We are all set for getting together for Thanksgiving. Details in the comments below.
If you have any questions, ask them here.
This post is in: Open Threads
We are all set for getting together for Thanksgiving. Details in the comments below.
If you have any questions, ask them here.
Comments are closed.
WaterGirl
Trying to be discreet here so we don’t get a bunch of yahoos or Toobins joining our meeting.
Meeting times are set for 10am, 2pm. 6pm, and 10pm.
We will also have a “practice” meeting at 9am for anyone who is new to Zoom wants to make sure they are ready to go and have changed their name to their nym in Zoom.
We’re kind of jumping off the cliff here without a safety net, totally winging it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? I know you’ll all be kind if everything is not smooth!
If this works as proof of concept, maybe Balloon Juice can get set up with Business Zoom for Christmas or whatever event we want to do next.
Please remember to change your name to your Balloon Juice Nym either before or as soon as you enter the zoom.
To change your name to your nym: Click on the three dots in upper right-hand corner. Click rename and type your nym.
WaterGirl
Topic: Balloon Juice Thanksgiving
Time: Nov 26, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
this zoom has now ended.
WaterGirl
Topic: Balloon Juice Thanksgiving 2
Time: Nov 26, 2020 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
this zoom has now ended.
WaterGirl
Topic: Balloon Juice Thanksgiving Meeting 3
Time: Nov 26, 2020 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
this zoom has now ended.
WaterGirl
Topic: Balloon Juice Thanksgiving Meeting 4
Time: Nov 26, 2020 10:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76793706700
Meeting ID: 767 9370 6700
Passcode:
WaterGirl
Topic: Balloon Juice Thanksgiving Practice
Time: Nov 26, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
this zoom has now ended.
WaterGirl
balloonj20
(double-secret pw to get into all the meetings)
J R in WV
OK, so funny to see double-sekret pswd posted!!
This is great, we are supposed to Zoom with friend in Montana Saturday, now that won’t be my first whirl in Zoom!! Not that meeting with JAckals won’t be great all by itself!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
mercy!
WaterGirl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I should probably apologize for putting that image out there.
NotMax
Pants. Must find pants.
:)
Baud
I can take a hint.
NotMax
@Baud
The internet is not a series of Toobins!
// :)
WaterGirl
@Baud: You are double-invited! You could even do audio only if you need to keep your identity secret.
West of the Rockies
Yeah, nobody go YouToobin, please.
HeleninEire
@WaterGirl: Gotta disagree. I’m looking forward to a Balloon Juice Toobin.
Hmmmm… Who will it be?
Baud
@WaterGirl:
Unless I’m Gilbert Gottfried.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@West of the Rockies:
Hopefully Cole doesn’t decide to start mopping naked during Zoom lol
Baud
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Maybe he can instruct the group on how to shave a cat’s ass.
Baud
It’s thoughtful and hilarious that there’s a practice zoom session.
CaseyL
Very, very well planned. WG, I honestly don’t know what we’d do without you.
Looking forward to seeing [a subset of] everyone!
cope
What’s Zoom?
WaterGirl
@CaseyL: Thank you! We are actually totally winging this, but what else can you do with one day’s notice?
I am totally a “measure twice, cut one” kind of girl, so totally winging this is not my comfort zone, but that’s okay. Worst case, stuff goes wrong and we’re still further along than we would have been if we didn’t try.
Many thanks to Imm for hosting the “practice zoom” and the 10am zoom.
To JaySinWA for hosting the 2pm zoom, and to feebog for hosting the 6pm and 10pm versions.
Cheryl Rofer was kind enough to volunteer to co-host the 6pm zoom, and I will cohost for the others.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@NotMax: Not sure about that, we know it’s not a bunch of dump trucks.
WaterGirl
@cope: Is that a joke?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: Must See TV!
Dan B
@WaterGirl: Practice time is 6 AM west coast and pitch dark Seattle. Sigh.
I’ll try the 2 PM.
dmsilev
Will try to join meeting #2 for a while. See you folks tomorrow.
NotMax
@Baud
Well, you could install Clownfish and play around with altering your voice.
:)
cope
@WaterGirl: Not a funny one, apparently. As you were.
Aleta
There had better be animals.
Spanky
Can we say “fuck” in Zoom?
Spanky
@Aleta: In all my prior zoom meetings my animals never failed to make an appearance. I doubt this will be different.
Dan B
@WaterGirl: I found your email and responded.
No Toobin- scout’s honor!
It’s being held up for some reason.
dmsilev
Im so jealous of all you folks who are new to Zoom etc.
So very tired of video teleconferences.
zhena gogolia
@dmsilev:
I’m tired of them too, but I will try to make one of these.
Jo Jo las Orejas
Esto parece complicado. ¿Habrá golosinas? Me gusta el queso.
geg6
@dmsilev:
I feel you but this is my first one non-work related, so I’m kinda excited.
raven
@Baud: We always had practice sessions for our on-line faculty development sessions.
Narya
@Spanky: yes, if my work meetings are a guide
NotMax
Just FYI, can do a test anytime here. Test session auto-quits after a few minutes.
Suzanne
@geg6: I feel like all I do these days is Zoom. Or Teams. Or Skype.
But new faces makes the difference!
Narya
@Suzanne: as does the presence of jackals
WaterGirl
@Dan B: Duh. I was thinking practice before the first one, but I guess we could have done a practice one this evening. Never even thought of that! :: sigh ::
WaterGirl
@dmsilev: Will there be chocolate Thanksgiving cake? Or is that Christmas?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Suzanne:
Not sure about that, this crowd is pretty old.
Suzanne
This is gonna be fun! Thank you for all you do, WaterGirl!
Suzanne
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I was referring to everyone’s pets.
WaterGirl
@Spanky: We wouldn’t have it any other way!
West of the Rockies
@Baud:
Damnit, I guess it’s time to confess that I’m Morgan Freeman. Or Bobcat Goldthwait. Stay tuned to find out!
dmsilev
@WaterGirl: Cake (tart, actually) is now in the fridge chilling to set the ganache.
Dan B
@WaterGirl: That’s okay. If the 2 PM doesn’t work it will qualify as a practice for the 6 or 10 PM.
Alison Rose
I’m in California, so I’ll probably try for the 2pm slot, as that puts it at a good time for me out here on the Best Coast.
I take it the jackals won’t GAF that I haven’t had a speck of makeup on my face since mid-March and sure as hell don’t plan to start now, LOL.
dmsilev
Some mordant and topical humor, courtesy of Alexandra Petri:
Americans revive spirit of first Thanksgiving by carrying disease to new areas
feebog
I’ve been hosting virtual cocktail parties with liberal friends in the runup to the election. It’s fun and informative. Think of this as a local get-together gone nation-wide. If you have not used Zoom before, it’s pretty easy, and the host/moderators will talk you through any problems upon entry. Thanks WaterGirl for putting this together, gunna be a hoot.
Benw
@WaterGirl: my prediction:
10 am ET: high attendance. Lots of half-dressed Juicers trying to turn off their cameras. Lots of other Juicers chasing pets around with our laptop cameras. General hilarity.
2 pm ET: good attendance. Significant presence of west coast Juicers. Pleasant chit-chat and good times.
6 pm ET: low attendance. Those Juicers who forgot to close the Zoom link from the 10 and 2 meetings will be heard snoring over the sound of football in the background.
10 pm ET: high attendance. We decide to talk politics. Starts well with Trump mockery, but bitter infighting over minutia, name calling, demands for a Zoom pie filter ensues. Watergirl, Tom, and Adam all try to speak but accidentally stomp on each other. Finally Cole unmutes, calls everyone assholes, and says he’s going to bed. Then BillinGlendaleCA shares his screen with lovely pictures.
Best thanksgiving BJ ever.
:)
Dan B
@dmsilev: Isn’t there some urban legend that the first Tday featured eel. I love eel but few present day Americans do.
WaterGirl
@dmsilev: Pictures tomorrow, please! :-)
zhena gogolia
@Benw:
Sounds about right.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Suzanne: Hmmm, mine are pretty old too.
WaterGirl
@Benw: Sounds like a most excellent day, particularly since in your preview all the zooms apparently work. I’ll take it!
dmsilev
@WaterGirl: You actually already have a picture of it; same recipe I made when we all celebrated lamh’s graduation this past spring. I skipped the sliced almonds though, mostly because I forgot to buy any.
geg6
@Suzanne:
Which one are you attending? I’m thinking we should see what each other looks like in case we ever do a meetup when all this is over.
WaterGirl
@cope: I thought someone asked for real last night. Maybe that was you and the joke was a repeat? :-)
NotMax
@Dan B
Scene in the Swedish series The Restaurant, set in 1945, referring to the 50th anniversary banquet being planned for the occasion.
Chef: “I’m planning on serving lamprey. It was very popular.”
Fishmonger (aghast): “Lamprey? Does anyone really eat that anymore?”
Chef: “Can you provide it or not?”
Fishmonger (noncommittal,, long pause): “I’ll see what I can do.”
Suzanne
@geg6: I’m not sure! I’m thinking the first one is the most likely, though I may still have bedhead.
One of the weirder aspects of 2020 has been putting on makeup to sit in front of the computer. I may put on lip gloss for y’all. I may not.
Suzanne
@Benw:
PHRASING.
geg6
Are we doing a Room Rater contest? That could be fun. ?
Benw
@WaterGirl: Like a good debate team you’re setting the bar for success low! :)
Thanks for getting this all ready. I’ll be on the 10 am ET link for sure.
geg6
@Suzanne:
Oh, I will still have bed head for sure at 10am. No thanks, I want to look human for the first BJers besides Cole to see me IRL.
It will be either 6pm or 10pm for me.
Suzanne
@geg6: I may try to do multiple. Depends on Spawn the Youngest and what she lets me do.
cope
@WaterGirl: No, I’ve only tried to be a smart ass the one time, tonight. I should have gone through previous posts to make sure I didn’t step on anybody’s line.
David ?Booooooo!? Koch
@Baud: Gilbert’s real voice is nondescript (audio)
Redshift
@Spanky: It’s not broadcast, so no FCC!
Joy in FL
@Spanky: I did that today : )
Dan B
@NotMax: Lamprey may be too far for me. We had them in Lake Michigan when they opened the St. Lawrence Seaway. The damage they did to Salmon and other fish was gross. And they are truly ugly. Eels are sleek.
PaulWartenberg
@WaterGirl:
Doom me for the 10AM session, thankyes
Redshift
I’m most likely to be on the 10pm, and possibly the 6pm.
schrodingers_cat
@Baud: Which one will you be attending?
Benw
@Suzanne: oooops
David ?Booooooo!? Koch
@schrodingers_cat: all of them, Katie
Ivan X
I’ve been to two IRL BJ meetups so I figure I’m primed.
PsiFighter37
@Ivan X: I have been to 3, none of them in NYC ironically enough…
Not sure which one I will make (if any), as all of them are during my kid’s wake windows (and I hope to be long asleep by 10PM tomorrow). Will probably try for 2PM if I can make it.
Nancy
I’m excited to see some faces to go with the snarky comments. Snark is an art form and practitioners are artists.
Art appreciation on Thanksgiving and Wegmans for dinner. New holiday tradition.
dww44
@Suzanne: double endorse that. What WG does takes a lot of time and effort. I do hope she is appropriately compensated.
I shall try to make one of the zooms although I will be cooking lots tomorrow and will likely be exhausted when I’m finally free. I’m one of the oldies.
Amir Khalid
I just remembered I don’t own a microphone I can use with my laptop. Am I screwed?
mali muso
@Amir Khalid: maybe download the mobile version of zoom to a phone or tablet?
FelonyGovt
Looking forward to it! 2 PM EST sounds best for me.
Amir Khalid
@mali muso:
I find phone apps fiddly to use, and my monthly phone data cap isn’t very high.
mali muso
@Amir Khalid: hmm, there isn’t any kind of internal mic on your laptop? To be honest, half the time with busy zoom meetings and lots of people, typing in the chat box is the way to go anyways.
Lyrebird
@Amir Khalid: If you own some headphones with the right jack size, they can work backwards. Not what you’d wanna record your guitar with, but it might let other lucky folks hear your voice!
Gvg
@Amir Khalid: zoom has a chat feature? If nothing else works.
is there a way to connect the phone to a laptop to use its microphone?
JaySinWA
@Amir Khalid: If your laptop has a camera it almost certainly has a built in microphone. You can use a phone as an alternate audio via dial in where it is supported. Free Zoom hosting may or may not support phone in.
Gravenstone
@West of the Rockies: Not his lesser known younger brother Morgan Goldthwaite?
Amir Khalid
@Lyrebird:
Alas, none of my current headphones comes with a phone-ready microphone.
HumboldtBlue
@Amir Khalid:
I think you should do a quick search for semaphore signaling, grab the WW2 era pedal-powered wireless and start preparing to send comms.
We’ll pick’em up in Guam and they can be relayed via satellite to this barn dance.
That’s just me, though.
JaySinWA
@JaySinWA: @Amir Khalid: OBS has a plugin that can make your phone a webcam with microphone support if nothing else works. It uses WIFI as a webcam for a video/audio input. It looks like an attached webcam to Zoom
The learning curve is a bit steep but you’ve got a few hours, right?
https://obsproject.com/
NotMax
@Amir Khalid
This might help.
cain
Looking forward to seeing some drunk boomers or boomers who are totally immersed in cookin!
JaySinWA
@cain: Boomers in a pot?
AJ
I’m fired up for this, I hope I make it!!
Is Silverman coming? I want to hear the latest on disinformation, thoughts for 2021. I am not kidding, I love the analyses he posts.
Sloane Ranger
Planning on joining the 10am meet up. That’s a civilised 3pm here over the Pond.
Looking forward to putting faces to nyms.
Sister Golden Bear
Thanks so much for organizing this!
I’ll probably hit the 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. meetings, since they’re a more civilized time for us Californians.
Bruce K in ATH (GR)
Depending on how busy work gets for me, I might be able to make the 10am EST; the 2pm EST is also quite good for me in EET (GMT+2), depending on what goes on with loved ones in the States.
Turkey is a Christmas thing around these parts. Well, actually, around these parts, Turkey is a pain in the ass on the far side of the Aegean Sea, but that’s another conversation for another day. (There are long grudges over the Ottoman empire that still fester here, and Erdogan’s modern-day shenanigans aren’t helping matters.)
Mustang Bobby
See you all at the 10 AM ET. I plan to be clothed, washed, and ironed.
The Fat White Duchess
@Dan B: I loved smoked eel, the one time I had it. An hour later, foid poisonong symptoms set in hard and, well, that’s why I’ve only eaten it once.
PaulWartenberg
@WaterGirl: Oh, there’s the password, my bad. See you at the 10am group!
NeenerNeener
It keeps asking me for a password.
PsiFighter37
@NeenerNeener: See post #7
Nancy
I just went to the test zoom at 9:00. I wanted to see what a test zoom was.
I highly recommend this experience. There is help for first timers and the conversation is pleasant. I may go back later. I enjoyed this zoom because it was not work-related and the company and conversational was delightful.
And to paraphrase a comment made in the meeting, we were all quite good-looking and, may I add, intellligent.
NeenerNeener
@PsiFighter37: I tried that; it keeps telling me the password is incorrect. Oh well….back to watching The Crown.
WaterGirl
@Nancy: The practice zoom was very fun!
WaterGirl
@NeenerNeener: I just sent you an email message with a link that has the password embedded.
Nancy
@WaterGirl:
It was and I will second or third the praise offered to you for all the time and effort involved in this and other parts of site management. I loved Balloon-Juice when it was smaller and less sophisticated. Love it now.
Nancy
@?BillinGlendaleCA: D’Oh!
Nancy
@Bruce K in ATH (GR): It was a pleasure to meet you.
WaterGirl
@Nancy: Thank you!
WaterGirl
If anyone has trouble getting into the zooms, send me an email message and I can send you a link that includes the password.
That worked for NeenerNeener.
oldgold
Be careful.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Dan B:
I only eat it as sushi, but I love it. Not such a stretch to think it was eaten by the Pilgrims. There was a BBC History podcast a couple weeks back, that I haven’t yet listened to, about the importance of eel fishing in the medieval English economy and the formation of an English identity.
YY_Sima Qian
YY_Sima Qian
Oops! Posted to the wrong thread!
RandomMonster
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Eel pie is still a thing in England.
WaterGirl
From the 10am chat: Southern Biscuits
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
It was great fun to see everyone — John even showed up. Thanks for organizing!
MomSense
Thanks for putting that together WG!
Just had my family zoom and dad is home! So happy to see him in their condo.
Cooking now and may join the BJ after dark.
feebog
@WaterGirl:
Not just biscuits, cathead biscuits.
zhena gogolia
@MomSense:
I’m glad he’s home. I hope he’s feeling okay. It was fun to see you and your beautiful barn!
WaterGirl
@MomSense: I was so worried about your dad, I am so glad to hear he was home!
Oh, and I was surprised to see that you had dyed your hair a darker color than your usual (that I had imagined!). :-)
AJ - Mustard Search & Rescue Team
Practice Zoom and 10am were both really fun!
Sorry I missed John but wonderful to see many of you ?
MomSense
@WaterGirl:
@zhena gogolia:
Thank you! Great to see all of you. My hair has always been almost black but somehow the natural white highlights don’t show up that much on zoom.
BruceFromOhio
@Suzanne: omg that is hilarious
Ruckus
@Alison Rose:
I never have had any on mine and I’ve been on TV.
I did comb my hair and beard first, will do as much of that as possible today.
WaterGirl
@MomSense: Definitely come to BJ after dark!
schrodingers_cat
I joined the morning Zoom meeting at noon. I don’t think anyone was there. Will try again later.
Ruckus
@Mustang Bobby:
Taking all the fun out?
Delk
What time zone?
sab
Darn. First time I hate being a Luddite.
Ruckus
@Delk:
Blog time – eastern.
Delk
@Ruckus: thanks! I guess I have to comb my beard too! ?
Nancy
@AJ – Mustard Search & Rescue Team:
Indeed.
Sloane Ranger
Lovely to see everyone on the 10am Zoom meet up. Really enjoyed talking with everyone.
We must do it again.
Happy Thanksgiving, one and all.
cain
@geg6:
I’ll probably be in the one in an hour – although I have bed head still. heh.
Rob
@Delk:
Eastern USA
eta: never mind, I see it was already answered