Categories
Florida The Current Situation

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis downplays the coronavirus threat. Two months later…

May 20, 2020: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, toeing the Trump Administration’s line of pretending everything is fine, castigates the media for overhyping the coronavirus threat.

Photo: Governor Ron DeSantis rants at press while VP Mike Pence, behind him silently watches.

An excerpt from his rant:

You got a lot of people in your profession who waxed for weeks and weeks about how Florida was gonna be just like New York.

“Wait two weeks! Florida’s gonna be next! Just like Italy. Wait two weeks.” Well, hell, we’re eight weeks away from that, and it hasn’t happened.

So we’ve succeeded, and I think that people just don’t want to recognize it because it challenges their narrative, it challenges their assumption, so they gotta try to find a bogeyman. Maybe it’s that there are black helicopters circling the Department of Health. If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.

Graphic: A “SpongeBob SquarePants”-style title card that reads “2 months later...”

Two months after the rant:

Photo: Newscaster reports on Florida’s record-breaking COVID-19 numbers.

Nice going, Governor DeVirus.

Categories
Florida Life

If “Floridian” was a race in Dungeons and Dragons

Photo: “Floridian” as described in a Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook.
It looks just like an entry from the Player’s Handbook! Tap the image to see it at full size.

Why play a human, elf, or dwarf in Dungeons and Dragons, when you can play a race that really knows how to have a good time: a Floridian?

This D&D parody page does a great job of describing the strange race that inhabits the swamps of America’s drainpipe. It’s actually pretty good — I would want to play as a floridian bard in my next D&D campaign!

Here’s its text:

Floridian

Much like tieflings carry the essence of Asmodeus, the floridians are descendants of a human bloodline cursed by the trickery domain. A floridian parent will pass along this curse to any and all offspring they create. Anyone born to at least one floridian parent is destined to become an agent of chaos themselves.

Floridian traits

As a floridian, your traits combine those of a human with uncanny traits provided by your chaotic nature:

  • Ability score increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1.
  • Age. Floridians age similar to humans and live less than a century. However, they are likely to perish due to an accidental mishap before they reach old age.
  • Alignment. Floridians are entirely chaotic with no discernible logic to their actions. Their intentions are difficult to discern but can lead to results of any alignment.
  • Size. Floridians are approximately the same height as humans, though their weight is usually above average. Your size is Medium.
  • Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  • Hold my Beer. You have the uncanny ability to succeed in the least likely of circumstances. When you fail an attack roll or ability check that you rolled with a disadvantage, you can choose to take the higher of the rolls instead, potentially turning the failure into a success. You must finish a long rest before you can do so again.
  • Muddled Thoughts. You have an advantage on saving throws against being charmed and your mind cannot be read by magic.
  • Reptile Wrangler. Whenever you make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to handle a reptilian beats, you are considered proficient in the Animal Handling skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
  • Language. You can just barely speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice. You can understand the ramblings of intoxicated creatures as long as they’re in a language you know.
Categories
It Happened to Me Life

Tonight’s dinner: Mapo tofu!

Photo: Cast iron pan full of ma po tofu (Cut-up tofu, ground pork, and spicy chili sauce, garnished with sliced green onion).
I love this stuff. Tap the photo to see it at full size.

One of my favorite Chinese dishes is mapo tofu, a Sichuan dish whose name translates as “pockmarked grandma’s tofu”. It’s a nice, high-protein dish as it’s made from ground pork and cut-up firm tofu, and it’s also a high-octane dish thanks to its use of Sichuan peppercorns. It also calls for lots of garlic, ginger, and green onion.

I was out of that really red Chinese chili oil that always ends up on whatever white that I’m wearing. I replaced it with a mix of Chinese chili sauce (not sriracha — this is different stuff), Sichuan pepper flakes, and sesame oil, and it still came out pretty tasty.

Here’s the real deal recipe, if you’re interested.

Categories
It Happened to Me The More You Know...

Cheapass handyman hint of the day: Yea, though I walk through the valley of hex-wrench shelving, I shall fear no assembly…

Photo: Allen key duct taped to a screwdriver, in my hand.

…for I studied physics, and I have duct tape.

Here’s the story: I was assembling a set of shelves for our front hallway, and I was having trouble driving in its screws with the allen key provided. So I duct-taped the allen key to a screwdriver, which provided the necessary torque to finish the job.

Categories
Florida The Current Situation

Disney World’s re-opening ad, but with “Don’t Fear the Reaper” as its soundtrack

Watch this video before Disney issues the takedown notice! It’s the ad for Walt Disney World re-opening, but with the audio track replaced by Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear the Reaper.

The people who made the video also added some cuts from the film based on Stephen King’s The Stand, but they’re quite unnecessary. The empty Disney World scenes with masked staff are creepy enough, as the stills below will show:

Photo: EPCOT dome, as seen through a nearby triangular window.

Photo: A finger pushing a button labeled “SHOW START” on a control panel labeled “ENCHANTED TIKI ROOM”.

Photo: Close-up of the “SHOW START” button on the “ENCHANTED TIKI ROOM” control panel.

Photo: Woman in surgical mask and Animal Kingdom uniform on a walkie-talkie.

Photo: A hand polishing one of the wristband scanners at the EPCOT entrance.

Photo: The staff of the Enchanted Tiki Room, all in surgical masks, being briefed.

Photo: The giant statue of Woody from “Toy Story” and the sign marking the entrance to Toy Land.

Photo: The cups on the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party ride, all empty.

Photo: Two attendants in surgical masks pushing open the gates to the “Be Our Guest” restaurant.

Photo: The attendants of the πBe Our Guest” restaurant, all in surgical masks, standing in formation at the entrance.

Photo: The entrance to the Magic Kingdom park, with the Walt Disney and Mickey statue in the foreground, overlaid with the text: “Walt Disney World / Come stand with us”.

Categories
Internet Finds The Current Situation

The official Little Golden Book of 2020

Book cover: Parody “Little Golden Book” titled “The Humans are Dead / We are the Humans Now”. Cover shows a cat sweeping the floor, a dog cooking, and a rabbit drying dishes.
Thanks to David Newman for the find!
Categories
Internet Finds

So it’s come to this: Hot dog rice krispies treats with ketchup, mustard, and relish

Photo: Rice krispies treats, but with cut-up hot dog embedded in them, and slathers with ketchup, mustard, and relish.
Tap the photo to see it at full size.

Sick and tired of your sourdough starter? Looking for your next culinary challenge? Here it is.

These are a creation of The Vulgar Chef. I’ll admit it; I’m intrigued.