Ulalume said:
Not to worry - I was merely reassuring James Whitehead that while Mickey Mouse isn't real, scary clowns are. ;)




Metallic birdseed while I wait nearby with a large magnet? ;)
Actually they prefer to eat snakes, and I draw the line at putting piles of snakes anywhere. :p

In less amusing wildlife news, we've caught yet another scorpion. That makes 6 in the last two weeks. *shudder*
It's been dry for ages now, and I suppose that's why they are heading inside. It's happened before, but this is more than usual. Anyway, that's probably not very strange, What is strange is that I was sitting there, thinking how terrible it would be if a scorpion were to crawl up my leg, when I felt something crawling up my leg...:eek: You can guess what is was. I had to take a shower to make my skin stop creeping.

Ought to tempt the roadrunner inside the house, let him take care of the scorpion problem...
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have you considered a lizard? Dont some of them eat scorpions?
 
Ermintrude said:
In Scotland, all men over 60 yrs of age are required by law to be named Jimmy.

In the other home nations, the default name varies between Jim, James as you travel further south, then back to Jim again.

All women over 60 used to be called Jean (Jeanie in most parts of Scotland, Jeanette in the Midlands etc).

There are exceptions, of course, but for reasons that need no full explanation, it's true in about 80% of cases. Something to do with the second state pension and Thatcher's legacy, we got it in Modern Studies, but I always got to that class late after double Potions and Spells in middle school.
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Thanks. Im starting to wonder if Ive stumbled upon a sleeping method of gratitude, something thats long been forgotten :)
 
MercuryCrest said:
Or let the scorpions take care of your roadrunner problem.... :D
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...and in 6months time Ulalumes property will be over run with various animals, vegetables and minerals. A collective of biblical chaos - or a poor mans Noah, minus the wooden boat mixed with divine intervention from the local authorities.

I may have suddenly discovered a solution here - build a boat and kiss goodbye to terra firma. Im no expert but, roadrunners and scorpions cant swim. Fish can and their often very tasty too with chips and mushy peas.
 
'Tis name-magik. Name thine enemy, and they are owned. Even in supermarkets, being able to suddenly pluck someone's name from no-where can ascribe a tactical advantage to the namer.

Wait a mo....did he have an Asda badge marked "Hello my name is Jim"? Because that would kind-of explain your sudden insight.
 
Ermintrude said:
'Tis name-magik. Name thine enemy, and they are owned. Even in supermarkets, being able to suddenly pluck someone's name from no-where can ascribe a tactical advantage to the namer.

Wait a mo....did he have an Asda badge marked "Hello my name is Jim"? Because that would kind-of explain your sudden insight.
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No, he was a customer:)
 
GeorgeP said:
Cheers Jim :D
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Ha! A clever move...
 
I was in Big W this morning in the drop zone, just looking at some toys, when I felt someone brush past me.
When I looked though, there was nobody anywhere near that end of the store.
Hope I didn't bring anything home from the other day at my friend's house.
 
Ermintrude said:
What was the evil joke about flightless birds, immediately following his sad death?
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Q. What do Rod Hull and Emu have in common?
A. Neither of them can fly.

Bearing in mind he was trying to fix his Tv aerial at the time, there's also:

Q. What's got four legs and goes "tssssch..."?
A. Rod Hull's TV.
 
Iris said:
I was in Big W this morning in the drop zone, just looking at some toys, when I felt someone brush past me.
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Since many of us aren't Australian, I for one don't know much about this store. I immediately have a vision of B&Q filled with thousands of poisonous snakes. Just as long as your invisible brusher wasn't a bunyip.

@thediscordian yes, that may have been it. Poor old Rod. In the end, even his super-powers couldn't save him
 
Ermintrude said:
Since many of us aren't Australian, I for one don't know much about this store. I immediately have a vision of B&Q filled with thousands of poisonous snakes. Just as long as your invisible brusher wasn't a bunyip.

@thediscordian yes, that may have been it. Poor old Rod. In the end, even his super-powers couldn't save him
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Yes a sad time after Rod tried to fix his sattelite dish. But we still had the green duck called Orville to entertain the kids, with his high pitched voice..
 
GeorgeP said:
But we still had the green duck called Orville to entertain the kids, with his high pitched voice..
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For a while....but sadly Orville also has flapped-off, shortly after his dad (the late Keith Harris, who passed-away in April 2015)


Orville was, of course, a strong influnce for John Lyndon (aka Johnny Rotten), with the safety-pin, hair-gel, and chart-topping hits.
 
Ermintrude said:
Since many of us aren't Australian, I for one don't know much about this store. I immediately have a vision of B&Q filled with thousands of poisonous snakes. Just as long as your invisible brusher wasn't a bunyip.

Big W is a general merchandise store. The drop zone is where they put items with dropped prices.
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Today's minor strangeness is following-on (or not?) from me emailing someone in India, late yesterday night.

I included my mobile number at the end of the email, like you do, and typed it in the official international +44 7xxx xxxxxx format.

And then less than 12hrs later, I get an unprecidented unsolicited silent international call from Florida (perhaps trying to sell me an alligator). Coincidence? I do hope so....I'd certainly prefer that, to a criminal mobile phone number harvesting utility, that's constantly skimming details from unencrypted internet emails, and feeding them into robotic autodialler.
 
Ermintrude said:
Today's minor strangeness is following-on (or not?) from me emailing someone in India, late yesterday night.

I included my mobile number at the end of the email, like you do, and typed it in the official international +44 7xxx xxxxxx format.

And then less than 12hrs later, I get an unprecidented unsolicited silent international call from Florida (perhaps trying to sell me an alligator). Coincidence? I do hope so....I'd certainly prefer that, to a criminal mobile phone number harvesting utility, that's constantly skimming details from unencrypted internet emails, and feeding them into robotic autodialler.
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What is a 'silent international call'? They keep schtum when you answer?
 
hunck said:
What is a 'silent international call'? They keep schtum when you answer?
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Quite. Quiet......queer.....

But my mobile phone display came up "+1 850 xxxxxxx", proudly also the word 'Florida', in the corner (damned smartphones, so clever...thank god they don't hunt in packs)
 
Was driving back from a concert with my son last night around 22:30. Kept the speed down, because I was very low on petrol (warning light was blinking) and the garage I was hoping to use on the A30 had just closed. Were within a few miles of home, driving through some woods, when we noticed a figure dressed in dark clothing on our side of the road. All we could really see were the man's hands and face reflecting in my headlights and he appeared to be walking with a strange, jerky gait. I did a double-take, as we got closer, because he seemed to have no facial features ..... then my son and I both said in unison "he's walking backwards". Maybe he had just turned around so as not to be dazzled by my headlights, but it still felt weird and I definitely felt a frisson of creepiness as we passed.
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Was driving back from a concert with my son last night around 22:30. Kept the speed down, because I was very low on petrol (warning light was blinking) and the garage I was hoping to use on the A30 had just closed. Were within a few miles of home, driving through some woods, when we noticed a figure dressed in dark clothing on our side of the road. All we could really see were the man's hands and face reflecting in my headlights and he appeared to be walking with a strange, jerky gait. I did a double-take, as we got closer, because he seemed to have no facial features ..... then my son and I both said in unison "he's walking backwards". Maybe he had just turned around so as not to be dazzled by my headlights, but it still felt weird and I definitely felt a frisson of creepiness as we passed.
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I saw something similar and I think posted it here on this thread. Appeared to be a guy with a hoodie up but no features. Like you I was in a car and like you I did a double take. The only thing I can think of was one of those full faced/mask hoodies.
 
We did have something called Big W in the UK before Woolworths because extinct.

All these scary critters. I'm so glad we don't have them here. Bad enough when a snail tries to enter :eek:
 
Inca Chick the poorly cat. Watched her go out the cat door, something she doesn't often do and down the steps to the gate to the front. She is very distinctive now as she limps and is very skinny.

I went for a quick pee and put the tumble dryer on so I wasn't in direct line of sight of the cat door but could hear any comings and goings.

Next there she is eating at the cat bowl in the kitchen. I thought I must have been mistaken and it was Littlelun who went outside but he was asleep as was everyone else.

Maybe she couldn't be bothered walking back up the steps and just translocated?

Or she sent her Fetch out to have a sniff around?
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Was driving back from a concert with my son last night around 22:30. Kept the speed down, because I was very low on petrol (warning light was blinking) and the garage I was hoping to use on the A30 had just closed. Were within a few miles of home, driving through some woods, when we noticed a figure dressed in dark clothing on our side of the road. All we could really see were the man's hands and face reflecting in my headlights and he appeared to be walking with a strange, jerky gait. I did a double-take, as we got closer, because he seemed to have no facial features ..... then my son and I both said in unison "he's walking backwards". Maybe he had just turned around so as not to be dazzled by my headlights, but it still felt weird and I definitely felt a frisson of creepiness as we passed.
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:eek:
That's really not the kind of thing you want to see, nor the kind of place you want to be, nor the time you want to be out when you're running out of petrol. If this were a horror short you'd have turned to your son to remark on the man with no face and your son's face....
 
Very minor strangeness: I've had a summer of owl coincidences. This week, husband ordered a new cover for his phone on the internet. Thursday morning, he shows it to me before he goes to work - got an owl on it of course, but that's deliberate because it's been the summer of owls and has become a bit of a joke. That day I pop up my friend's house for lunch. The post comes. She opens one packet. It's a new phone cover for her daughter's phone. It's exactly the same one that my other half has bought :eek:
#owls
 
Scribbles said:
Very minor strangeness: I've had a summer of owl coincidences. This week, husband ordered a new cover for his phone on the internet. Thursday morning, he shows it to me before he goes to work - got an owl on it of course, but that's deliberate because it's been the summer of owls and has become a bit of a joke. That day I pop up my friend's house for lunch. The post comes. She opens one packet. It's a new phone cover for her daughter's phone. It's exactly the same one that my other half has bought :eek:
#owls
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The owls must be trying to tell you something.
 
Minor strangeness that happened to me about a month ago. I was driving at night in the dark (well, as dark as it gets in late july anyway) on an unpaved mountain road, so I wasn't going particularly fast. Maybe 20 mph? About twenty metres in front of me, I suddenly see this glowing or reflective translucent blob, about the size of a large toad sort of 'hop' from the middle and almost to the edge of the road. Best bet it was a frog panicking and exposing its tummy in a very long jump. Frankly, it looked quite unreal. It didn't really have a "shape", and even though my eyes followed it, I couldn't make out anything where it landed and I'm usually very good at spotting the frogs in the road. There are a lot of them in the area and they're generally quite a bit darker than the road surface. They also very rarely bother to move if a car comes. Whether that is because they are mesmerized by the headlights, I do not know.

Visually, the closest thing I can think of is if someone with a reflective strip on their shoe ran across the road, but only the strip was visible. the blob seemed shapeless and slightly undefined or translucent.
 
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