BSR

I love this description of Pennsylvania: “Philadelphia on one side, Pittsburgh on the other, with Alabama in the middle.”

A former co-worker shared one of her favorite things to do when traveling: go to the bar of the fanciest hotel in town, walk in like you own the place, order a drink, and soak up the atmosphere. So my nomination (so far, still have 2 weeks here) for most underrated spot in Buenos Aires is the bar of the Four Seasons, fantastic ambience and people-watching, plus the fringe benefit of a smokin’ hot bartender. Most overrated: La Boca. I found the tour interesting, the story behind the multicolored houses and all the different immigrant communities. But the neighborhood is super-touristy. I’ve enjoyed myself in plenty of super-touristy places (the entire city of Venice, for example), just something about the vibe of La Boca rubbed me the wrong way. A bit overrated: The Flower, only because it’s taking them a long time to repair it. A couple of petals fell off, which makes it photo-worthy from only one angle. Dunno why but I simply love the sculpture, and for that reason really want to see it restored to its full splendor.

He looks super-hot, but kinda hard to be sure since all his photos were taken in light dimmer than your average coal mine.

Oh, come on … to quote the late great Joan Rivers, “I’ll name names if you will!”

@imbentz • Instagram reel WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 3,767 likes, 76 comments - imbentz on July 26, 2025

Maybe the scene makes sense in the context of movie, which I haven’t seen, obviously. Regardless, thanks for posting the clip, @poolboy48220. The nude guy is hot AF.

Asking for a friend … who went a little nutty at the Louis Vuitton Madrid and bought a couple of items, combined value about $10,000. Any advice about how to get the items past Customs? My friend is a cheap bastard and really doesn’t want to pay the duties/taxes. Should he brazenly claim “nothing to declare”? How thoroughly does Customs search luggage? Should he just say he bought them in the US? He’ll be flying from Bogotá into Las Vegas, if points of origin and entry make a difference.

You’re comparing apples & oranges, or maybe even apples & drywall. I don’t have children either, but it is pretty much a unanimous belief that all of us as a society benefit by educating children, therefore, schooling is provided to each and every child regardless of parents’ ability to pay. In stark contrast, support for taxpayer funding for PBS and NPR is nowhere near unanimous. We could debate item-for-item on the federal budget on another forum, but not here because that discussion would be far too political. Back on topic … I heard a great line about Stephen Colbert’s cancellation: “The Late Show” was losing $40 million a year. Its cancellation isn’t censorship; it’s capitalism.

I admit my eyes widened when I read $500/hour until I considered the difference in cost of living. Just googled it, the average rent for a 700sf 1-bed in Las Vegas is $1100-1350 whereas a comparable apartment in Manhattan would rent for $4500-5300. This working guy’s got bills to pay just like everybody else. From what I can gather on this forum, $400/hr is getting to be the norm in Manhattan, which makes $500 a bit high but far from crazy. But hey, don’t listen to me. I’m such a cheap bastard that the next time I visit NYC, my big splurge is gonna be Grey’s Papaya hot dogs.

Wow, did my eyes pop when I saw the size difference between a Boeing 737 and an Airbus A380. The A380 looks like some radioactive mutation!

https://x.com/the_daily_candy/status/1952064342922281130?s=61

#3 has to be made up but funny nonetheless …

“very pricey” might be an understatement, from $139 to $349. I know you’re paying for the Sphere experience, but still …

Few more …

Every year one of the local stations ran “Planet of the Apes” Week, and every year I’d be glued to the screen for the one with James Franciscus in it *sigh*

https://x.com/sinfulfire/status/1874405045980270748?s=46

I have to think that access to a swimming pool plays a big factor. In big cities it’s difficult to impossible to find a public pool, especially in poor neighborhoods, whereas suburban kids like me had a number of options: the neighborhood community center, the local high school, and a public parks pool were low- or no-cost options. And if you’re a rich kid, you either have a pool in your backyard or plenty of your friends do.

When I was in Louisville for a night, I had to sample a bourbon drink for a bit of local flavor, so I ordered an old fashioned. Eek! It was the most awful drink I had ever tasted in my life!! Either I had a terrible bartender (it was a really touristy spot, probably my first mistake), or their well bourbon was rot-gut stuff. That was more than a decade ago, enough time for the trauma to pass. As soon as I get back to the US, I plan on trying Woodford Reserve, unless someone swears by a better bourbon.

Just googled it, in the US ~100 people per year die because of rip current drowning. Even strong swimmers drown in rip currents because they panic and try to swim against the current, which exhausts them so much they can’t swim back to shore. Panic plays a major factor in many drowning deaths, rip current or not. I learned how to swim in many summers of Red Cross swimming classes, but they never taught us how to stay calm and avoid panic. I learned how to deal with water emergencies only in a Boy Scout lifesaving merit badge course.

My mom got quite annoyed and felt very self-conscious when her feet and ankles started swelling. The doctor explained that it comes with age, there’s no cure, and treatment for the symptoms is limited — all of which she was quite unhappy to hear. For the longest time, she spent hours a day with her feet elevated and slept with her feet propped up, only to get disappointed to see her feet & ankles swell back up once she resumed a normal sitting or standing position. After 6 months or so, she finally accepted what the doctor had told her. So she’s still unhappy about it but acknowledges it’s hardly the end of the world.

I think the rule of thumb is that if you’re making an olive oil cake with a milder flavor, like orange or lemon, better to use EVOO because its fruity, slightly bitter flavor will complement the citrus note. But if you’re making a chocolate version, might as well use less expensive regular olive oil because the chocolate will overpower whatever subtle flavors of EVOO.