Lookin

I realized I liked guys during my first year at summer camp. When I left for the Poconos, I had no older brothers. If this theory is correct, the house should have been crawling with them by the time I got back. But, no, it was still just my sisters and me.

Fifty 😳 years ago , I worked on a number of consumer product brands that sold in the millions of units annually. We tried to keep the prices steady but, when the cost of an ingredient went up even a little, it could take a hundred grand off the bottom line. When that happened, we had four choices: Absorb the loss, which was easier then since executive compensation wasn't as closely tied to stock price (profitability) as it is today. If we expected costs to go down again, we could hold on for better days ahead. Raise the price and hope we didn't lose too many customers. We had lots of data and could predict volume loss pretty well. Reduce the amount of product. 'Shrinkflation' wasn't a word then, but that's what it was. It was more difficult than simply raising the price, but it was a way to lower ingredient costs, packaging costs and shipping costs all at once. Reformulate the product, using cheaper ingredients. That was a riskier proposition, although we did extensive consumer testing to ensure there wasn't a statistical difference in consumer preference. What that can lead to is a gradual deterioration in product quality over the course of many years of cheapening the product. There are products today that bear only a slight resemblance to the same brands a decade or two ago. Looking at an ingredient list these days often requires a degree in chemistry. 👨‍🔬 The choices these days are pretty similar to the choices we had a half-century ago, except that companies are much less tolerant of any cost increases that would lead to a miss on quarterly earnings, and the resulting hit to the stock price. It's also my opinion that customers have become more accepting of price increases, smaller portions, and lower quality. I wouldn't want to manage a consumer brand these days. Nor do I continue to buy products that have been degraded over the years. That's led me away from many packaged food products and back to unprocessed foods, like beets and carrots. As long as I don't eat too many.

Here, let me lick that for you . .

Do these fake ears look stupid? They look like Yoda on crank.

I no longer live in the City but still watch the San Francisco evening news and I think we get a different mix of stories than the networks broadcast to the rest of the country. We do see the homeless problems well documented, but we also see the tremendous range and number of groups and individuals using their time and talents to help the unhoused. The City itself has lots of programs, but no one believes they could or should do everything. They tried setting up a drug use/education/treatment center but backed off because of liability issues. They're trying to get a private organization to take on the challenge. There's a major church in the Tenderloin that provides a wide range of services starting with food. There are dozens of food banks. There are organizations providing clothing, health/dental/vision services, hygiene support, family counseling, financial and employment support and, if I recall, there was a veterinarian going around checking on pets. There are also individuals going out on the streets to contact homeless folks with offers of help. One guy built a portable charging device and goes through the homeless areas offering phone charges. No doubt homelessness is a big story but, in my opinion, the bigger story is the number of folks reaching out to help. It brings a ray of hope, rather than a cloud of despair. I guess it's possible that some folks don't want to hear what's right with San Francisco and prefer to hear about decay instead of renewal. I'm sorry their heads are filled with sad stories and I hope they will one day notice the good things that are happening. There's a lot to see.

When I was living in India many years ago, I was struck by the prevalence of intergenerational living. A family would own a compound with several living units inside the walls. Kids would grow up surrounded by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I always considered it an ideal way to live. If a child's own parents weren't up to the job, there were plenty of adults around who could pick up the slack. Cooking was also done in groups with skills being passed along. And older adults weren't required to keep the household running and they had plenty of help when they needed it. I've always enjoyed cooperative living and have fantasized about getting a group together, selling our houses and buying a larger property with separate living units, but with a common kitchen and social areas. I figured we could even hire a handyman who could help with the plumbing and drive us around when necessary. I've mentioned this to some of my contemporaries and the allure was there. But I think there's also a rut we get into and the idea of actually selling a house that's been part of our lives and part of our estate planning could be a risky move. It would be hard to go back if the cooperative living didn't pan out. I think the key to making it work would be finding a property that we all really wanted to live on. Having seen cooperative living work so well, it's an idea I can't get out of my head. And, as our population continues to grow and as we learn more about the value of social bonds, the idea seems to get better with age. Which is certainly something we all strive for.

Honey, you don't know the half of it. Just learned that Chiquita herself is pushing eighty. She came to life in 1944, but was not trademarked until 1947. Although we were born within a year of each other, and are blemished on the outside and rotting on the inside, my own attempts at getting trademarked have all been patently denied. I guess not all elongated fruits are equal in the eyes of the law.

A slippery slope indeed. Personally, I do the self-checkout when I don't want everyone to know I'm buying five bags of potato chips for the price of two. But I wait for the cashier when I've got more than a few items. In their pursuit of every last nickel, I'm not sure how long my market will even have a cashier, let alone a bag boy. At least they haven't sent me around back to help unload the delivery trucks. Not yet anyway.

Great topic and very timely, as I just turned eighty. 😳 It's impressive and heartwarming to hear my fellow posters are blessed with supportive families and/or the wherewithal to keep going throughout the golden years. Personally, I've never been much of a planner. There's a chance a couple of my younger relatives would put me up when my cash runs out after a couple months in the Olde Poofters Home. But it's not a sure thing. I'm thinking my best bet might be to snuggle into a wicker basket and drop myself off at the local fire station.

Thanks for the kind words! 🤗 It's been really busy the past few months and I haven't had as much posting time as I'd like. Things are slowing down though and, as soon as I get a few notes in order, I'll be churning out the usual drivel.

Still unclear on what exactly did the pediatric cardiologist do to earn disapproval and not be welcome? What majority wanted him to 'Just go.'?

Are you sure? In Louisiana, where the pediatric cardiologist and his family feel unwelcome, 53% of adults say homosexuality should be accepted and 36% say it should be discouraged. In Missouri, where a woman and her transgender daughter feel unwelcome, 57% of adults say homosexuality should be accepted and 36% say it should be discouraged. If my math is correct, it seems that minority rules in the two communities cited by the OP.

Haven't been able to get this question out of my mind. I keep wondering why the person who doesn't welcome me would want to live near me. Isn't he also free to move somewhere else? Are his ties to the community stronger than mine? Does he have more furniture than I do? If I were to look for a sign of an unhealthy society, I don't know that I'd look much further than people having to uproot their lives to get away from people they don't like or who don't like them. The success of our species is based in large part on our ability and desire to work together to do things we couldn't do alone. When did it become a great thing about the US to tell others to 'Just go.'? No doubt I'm overlooking something. One of these days I may wake up and decide to move away from everybody who doesn't welcome me. I may even leave a note saying I'm sorry for bothering them. But that day is not today and, if someone chooses to leave to get away from me, I sure hope the door doesn't hit him in the ass.

I should be so lucky. I can say that when I studied massage back in the day, client arousal was discussed so it wasn't a surprise when it happened and we knew not to overreact, if at all. I guess your Ben would have had similar training and would not be fazed. Unless of course he also liked what he saw and next time your one-eyes may cross. 👀

Many years ago, a friend moved to Germany to marry his partner. He asked the lady at the corner grocery for a box of plums that were stacked behind her. The box she gave him contained a couple plums that were past their prime. He asked her if he could pick his own box. Nein!, she told him, Somebody has to eat them. 😁 Personally, I'd rather have plums that are slightly overripe than the purple billiard balls at my local Safeway. I understand that some fruit is bred to look good even after going through a large complex distribution system. Flavor, texture and perhaps nutrition take a back seat to eye appeal at the point of sale. I wonder if US customers are less interested in how something tastes. That was all that mattered where I grew up, near a major farming community.. I really appreciate all the contributors to this thread! And I'm sure hoping for an Aldi or Lidl to open near where I live. 😋

A friend of mine gets jittery days before he gets on a plane. Statistics don't mean anything to him. He picks a window seat behind the engine and watches the whole way to Brazil. He averages one trip a year. I suggested a mild sedative which he pops when he gets on the plane. It helps, but I can't recall a single time when facts alone overcame feelings of anxiety. Reason and emotion are different things, and the best I can do is listen. I used to enjoy air travel and it still doesn't bother me once I'm on the plane. It's the hassle of navigating to, from and through the airport that keeps me close to home these days. That and the peanuts. 🙁

Honestly! All the Sturm und Drang about disasters, plagues and house arrest leaves me weary. 🥱 First thing tomorrow, I'm planning to cancel all my insurance - car, house and medical - and let the chips fall where they may. I haven't been blown to Bermuda yet and I'm betting I never will be. 💨 Three years of wearing a face mask and all I have to show for it is clear lungs and a rubber rash behind my ears. 😷 And why I worry about getting t-boned by a driverless Waymo is beyond me. 🚕 Just as you say, it's all bullshit, pure and simple. 💩 Once I'm finished tearing up my policies, I think I'll fill in my driveway with some nice bamboo and eucalyptus. It's not like I go around tossing lighted matches and, if the fire trucks can't get through, I'm sure I can piss away any flames before they really get going. 🔥 🔥 🔥 All that's left after that is to get rid of my stash of snacks and booze. Unfortunately, everyone I know these days is a teetotalling vegan so I may have to bite the bullet and finish them off myself. There's bound to be some health benefit from grain alcohol, processed cheese food, artificial flavor and preservatives. If not, at least the weather's nice and I won't have to spend my day indoors hunkered over the commode. 🤮 What a relief it will be to finally stop worrying about overblown disasters that will probably never happen! I feel better already!

The weather site I use shows rain hitting Palm Springs after midnight tonight, dropping off tomorrow morning, and then hitting hard between noon and 9:00pm on Sunday. Peak rain and winds will be between 4:00 and 5:00 on Sunday afternoon. Of course, these forecasts can change by the hour. Here's hoping everyone stays safe and comfortable. When this deluge has passed, I'm imagining there will be some incredible displays of desert plants through August and September. I hope there will be lots to celebrate in the weeks to come.

The first time I was asked if I wanted the Senior Discount, I asked how much it was. When the cashier told me it was three bucks, I jumped on it. If it had been a dollar, I told her I'd have paid full price and kept the illusion alive.

Reproducing the human voice is not especially taxing for even the smallest, thinnest speakers. But if the TV is set up to emphasize other frequencies, human voices may end up being de-emphasized. Many flat panel TV's, mine included, have an audio adjustment menu. Mine has a setting called 'Dialog'. When selected, it will bring human voice frequencies to the forefront. I find it makes a difference in intelligibility, though it may not provide the best sound for enjoying a musical. Digital signal processing (DSP) is one of those things that's easy for TV manufacturers to do, so they do it. But their out-of-the-box settings may be a pain in the ass for those of us with the old-fashioned expectation that we should be able to hear what somebody's saying. 🗣️👂 (Apologies if the linked article covered this. The paywall let me read only the first couple paragraphs.)

The other night I watched a documentary on fentanyl use in Appalachia. The takeaway for me was that, once you get addicted to fentanyl (which is not hard to do) your life ping-pongs between feeling miserable or getting the next cheap hit. It's very hard to come off that drug. The folks who were interviewed did a good job of describing just how awful they felt when the dose wore off and the desperation until they got the next hit. They said that in the small West Virginia community where they lived about 40% of the people were addicted and that included young men who lay around all day getting high, never having worked. In their area, it was pretty easy to sit around in cheap housing being addicted to fentanyl and a couple of other opiates. There really weren't many streets to sleep on, although there was an abandoned house where addicts hung around and got high. In San Francisco, I guess the equivalent to abandoned houses is the streets. So that's where the addicts hang out. If I ever became a fentanyl addict, there's a good chance I'd look for a cheap place to live and get high, until I'd spent my last five bucks and found myself on the street. That drug and some of the other additives would just take away all of my initiative and hope. I don't judge the people on the streets, as the only difference between them and me is that, inshallah, I haven't become hooked on opiates. San Francisco has tried, is trying and will continue to try solutions. They can't solve the pipeline of street drugs which I understand come through legal border crossings. So they tried 'safe injection centers', where deaths could be avoided and sanitary needles provided. These services were illegal under State law and Governor Newsom recently vetoed a bill that would make them legal. I believe there are some private organizations trying to provide those services, including counseling to those who want treatment. To reach the non-addicted homeless, there was a woman who rented a warehouse and put tents inside so that those folks who did not feel good about communal shelters could pitch a tent inside the warehouse and keep all their possessions with them. I recall it was very successful but there were some issues of liability and it closed. I even recall a program a few years ago to put toilets on the street so folks wouldn't have to drop a loaf on the sidewalk. 💩 San Francisco has its homeless problems right out on the street where anyone can see them. Personally, I think when you've got a problem it's good to keep it out in the open so that people can help find solutions. San Francisco has solved problems in the past, including problems that made a lot of folks uncomfortable. I'm hopeful that San Franciscans will find some solutions for their current problems too and I'll turn to pessimism as a last resort. .

Just be sure and keep the smelling salts handy.

Seems to me that, given greater gender fluidity, the use of gender-specific pronouns will fade over time. It's easy enough to keep track of preferred pronouns for a friend or relative, but it's not so easy to keep track of preferred pronouns for the dozens or hundreds of people someone interacts with on even a somewhat regular basis. Unless, of course, the pronouns become part of one's name. Joseph could become Joseph-he-his-him. But that might lead to an invitation to "Just call me Joe-he-his-him." I do believe that folks should be able to ask others to use preferred pronouns, just as I believe folks should be able to ask others to use a preferred name. It's certainly a courtesy I'm willing to respect. But I think it would likewise be courteous of the other person to overlook a mistake on my part if I get it wrong. I expect gender fluidity will become more common over time (another post for another day), so I think the likely solution will be gender-neutral pronouns. Till then, I'm willing to try my best to get it right for everyone I meet or communicate with. But I will ask for a little patience and understanding when I mess up. In the meantime, if someone asks me to specify my preferred pronouns, I'll just say, "Surprise me."

Mine's a fairly recent low-to-the-ground sedan with a horizontal strip of LED's. I get flashed occasionally and flash my brights back to let them know I'm not trying to be inconsiderate. I've got to work with the headlights I've got. With the incredible range of headlight shapes, sizes and elevations these days, I find it hard to believe that regulations are as tight as they used to be. I'm often staring directly into the headlights of oncoming cars or trucks and blue-white LED's are harsh. That said, they do light up the road quite nicely. There's been a lot of evolution in LED technology and it's now possible for LED lights to have warmer wavelengths. I'm hoping that regulations will likewise evolve and create tighter standards for roadway illumination as well as for oncoming driver comfort and safety. The last thing we need is a blinded driver coming at us. 😳

I may have something bigger in the van, if you'd like to help me look