Where are all the men?

[Netzach]

I actually class them as coolest looking thing ever as long as it's in a picture and not in my immediate vicinity.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

These are cool, too. Grew up catching and playing with them in Oklahoma

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x95/Sir_Winston54/_41779544_tarantula416.jpg

They can actually be kind of affectionate, and tell one person from another!

 

[intothewoods]

Can I add that the recluse habit of hiding in shoes is not so appealing?

I no longer live in a place hospitable to the recluse, but widows and scorpions are in abundance in the US southwest. Black Widows don't bother me so much since they tend to keep to themselves, but scorpions start showing up anytime there's construction going on. I live in an older neighborhood and over the years, as neighbors have done renovation projects, the scorpions end up being forced to move. I've never found one in my house, but I've seen them outside. They are the ugliest, scariest looking bug on the planet in my opinion.

They generally won't kill you, but it hurts like hell I'm told.

I hope ITW isn't visiting this thread because I know how much she hates this picture, but I feel the need to post it anyway.

Scorpion. Yuck!

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/LilyBart_photos/scorpion.gif

I have pictures turned off.

I must now step away from this thread. It's officially scary.

 

[LilyBart]

I have pictures turned off.

I must now step away from this thread. It's officially scary.

Ha Ha!



~LB

 

[Kajira Callista]

http://www.blockpublishing.com/images/rainbow/wolf.jpg

 

[Evil_Geoff]

There are many different kinds of scorpions, fascinating creatures, if not terribly bright...

 

[Kajira Callista]

There are many different kinds of scorpions, fascinating creatures, if not terribly bright...

Hi Geoff. When ya comin' for coffee darlin'?

 

[Shankara20]

I must now step away from this thread. It's officially scary.

I see. Not man enough, right?

 

[Shankara20]

But I think Shank's adopted too. I wonder what he has to say about this?

Adopted I am, yes. I know nothing much about birth folks so I cannot go there for a reference.

More thoughts later - consider that a threat if you wish

 

[Keroin]

Adopted I am, yes. I know nothing much about birth folks so I cannot go there for a reference.

More thoughts later - consider that a threat if you wish

I will keep an extra seat or two open for your thoughts, when you decide to return, as you know they are always welcome on my threads.

BTW, I've never met any of my bio relatives but I have corresponded via letter and email, so I know enough to get a rough picture of them. I also now know where I got my big, gummy smile from. Thanks Mom II.

 

[Shankara20]

I think the key is culture 'might as much be the beast'.

Separated twin studies are a pretty strong indicator of the role of genetics in personality formation. Likewise, I've met people who grew up separately from their parents and rediscovered them in adulthood and seen some pretty uncanny resemblance in attitude and personality.

On the other hand, one can't argue that socialization doesn't impact either. It's kind of idiotic to try to put things down to one aspect or another, because generally even when it's seeming to work toward an absolute, there are actually damn few true absolutes in science. Behavior studies are even more quirky that way because we don't have ways to isolate the factors and inputs.

Fact is, though, that outside of the truly mentally damaged- sociopathy, schizophrenia, et al, regardless of our impulses we are responsible for our actions. That's why the whole notion that we're slaves to our gonads pisses me off so much. There's a lot of shit in life that we don't get to act on because we're responsible, we're fucking adults.

I absolutely agree.

What I find interesting in the Newsweek article is the challenge to the evolutionary psychology notion of a "universal human nature" based on "survival of the fittest" whatever gets your genes into the next generation will prevail and we all are programed to those same actions to move our genes forward.

I fell for the evolutionary psychology stuff until I ran into the "stepfathers will kill their stepchildren" and "rape their women" "to advance their genes" stuff. That bothered me but I did not know how to call bull-shit. Now the Behavioral Ecology perspective outlines the problems with Evo Psych.

Now, if I live long enough someone will show the problems with Behavioral Ecology.

 

[Shankara20]

I will keep an extra seat or two open for your thoughts, when you decide to return, as you know they are always welcome on my threads.

BTW, I've never met any of my bio relatives but I have corresponded via letter and email, so I know enough to get a rough picture of them. I also now know where I got my big, gummy smile from. Thanks Mom II.

I am starting to see the nature/nurture thing in terms of - nature gives the tone of my voice, nurture gives me the song I sing. With this I give nurture a much larger part in our development then nature, (your millage may vary).

I have been fighting a life long struggle to identify who I truly am. I know all the mental mumbo jumbo "you are who you are" but I can't seen to get past seeing my true birth certificate with my birth name "baby boy XXX" marked "INVALID" and having my official birth certificate show my new name and the names of the people that adopted me listed as birth mother and birth father - it all is a lie.

 

[Keroin]

I am starting to see the nature/nurture thing in terms of - nature gives the tone of my voice, nurture gives me the song I sing. With this I give nurture a much larger part in our development then nature, (your millage may vary).

I have been fighting a life long struggle to identify who I truly am. I know all the mental mumbo jumbo "you are who you are" but I can't seen to get past seeing my true birth certificate with my birth name "baby boy XXX" marked "INVALID" and having my official birth certificate show my new name and the names of the people that adopted me listed as birth mother and birth father - it all is a lie.

When and how did you learn you were adopted? (If you don't mind me asking).

 

[Shankara20]

When and how did you learn you were adopted? (If you don't mind me asking).

I knew before I started school. Dad told me so I would understand the truth if/when others started to tease. Once that cat was out of the bag Mom, when she was fully tanked, would threaten to send me back if I did not behave the way she wanted.

When did you find out?

 

[Keroin]

I knew before I started school. Dad told me so I would understand the truth if/when others started to tease. Once that cat was out of the bag Mom, when she was fully tanked, would threaten to send me back if I did not behave the way she wanted.

When did you find out?

I'm sorry to hear your mom used your adoptiveness against you that way.

I always knew. My family was up front from day one and they went out of their way to make me feel that being adopted was something special because I was not just born I was chosen. My Dad made up this great story about how they went to the hospital to find a baby and they picked me out of the lot because I was so quiet and peaceful and then, "We got you home and you haven't shut up since!" LOL.

I think it helped that my mom had really, really wanted lots of kids but after my sister was born the doc said no more. They waited nearly ten years for me.

I never had any desire to meet my bio family; it was actually my mom's idea for me to list on the passive registry. I'm glad I did, it was interesting. The similarities between me and my bio half brother are uncanny. I have zero in common with my adoptive family, although I love them to bits.

 

[MisterSir]

Once that cat was out of the bag Mom, when she was fully tanked, would threaten to send me back if I did not behave the way she wanted.

...she sounds like a lovely woman. In vino veritas, and all that. I found out I was an accident the same way. And that my parents weren't married and never had been.

 

[Keroin]

...she sounds like a lovely woman. In vino veritas, and all that. I found out I was an accident the same way. And that my parents weren't married and never had been.

Nice. I can't imagine what that would feel like.

I have a friend (she's 75), who's about 95% certain her sister was actually her mother. Sister is now dead so no way to prove it.

 

[MisterSir]

Nice. I can't imagine what that would feel like.

The latter came earlier and that was noooooot as bad as you might expect because I'd been pretty sure of the fact myself. Did some digging - both parents had been married before, both were divorced due to adultery on similar dates, mother not only didn't take father's surname but kept her original married name rather than going back to her maiden name (and that always, ALWAYS struck me as perverse). I can be relatively certain they are still my biological parents, though - I've seen pictures of mother's ex-husband and I don't look like him at all, whereas I do bear some resemblance to father's side of the family.

Of course, being informed I was an accident? WAY outta left field. I've never had it confirmed, but I think baby brother was also an accident. Can't see many couples willing to deal with two babies separated by just 18 months.

Never really got over that.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

....about 95% certain her sister was actually her mother....

I'm sorry; I know it's inappropriate and not funny to her... but the first thought that ran through my mind upon reading this was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0s5Kn9QXtU

 

[subgirl2]

I'm sorry; I know it's inappropriate and not funny to her... but the first thought that ran through my mind upon reading this was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0s5Kn9QXtU

LMAO brilliant. I love that song.

 

[Keroin]

I'm sorry; I know it's inappropriate and not funny to her... but the first thought that ran through my mind upon reading this was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0s5Kn9QXtU

*Shakes fist and swears under breath*

Always with the Youtube stuff! Repeat after me: Keroin has SLOW internet, Keroin has SLOW internet, Keroin...

Sigh, OK, I'll bite the bullet and have a look. See you in twenty minutes.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

*Shakes fist and swears under breath*

Always with the Youtube stuff! Repeat after me: Keroin has SLOW internet, Keroin has SLOW internet, Keroin...

Sigh, OK, I'll bite the bullet and have a look. See you in twenty minutes.

I'm sorry, K. I should have shown the title, but it would have given away the joke. It's "I'm My Own Grandpa," by Ray Stevens and the Muppets.

 

[Keroin]

I'm sorry, K. I should have shown the title, but it would have given away the joke. It's "I'm My Own Grandpa," by Ray Stevens and the Muppets.

No worries, just teasing. I did watch it and had a good chuckle. (I'll be forwarding this month's bill to you, BTW...kidding, kidding).

*Adds high speed, affordable internet to list of things she misses*

 

[ZRT]

But have you considered that maybe someone paid the spider to try and kill you? *Puts on Columbo jacket* Have you made any enemies lately Mr ZRT?

Well even then I can appreciate a professional doing his/her job, so that's nothing personal.

Now the person who hired the spider, on the other hand...

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv181/LilyBart_photos/scorpion.gif

Beautiful little beasts. It's like Mother Nature woke up one morning and decided to make a critter that just screams deadly from every angle.

http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x95/Sir_Winston54/_41779544_tarantula416.jpg

Not so beautiful. I can't look at that without thinking 'ick' at the hair and wondering if it smells like unwashed dog.

I absolutely agree.

What I find interesting in the Newsweek article is the challenge to the evolutionary psychology notion of a "universal human nature" based on "survival of the fittest" whatever gets your genes into the next generation will prevail and we all are programed to those same actions to move our genes forward.

I fell for the evolutionary psychology stuff until I ran into the "stepfathers will kill their stepchildren" and "rape their women" "to advance their genes" stuff. That bothered me but I did not know how to call bull-shit. Now the Behavioral Ecology perspective outlines the problems with Evo Psych.

Now, if I live long enough someone will show the problems with Behavioral Ecology.

I think there is a predisposition for stepfathers to resent their children, though. No particular evidence on my part, though.

However, I just can't see how one can look at the incredible sophistication of instinctual behavior in other animals and not think that the human animal doesn't have a butt-ton of instinctual behaviors as well. The difference being that unlike most other species (and I do ascribe potential sentience to several mammalian species) we can moderate or even modify our instincts as we go, or deny them altogether.

 

[Homburg]

Not so beautiful. I can't look at that without thinking 'ick' at the hair and wondering if it smells like unwashed dog.

A friend of mine (who had the coolest snake menagerie ever) had a tarantula. He was friendly and gentle, felt interesting when he crawled on my hand and arm, and did not smell like wet dog. He smelled like the wood chips in his aquarium.

Interestingly, said friend was well known for doing reptile outreach classes. I watched him take people that self-identified as terrified of snakes, and have them standing with the snake draped around their shoulders before long. But the spider-phobic people? Not so much.

Fortunately for me, I have no fear of snakes, and only a hint of hesitation when presented with the fuck-all big hairy spider. It did not take long at all to get over that hesitation. The spider was cool.