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CuriousByNature

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    Mona Lisa might get a room or her own!

    in Museums and Parks

    Posted

    18 hours ago, nycman said:

    When I was there recently, it was a fucking mob scene. I wouldn’t go in that room if you paid me $1 million. Granted it’s not my favorite painting, but it deserves better than this. Not to mention the true masterpiece in the room, Veronese’s "The Wedding at Cana" on the opposite wall, that you can’t even get close to without wading through a sea of selfie sticks. The poor thing is being held hostage by the cult-like troglodytes worshiping the ugly bitch on the opposite wall. 

    In fact, the entire museum is overrun with Mona Lisa flotsam and detritus. They’re all wandering around like zombies. They should move her to her own building. Surrender her to the tourists and return the rest of the Louvre to those of us appreciate all of it. 

    Or have an attached room with a moving walkway, so that people can't crowd around the painting but can appreciate it as they glide past.  Similar to how people view the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.

    Tell me, O Octopus, I begs; Is those things arms, or is they legs? I marvel at thee, Octopus; If I were thou, I'd call me Us.

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    1 hour ago, samhexum said:

    It all started because his 9-year-old son wanted a pet.

    Not just any pet. An octopus. Specifically, a California two-spot octopus, also known as a bimac.

    So, Cameron Clifford, a 36-year-old dentist in rural Oklahoma, did what many dads would do. He made a call to a local aquarium store inquiring about getting an octopus.

    Little did he know, that call would eventually spawn 50 surprise octopus babies in his home, thousands of dollars in water damage and other fees as well as an epic father-son TikTok saga that has warmed the hearts of nearly 400 thousand followers.

    "I think there's a lot of people out there that had this crazy pipe dream when they were a kid, and then it just kind of fizzled away as they got older," he says. "I think they also really empathize with kind of this stereotypical story of a father who decides to give his child a pet, and then, of course, turns into the father almost taking exclusive care of that pet, except to the nines in this case."

     

    Clifford says his son Cal has always had deep, inexplicable love for octopuses. Since he was 2, Cal has asked for a pet octopus at every birthday, Christmas and major holiday.

    Clifford and his wife always thought it was a funny and adorable request − and they happily gifted him toy octopuses as presents. Never, however, did they think owning a pet octopus was a dream they could make a reality.

    "His ultimate dream, his cloud nine, the greatest thing that could ever possibly happen in one's life had just become a possibility, and he just broke down," Clifford recalls. "My friends and family, of course, all, as you probably imagine, said to me, 'Well, now you have to get it for him. You can't just dangle that in front of him and then turn around and just flatline that dream.' "
     

    So Clifford spent the next several weeks documenting his and his son's preparation for their pet octopus, whom they named Terrance. That meant researching, ordering and installing a proper saltwater tank and water cycling system in their home, as well as making sure they had access to an octopus' food supply. Clifford says he bought most of the materials secondhand on Facebook Marketplace and expected the whole ordeal to cost around $600 to $700.

    He was wrong.

    Terrance arrived and was bigger than expected − which meant they needed a bigger tank. When Terrance's 50 surprise babies arrived, "all bets were off," Clifford says, and he spent $300 a week to overnight food for the hatchlings. Not to mention the water damage to his house, which he says is still under repair.

    All in all, Clifford estimates he's spent around $3,000 to $4,000 on octopuses over the past year. "Do not get a pet octopus unless you're ready to lose sleep and your kids' college fund simultaneously," he jokes.

    About two months after her arrival, Terrance laid eggs, signaling the end of her lifespan. As Clifford notes on TikTok, female bimac octopuses usually live one-to-two years. When they lay eggs, they stop eating or taking care of themselves, devoting the rest of their lives to protecting their den until their eggs hatch.

     

    Experts assured Clifford that Terrence's eggs couldn't be fertilized, meaning they'd never hatch. Clifford and his family handfed Terrence as she protected her perceived young, letting her live out her final purpose according to nature, even if it was all in vain. But then to Clifford's shock, all 50 of Terrence's eggs hatched.

    Clifford called local aquariums and research facilities begging them to take the babies. They all declined. So he did the next logical thing: He resorted to TikTok, sharing the videos he'd only previously posted for friends and family on his private Instagram.

    His account exploded in popularity, and now he's in communication with major aquariums, universities and research facilities across the country interested in taking the octopuses off his hands. He's also solicited the internet for names for the babies − the punnier, the better. His favorite? InverteBrett.

    The experience has had its fair share of challenges, he says, but seeing the joy it's brought to Cal, as well as his 6-year-old son Lyle, has been worth it. It's also been special to see the internet − a notoriously divisive space − rally in near unanimous support for him and his family as they navigate the ups and downs of their octopus journey.

    "As far as regrets, there's so many," he says. "I wish I wouldn't have opened that valve that way and dumped all that dirty seawater onto my kids' white carpet. That's certainly a regret. But overall, no, it's been an absolutely fun experience, not just for me, but also for my kids."

    Clifford says the baby octopuses haven't been rehomed yet and are staying with "Dr. Tim," a family friend and reptile scientist. Usually only 1-5% of bimac babies survive into adulthood, Clifford says; two months out from hatching, a staggering 50% of Terrance's babies are still alive: "Every scientist I speak to is always kind of astonished by that fact that we were able to get such a high yield in a kid's bathroom."

    Clifford says his ultimate goal is for his TikTok followers across the country to be able to visit Terrance's offspring at their local aquariums once the babies find their new homes.

    "I think it would just be such a cool experience, if you had followed along with the account, (to) go to your state aquarium and see one of the babies − JaySea or BeyonSea or Swim Shady or Squid Cudi − in person," he says.

    He also intends to go back to his normal life, which has been disrupted by going viral. Clifford and his wife have taken strides to shield their children from knowing just how famous their family has become online. But that's become more difficult now that news cameras have entered their house.

    For Clifford, the wellbeing of his kids will always come first. It's something he and Terrance have in common.

    "Of course, with this whole social media thing, it's like I'm now missing bedtime because I'm doing some interview. And that of course then becomes counterproductive if you're like, 'OK, well, I'm documenting how great of a dad I am, and now here I am not putting my kids to bed.' So I have to be careful with it as well," he says. "It's just been a little wilder than most of the experiences we have, but my son has absolutely loved this experience."

    And for those wondering: Yes, Terrence is, somehow, still alive.

    "She's doing good. She is just living out the rest of her life in her tank by herself," Clifford says. "She will probably die in the next several weeks, although my assumptions of her have been wrong consistently."

     

    jeremiah tower cooking GIF by The Orchard Films

    Dear clients, would you rather hire a bisexual or gay provider?

    in Questions About Hiring

    Posted

    12 hours ago, socurious said:

    Well, someone that has an erection to have sex with another man can't be straight. But this is just my opinion. 

    My opinion is different than yours.  Erections are physiological responses that can have little to do with attraction.  For example, those who are abused by another guy may experience the physiological response of an erection during the abuse, even though they have no same-sex attraction.  It's part of the reason why many of us who have experienced abuse are left feeling very confused about our orientation.  

    OJ Simpson Dead

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    58 minutes ago, Luv2play said:


    I remember on the day of the verdict, we were watching it live on TV and he bet me O.J. would get off. I was in disbelief when the verdict came down. Later I realized I was basing my judgement from the vantage point of my privileged white upper economic and social status. People who felt oppressed by the system didn’t see things the same way. 

    I think it's a really good point you raise about our perspectives being based on the various types of privilege we experience - both those we are aware of and those we might not be aware of at the time.  I understand that many people saw this case as being bigger than an accused person and two fatalities, and that it represented something deeper in their hearts and minds.

    But my thoughts keep coming back to the victims and their families.  I can only imagine how painful it must be to lose family members, and then watch as a jury of hundreds of millions of people weigh in on the possible guilt or innocence of the accused.  And then to realize that a majority of people believed in the guilt of the accused, but that many of those were still satisfied with the verdict because of what it meant in a much larger, historical-sociological context.  The context and loss for the Simpson and Goldman families was much more personal, but they were the ones who had to bear the burden of historic wrongs when OJ was acquitted.

    Have you gone to Arab countries with another man?

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    19 hours ago, Charlie said:

    I believe that the only majority Muslim country I have ever been to with my partner was Morocco, and it was when a gay friend decided to throw a landmark-birthday bash for himself and friends and family from all over the world, and chose to do it in Marrakesh. He booked a couple of riads for his guests, who naturally included a number of male couples, 2 to a room.  The riad and restaurant hosts seemed fine with that. Of course, the party wasn't exclusively male or gay, and many of the guest couples were middle-aged to elderly,  which may have made a difference in their attitude to the group.

    I need to find new friends.  I get invited to birthday bashes at Chipotle's and Pizza Hut.

    OJ Simpson Dead

    in The Lounge

    Posted · Edited by CuriousByNature

    It seems like OJ will always be a polarizing figure.  It was one of the first instances I can recall where a human tragedy became fodder for reality tv sensationalism.  It may have been the beginning of court cases being used for entertainment purposes and the rise of celebrities that are famous for being famous, like the entire Kardashian family.  I see a definite division between the pre-OJ trial tv age and the post-trial age, and I can remember getting sick of seeing it broadcast day in and day out for what seemed like years.  I was glad when it finally came to an end, but it still opened the door for all sorts of reality tv that followed, shows that are premised on the public being looky-loos without the capacity to think objectively about what they are watching.  

    Madonna's new face for the Holidays

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    On 4/2/2024 at 5:33 PM, Vegas_Millennial said:

    The Orient has a long, proud tradition of prizing youthful looks and painted white faces, since it is associated with Purity because the moon is white and is a symbol of Feminity and Purity in several cultures of the Orient.  The practice was more common when indoor lighting was provided by candlelight, providing a softer look than it appears today under electric lights.

    the grudge horror GIF

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