EZEtoGRU

Cute...but where's the beef?

Further to my earlier post, it's supposed to go down to 11 tonight where I live in Michigan. Low Sunday night is supposed to be 3. Let's see how my nighttime setting of 70 works in these frigid temps.

72 during the day and 70 at night during the colder months. Different settings during the summer.

😂😂😂. The prior post is laughable. Jamie Dimon has been predicting a recession since November 2020. Citing him as evidence of anything is such a joke.

My travel isn't what it once was prior to COVID. I stayed in Michigan for the first 18 months of COVID. No air travel at all during that time. Then I slowly started traveling again...but mostly domestically (although with the occasional trip to Montreal). Also, I have been taking care of mom so the trips I do are short and sweet so as not to be away for long. Mom moved into Assisted Living before Christmas so I may up my travel game a little but I still need to be around and available for her as I'm her last living relative close by. Depending on where one goes, traveling with a small dog seems doable. You can bring them on the plane with you in a carrier if they are small. Right before COVID, I was traveling from PVR to DTW and there was a woman in the seat next to me. She had a small dog in a carrier case under the seat in front of her. We got talking and I learned that she and her partner (who was not travelling with her) have a condo in Puerto Vallarta. They spend winters in PV and summers in Ann Arbor. She said the dog goes with her always. Anyway, I'm just considering things right now. Clearly having a dog will limit travel in terms of frequency of travel and destinations if you plan to travel with the dog. I'm 64 now so I don't see my travel being as extensive as it previously was. I can see a possibility of having a condo in a warmer location to travel to for the colder months and then returning to Michigan during the April-October timeframe. Doing that with a dog should be feasible. Thanks for asking!!

Well the two shows in Boston did indeed take place on January 8/9 putting to rest the suggestion she would cancel those and other shows. The attached setlist from the 9th suggests not much has changed since she opened the tour in the UK. Madonna Concert Setlist at TD Garden, Boston on January 9, 2024 | setlist.fm WWW.SETLIST.FM Get the Madonna Setlist of the concert at TD Garden, Boston, MA, USA on January 9, 2024 from the The Celebration Tour and other Madonna Setlists for free on setlist.fm! Haters gonna hate I guess.

Two posters have mentioned elitist-type behavior by some dog owners at the park. What exactly is this? I guess I could imagine some dog owners shaming someone because they didn't clean up their dog's poop. Otherwise, I can't fathom what this behavior might be. Thoughts?

Turns out that Sunset Boulevard with Nicole Scherzinger will be going to Broadway after all. Seems that it will commence in late 2024. I have to say I'm kind of surprised. I don't think the West End run was a smashing success. Reviews were very mixed. Nicole Scherzinger-Led SUNSET BOULEVARD Is Coming to Broadway WWW.BROADWAYWORLD.COM BroadwayWorld can confirm that that Jamie Lloyd's new production of Sunset Boulevard, led by Nicole Scherzinger, will open on Broadway later this year. Learn more about the...

I haven't had a dog for years but am considering getting one...maybe. Anyway, dog parks have really become a "thing" in the last 20 years or so. I like the idea of regularly taking a dog to a dog park so they are used to seeing other dogs (and therefore don't freak-out so much when they see one) and learn to socialize/play with other dogs in a friendly way. However, I also read that dog parks are a great place for pets to pick-up any number of ailments from being around other dogs and their poop/fur. I'm torn on the issue. What is your view of taking your dog to the dog park? Are the socialization benefits overstated? Is the risk of getting worms and other things real or overstated? On balance, are you on the yay or nay side of things?

Gene Simmons has retired from the band KISS recently. Maybe he is available.

Add me to the chorus of voices that think Kathy is hilarious. Joan was also hilarious…so yes they both can be funny. It’s not an either or thing. at a human level, I have huge respect for Kathy. She’s been through a whole lot in her life: Molested by her brother. The whole bloody head scandal which led to her being “cancelled” by half the country. Both parents dying. Several siblings dying. Plus all of her health issues. Kathy really is quite something in a really positive way.

Doublelist did revert to being a subscription-based service months ago. I have not tried to go in again since then. Maybe they have switched back to being free??

Let's get back to facts and the real world. The December jobs report came in today and blew past expectations indicating that the US economy remains strong and resilient. there is no recession in sight. Facts actually do matter. The US economy added 216,000 jobs in December | CNN Business WWW.CNN.COM The US economy added 216,000 jobs in December, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday, blowing past expectations and capping off a year of...

Damon Dice just did an interview on Soft White Underbelly.

TMZ is claiming the Boston shows are not postponed. Who knows what's going on. Madonna's Boston Shows Not Postponed Despite Ticketmaster Claiming Otherwise WWW.TMZ.COM Madonna is NOT pushing pause on her big tour again, despite a huge ticket provider claiming she's postponing upcoming shows.

Inflation drops below 3% in November. Recession likely avoided. Inflation finally dips below 3 percent as U.S. economy nears 'soft landing' STOCKS.APPLE.COM A key annual inflation metric fell below 3 percent in November, the latest sign that the U.S. is coming...

Horrible news out of Prague today. We are used to hearing about these events in the US but not so much in Europe. Terrible.

I agree...although I do like the look of some of the Shinola watches. Anyway, my smartphone covers all the bases for me.

So funny to see how some posters want to transition this thread discussion from a potential recession (that still hasn't happened) to being a discussion about personal and national debt. I guess if you can't win the one argument then...presto chango...switch to a different topic. The national debt has been many decades in the making...under many administrations. Neither the current nor the prior administration have been nor were concerned with the ever-burgeoning national debt. Shame on both of them. I think the last time we had a balanced budget in the US was during the Clinton years. In any case, let's stay on topic. This thread is a discussion about if a recession is coming.

Argentina's new president devalued the peso by over 50% today. This is one of multiple economic measures of his economic plan to shock the economy into the real world. I have been traveling to Argentina for decades and I have witnessed many economic changes. I still love Argentina in spite of it all. Great wine...great steak...beautiful men. I remember when Ford Falcons (remember those??) were seen driving all over Argentina and Uruguay.

A thoughtful article by Fortune on the US economic outlook for 2024 and their take on the economic pessimists that keep predicting the recession that never comes. Economic pessimists’ bet on a 2023 recession failed. Why are they doubling down in 2024? STOCKS.APPLE.COM Despite the economy’s strength, there remains a reluctance to recognize a soft landing.

Yes...but...people want to live much larger today than they did 60 years ago. The typical household has a much bigger house than before and on a much bigger lot. Two or three cars instead of one. People take much more luxurious vacations now than before. A week at the cottage will no longer do. It needs to be at least two weeks during the summer in Italy and then a one week winter cruise to the Caribbean... plus a long weekend in Las Vegas somewhere in between. I wonder if an average one salary household could sustain a family today if they lived like folks did in the 50's/60's: in a 1500 sq ft bungalow on a 5,000 sq ft lot. One car and a one-week summer vacation on the lake up north in a small rented cottage.

This is so true. Jamie Dimon has been predicting a recession for over 3 years now.

I also had no reaction from my 6th Covid jab 2 months ago. Interestingly, I have Covid right now (that's what a weekend in NYC, two rock concerts, a Broadway show, and an evening at Fairytail Lounge will get you) but it is a fairly mild case. I got on Paxlovid a few days ago and am already feeling much better. I (rightly or wrongly) attribute my mild case to keeping up with my Covid vaccinations. Coincidentally, on the local Michigan news tonight, they were talking about a spike in Covid cases in the state. 700 new Covid hospitalizations in the state within the last week. They say only 19% of Michiganders are current with their Covid vaccinations. A word to the wise: get vaccinated...especially if you are of a certain age as I am.

Grindr is for the young and handsome/pretty. It seems to work much better if you're in a big city. Having said that, it's mostly a waste a time for me. I am honest in showing my actual body and age and, as others have mentioned, I let other's reach out to me if they are interested. It very rarely leads to a connection. I am SO HAPPY, I grew up in an era when there were no smartphones. The hook-up spots were campus bathrooms, adult bookstores, and backrooms in some of the bars. No bots in the equation at all. You saw exactly what you were going to get and they were there for the same reason as you were. Not nearly the number of games that go on today with the hook-up aps. Much simpler and more honest IMO.