Lookin

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

Perhaps you could tell him not to forget the thousand dollars you left under his pillow.

It's a worthwhile and fascinating subject, that's for sure. One of my favorite books, The Moral Animal, examines evolutionary psychology in some depth and this article, The Evolution of Empathy, looks at the role of empathy in particular. Not that nurture - as opposed to nature - doesn't play a role in whether or not we care about others; it does. It's just that the human species, among others, has found that empathy is important to the survival of the species and it's a characteristic that will persist throughout the generations. Folks who lack empathy will tend to reproduce less. Of course, there will be those individuals, like Heuermann, who lack empathy. Whether it's because he's missing a gene, or because of his upbringing, or some combination, care for others either was never there or was ground out. I expect it is possible to identify a lack of empathy through psychological testing or by observation. The issue then would be what do we do about it? Do we content ourselves with the knowledge that it's a recessive trait and affects a minority of the population? Do we try to overcome it through training or punishment? Do we remove people without empathy from society? Personally, if I come across someone who lacks empathy, I make sure to keep far away. Unfortunately, Heuermann's victims needed to make a living and were not lucky enough to avoid him. Perhaps the only good thing about these tragedies is that others may start asking the questions that you have and trying to figure out how to keep these misfits from harming others.

Sorry. I got a kick out of @Coolwave35's post about having a guy he couldn't stand on retainer and decided to have some fun with it. I should have waited until there's a just-kidding emoji. This one sometimes works in a pinch - - but it didn't do the job this time. I've actually never had anyone on retainer, probably because my canoodling cravings have never been that constant or predictable. I stand in awe of those whose are.

I once had a guy on retainer who couldn't stand me. He'd come over Friday nights and tell me all the things he disliked about me: my looks, my personality, my car, clothes, furniture . . . He'd stay for an hour and the minute he left I'd cheer right up and go have the best weekend ever.

So what makes the folks at the top think they won't also be replaced by AI? Get me Joan Crawfish and I'll direct it myself

He's probably out shitting in the woods . . . He's just like you at that age

No pool here but I do have a potluck every Fourth of July. In the past, I've filled the cooler with champagne, wine, beer, water, fruit drinks, and sodas. In addition, everyone has always brought what they like to drink and I've ended up with more leftover alcohol than I'll drink in a year. 🤤 So this year I decided not to buy any wine and, lo and behold, some guy decided that's what he wants. I found a bottle in the refrigerator to tide him over, but I wouldn't have felt bad if there had been none. This isn't Cheers and, if somebody has a preferred drink, they can damn well bring some. Not sure what Emily Post would have to say. She'd probably tell me that a good host would have plenty of everything his guests might want and she'd probably tell my guest that he shouldn't come to a potluck without bringing something to drink. I'm pretty sure she'd tell us both that good manners means making sure the other person feels comfortable. I guess the best resolution in this case would have been for my (and your) guest to have been satisfied with what's on offer. And, once they missed that boat, the next best resolution was for you and me to do our best to make our guest happy. Which we did. Though, just to be on the safe side, I'll try doing a better job on next year's guest list.

♬ ♪ ♪ There you are! I dreamed an evil queen had soured all the apples.

La! Don't you hate when that happens?!! I was once hosted by a family who not only didn't bring their chef but left the chauffeur behind too. I'd given my valet the week off and there we were with nothing but a gardener, two maids and a butler who had just turned Hare Krishna and wouldn't serve anything that had ever walked on four legs. 🐮 Fortunately I had been to the Edibles Emporium before getting on the ferry and had brought a week's supply of gummy worms. Gummies for breakfast, gummies for lunch and gummies for dinner. The wine cellar was stocked too, so at least we had something to wash them down with. 🥴 I can't remember if we were in the Grove or the Pines or even if we were on an island. I'm pretty sure it was on the East Coast though as I don't recall anybody wearing any tie dye. Ah, you can't buy memories like that.

Same here. I was Googling 'hair spray' one day a few years ago and landed smack in the middle of the Fetish Forum. I guess Siri thought I said 'ass play'. I didn't think anybody was here but, just as I was about to sign off, some guy showed up looking for a new transmission. He must have typed in 'a new trans mission' instead. We chatted for a while and after he was gone I realized this was the quietest, most peaceful place on the entire world wide web. From then on, I started coming here whenever things got too hectic in the rest of the on-line world. My ISP charged for bandwidth in those days and suddenly my monthly bill dropped to zero. They actually emailed me for a welfare check but I told them I'd found this internet forum where nobody ever came and when they did they just figured the server must be down. I keep thinking eventually the word will get out and we'll start getting the hermit crowd or folks who have taken a vow of silence but so far, so good. Perhaps one day when the Webb telescope has peered into every nook and cranny of the universe, NASA can refocus it here and see what a black hole really looks like. In the meantime, we'll have the place to ourselves, going where no posters have ever gone before. 🚀

. . . . . Weighed? I thought you said I'd need to get laid.

Some threads are just meant to be highjacked.

Going into this thread, that would have been my take also. However, having learned that several posters do find questions of ethnic origin to be insensitive or insulting, I've got no problem finding something else to talk about. Seems equally simple to assume that folks are worthy of respect according to their own criteria. If it takes a little extra effort and understanding on my part, I can't see any harm in that. And I'd sure be grateful if someone showed the same effort and understanding towards me.

Are you from around here? . . . . The Orion Nebula . . . . Funny, you don't look Nebulous

Thread overboard!

I rarely have more than one item a day in my 'Junk' folder and that hasn't changed. It's a surprise to hear that some folks get a hundred, or even ten, a day. 😳 Only thing I can think of is that I rarely give out my email address except to friends and the few organizations and businesses I deal with on a regular basis. I've had an email account for about thirty years, and use only one email address. But I tell most folks who ask that I don't have one. I think they look at me like an old Luddite and roll their eyes. 🙄 Fine with me, as I enjoy the peace and quiet. 😌

Heh heh heh heh heh!

I hope somebody remembered the Tater Tots™ . . .

He's clearly never been to a Black Friday sale.

Two things about San Francisco: neighborhoods and microclimates. There are so many different experiences you could have in San Francisco that you may want to gloss over generalities. Lands End, the Mission, Fisherman's Wharf, the Financial District, Telegraph Hill, Pacific Heights, the Castro, Golden Gate Park, the Tenderloin will all give you different experiences of what San Francisco is like. So will your attitude. If you're a complainer, you'll find dozens of things to complain about. If you're an explorer, you'll find years' worth of adventures. I lived in Boston one summer many years ago and thought it was fantastic. Beacon Hill at night was like a fantasyland. Of course I was a fit twenty-something at the time and was accompanied by locals who wanted to make sure I had a nice time. They did and I did. If you're someone who likes to have a good time, I don't think you'll be disappointed by either city. Even watching a city wrestle with its problems, at least in my opinion, is not a waste of time. It may turn out that you'll stick around and try to help. You seem to be a learner and that's a valuable quality. 👍