Lostin76

Love Maine and Vermont. There’s a good chance we will buy a place up there eventually.

It does gets a bit harder after 50 to keep the pounds off. One thing that helps for me, besides cutting down alcohol (Boo!!), is to restrict my eating after like 7pm. That night time snacking really adds up. My knees are too old for much running anymore. Have completed a handful of marathons, and over a dozen half marathons, and now my knees ache after just a run in the park. Biking has been a life-saver though. I don’t think it’s as bang for your buck effective at weight loss as running, but it’s sure a lot more fun and less painful. Weights three days a week are mandatory for me. Don’t really use huge weights, but 10-20 minutes keeps me flexible and toned. It is shockingly easy to lose muscle tone the older you get.

I usually just keep shoving money into Apple. Not very imaginative, but it’s worked so far. Hard to time these things obviously. I’ve always just kept plowing money in at regular intervals. But very tempting to go on a buying spree right now.

Really tempted to buy on this dip, but we’re pretty set for stock holdings right now. Definitely not as fun to check balances these last couple of weeks, but that’s how the game is played. Not going to lie though, I’m laughing my ass off at the crypto meltdown. Play stupid games win stupid prizes.

Alamo played the trailer for Iron Eagle and a few other gems before the show.

We saw Top Gun Maverick over the weekend at Alamo Drafthouse and we both really enjoyed it. Am not that big of a fan of action movies and don’t know or care about planes, but it was still entertaining. Liked that Val Kilmer was in it. And Jennifer Connolly is also a huge bonus!

It’s actually pretty good - on par with And Justice For All era Metallica. Not quite up there with Kill Em All, Ride the Lightning, or aster of Puppets. There was just so much aggression and agita with those first albums. I just saw this on Twitter yesterday and thought you would like:

Indeed, but I was a Hoosier kid back when I drank Little Kings - that was before graduating to Moosehead.

Oh duh, that’s right. They look great! That’s a shade of blue you don’t see on flowers very much.

Are these Hollyhocks? Don’t see those too much anymore. I have some on our terrace that didn’t bloom the first two years, but they were gorgeous last year. I know many vanities of them are biennials. Lots of beautiful flowers in your yard. @rico as well!

this made me think of Little Kings Cream Ale. Thought for sure they didn’t make that anymore, but it seems like someone is still producing it. 😩

Avers was always a favorite when we lived in Bloomington. Still have some of their plastic cups. We had a LOT of pizza during our latest trip to Italy. Much more than last year’s trip. Southern Italy knows their pizza like nobody’s business and we didn’t have a bad pizza the entire trip. We ended our trip with two nights in Rome and the first day we got there, I was kind of getting tired/cranky so we plopped down at one of the first little outdoor places that were serving pizza. They also had horrid techno music blaring and my wife didn’t like the glasses they used for our drinks, but that pizza when it came was piping hot and perfect. Must have had ten margherita pizzas during the trip, but they were all killer.

Just reading about this now - their inaction. And also seeing the police leadership trying to spin it. Not sure how you can spin this.

100%. What works or doesn’t work for NYC can seem ludicrous in rural IN. I do always try to keep that in mind, but am not always successful.

I sent you a video to our PM thread about hauling. Strong Richard Scarry vibes. 😂 My Dad is the coolest, most solid, low key dude. I actually often use him to ground my own thinking on issues. I realize that I live in an area that is non-typical for the US. In that regard, I may seem to get a little “out there” sometimes when it comes to issues around guns, transportation, public health, etc. But that tracks back to my own experiences that are different than many other people’s. Here SUVs are seen as death machines, b/c they kill people in crosswalks when the driver is on their phone and can’t see over their hood. Just yesterday a woman and her baby were run down in a crosswalk - baby died, woman in critical condition. That doesn’t happen where my Dad lives, but it happens MULTIPLE times per week here. It’s a constant refrain of pedestrian killed - whoops anorther accident. So, I often refer back to how he lives and what he does. It makes me realize that not everyone who owns a gun or a big truck is the problem. That dude wouldn’t dream of putting his own rights/beliefs above others. He realizes that everyone has their own struggle/viewpoint.

European countries tax vehicles on size, weight, engine size and fuel consumption at a far higher rate than the the US. Their roads and parking spaces are also much smaller, so it’s mostly a process of self selection. You wouldn’t drive a Ford 150 in France or Italy, b/c the govt. would tax you to death and you couldn’t even drive it or park it on many roads. After spending 10 days in Italy’s Amalfi Coast and Rome, I can attest to this. You just don’t see the big pickups or luxury SUVs. My problem with these huge vehicles is that they are designed to protect the people inside the care at the expense of those outside of the car. Once again the US puts cars and guns above the safety of others. Every time. You sound a lot like my old man when it comes to guns. He’s going to have one on him most times, but you aren’t’ going to notice it. We’ve seen people here in MD with big rifles over their shoulder getting a Starbucks at Target. It’s just a weird flex. Maybe the people think it makes them look tough, but they just look weak and scared.

It’s actually not a slippery slope at all. Most nations - smarter than ours - have tackled both issues that I brought up. Does it mean that no one can own a big truck or gun? Of course not. But it means that many fewer do. And that helps. Here we have parents driving their one kid to school 10 blocks away in a huge SUV. Then they cry about not being able to park it. We also have people driving SUVs killing kids in crosswalks, then claim that they can’t see the kids. Well, duh. Your hood is like six feet tall, dumba**. My Dad carries a gun every day as well. But even he laughs at the frightened dudes with the guns over their shoulder at Subway. We are unfortunately not a nation with a lot of common sense. What we do have is a lot of fear and selfishness.

I too value individual freedom - to a point. Voting rights, freedom of speech, etc are important. When I mention valuing individual freedom above all else, I’m talking about how many people think they are the absolute and should have total freedom regardless of how it may hurt others. They are not, nor should they be. No one needs the freedom to be armed to the teeth just walking into a McDonalds. You don’t need to strut around with multiple guns and protective equipment to go to the store. Another example, we know huge SUVs and trucks kill people outside of them at an alarming rate. Other countries have sensibly studied this and restricted automakers from making/selling those enormous vehicles. But here, you should have as many guns on your person as you desire, so you can feel safe ordering a Big Mac. And you should never be restricted in the size of SUV/truck you own. Even if said truck is more dangerous to everyone around you. After all - Murica and Freedom. I could go on and on, but we do tend to value individual freedom over the public good. That to me is complete bull. It’s cowardly.

Same thing after after shooting. People suddenly care about mental health for a day or two. There is no way around it - we are an outlier on gun violence, traffic deaths, incarcerations, homelessness, drug overdoses, etc among developed nations. Other nations also have mental health issues and video games (see previous excuse in Buffalo). Those things are not unique to the US. We value individual freedom and cheap goods over everything else. We are a selfish and mean country that is OK with sacrificing our children and vulnerable people. And our politicians like it this way. It’s the best way to divide us, control us, and keep us at each other’s throats.

So much selfishness and hatred. And big money/power wants to divide. It often feels like 60-70% of the country is unreachable behind their barriers.

This country is a sh#thole ruled by selfish, mean, shortsighted people. I say this as a veteran who signed up to fight for it years ago. I’m ashamed of what this country has become.

The homeless that I’ve talked to are usually afraid of getting their things stolen or abused at most places provided for them. It’s sad that they feel safer on the street than in a shelter. Because the street is not safe. I do think there’s some of the not wanting to follow rules for drugs/alcohol, but there is also fear of violence and theft in many of these places. It’s a very complicated problem. There’s a woman I sometimes chat with by my subway station near work and she would never go to a shelter. She says she’s seen too many women beaten up or raped in shelters. And I don’t think this woman abuses drugs. She seems fairly well put together, but has run into some tough times. I’m always concerned about her during the winter, but she says she has lots of places to keep warm that are safer.

This is so weird. They are outlawing camping so homeless people can’t camp out?

I know! Am just not sure I have space for them. I’ll probably cave and plant at least one mater plant. I’m weak.

Came home to some pretty heavy growth of our flowers and herbs. The terrace irrigation system and late May sunshine works wonders when you are gone for 10 days. Almost didn’t recognize a couple plants. It looks like it’s going to be even more of a jungle this year. I planted several tender lettuces from seed and we now have way too much lettuce. My wife bagged some up for the neighbors last night. Haven’t planted tomatoes or peppers yet, and am not sure I’m going to. The tomatoes take up so much space and get really busted looking towards the end of summer.