Random randomness

[Daehawk]

It looks like I get Paramount+ for free by being a Walmart+ member. Not bad. Now I can watch Strange New Worlds.

[Jaymon]

I bought tea at the Twinnings shop in London recently. They had Buttermint. I also got Earl Grey and Lady Grey. I am not into iced tea, but I do drink hot tea. Mostly herbal, but I have had a few actual teas lately.

we were probably there around the same time - i was there in early June. the Strand shop, right?


Twinings were the creators of Earl Grey, so i had to get some loose leaf variety there.

Indeed my good sir, Twinings - The Strand . I obtained a Queen Elizabeth tote to haul my tea, one of the last of its kind, as they were clearing out in preparation for the new Royalty.

[Jaymon]

I have two reusable water bottles. Well, not bottles. Bug cups with screw top lids and a plastic straw. One is glass, with a rubber cover. The other is plastic. I use them both all over the house. Because I am constantly leaving one someplace stupid, so I grab the other one to fill it up. We have fridge front cold water, so thats what I drink. There is a filter in the fridge. But I don't take them places with me. I would totally lose them, or break the glass one.

[Blackhawk]

Speaking of which, Bigelow has officially quit making Fruit & Almond, which has been my #1 go-to herbal tea since the late 1980s. They took it out of retail sometime around the end of the last century, but people made enough noise that they started selling it again online around 15 years ago. You could only order it by the case (6 boxes), and it came in plain white tea boxes full of bags in white 'promotional' packets. They've now quit doing that, too, and the tea shall soon cease to exist.

I got ahold of them, and lucky they still had the unbagged ingredients on hand, so I was able to buy a pound and a half of it in loose-leaf form. It's not an everyday tea for me, so that should last for quite a few years - possibly longer than the tea itself will physically last (although I'm sealing in food grade air-tight black mylar bags and putting it in dark storage to maximize it.) Once that's gone, that'll be it.

[Exodor]

I have two reusable water bottles.

I've got a hydroflask I use for water at home after our smallest cat discovered she could fit her head into almost all of our drinking glasses. It's the only way I can leave water near my desk and be sure it doesn't have added cat-spit flavoring.

[Isgrimnur]

Speaking of which, Bigelow has officially quit making Fruit & Almond, which has been my #1 go-to herbal tea since the late 1980s. They took it out of retail sometime around the end of the last century, but people made enough noise that they started selling it again online around 15 years ago. You could only order it by the case (6 boxes), and it came in plain white tea boxes full of bags in white 'promotional' packets. They've now quit doing that, too, and the tea shall soon cease to exist.

I got ahold of them, and lucky they still had the unbagged ingredients on hand, so I was able to buy a pound and a half of it in loose-leaf form. It's not an everyday tea for me, so that should last for quite a few years - possibly longer than the tea itself will physically last (although I'm sealing in food grade air-tight black mylar bags and putting it in dark storage to maximize it.) Once that's gone, that'll be it.

Reading through old Google hits, it appeared that they had a problem sourcing one of the ingredients. But then, knowing you, you've already seen that post.

[Blackhawk]

General life advice: When wanting to brush up on your image editing skills, do not, ever, do a search for"'Gimp lessons."

Google will never let me forget.

[Isgrimnur]

[gilraen]

There's a utility to show detailed codec information about a video file called GSpot. It's generally a good idea to include the words "codec information" when searching for it

[coopasonic]

I been trying to decode that information for years...

[TheMix]

There's a utility to show detailed codec information about a video file called GSpot. It's generally a good idea to include the words "codec information" when searching for it

Seems like that would depend. I suspect the results could be educational for a large portion of the male population.

[Blackhawk]

There's a utility to show detailed codec information about a video file called GSpot. It's generally a good idea to include the words "codec information" when searching for it

I need to do more research...

[Jaymon]

Bring out the GiMP

[Anonymous Bosch]

General life advice: When wanting to brush up on your image editing skills, do not, ever, do a search for"'Gimp lessons."

Google will never let me forget.

Here's another idea, try using the free Photopea editor instead:

[Blackhawk]

General life advice: When wanting to brush up on your image editing skills, do not, ever, do a search for"'Gimp lessons."

Google will never let me forget.

Here's another idea, try using the free Photopea editor instead:

Any particular reason? I'm not a fan of web-driven apps.

[Anonymous Bosch]

General life advice: When wanting to brush up on your image editing skills, do not, ever, do a search for"'Gimp lessons."

Google will never let me forget.

Here's another idea, try using the free Photopea editor instead:

Any particular reason? I'm not a fan of web-driven apps.

It's basically a free and open source image editor that looks and feels remarkably close to Adobe Photoshop. In fact, you can use it to open and directly edit Photoshop PSD files. Being browser-based means you don't need to bother downloading and installing anything to use it; you can open it instantly on just about any machine. It's also fairly intuitive and easy to use for casual image editing, e.g. making edits to photos, enhancing them, and using vector and raster tools without having to download a thing.

[Blackhawk]

Ah. I actually prefer downloading and installing. It means that I don't have to worry about whether I have an internet connection (and don't get shut out when it's down), and it means that if I learn a piece of software, I don't have to rely on the company that made it staying in business (whenever I install something I save a copy of the installer.)

[Anonymous Bosch]

Ah. I actually prefer downloading and installing. It means that I don't have to worry about whether I have an internet connection (and don't get shut out when it's down), and it means that if I learn a piece of software, I don't have to rely on the company that made it staying in business (whenever I install something I save a copy of the installer.)

FWIW, you can use Photopea and access the site even while offline after initially visiting the site at least once when you are online, as shown here:

[Blackhawk]

I saw that while I was looking into it. I still prefer a simple standalone program over a web service.

[Max Peck]

Fun fact: The time interval between now and Cheers is about the same as the time interval between Cheers and the Second World War.

[stessier]

No it's not - you take that back!!!

[Isgrimnur]

Baa Baa Black Sheep was a documentary, right?

[Daehawk]

Baa Baa Black Sheep was a documentary, right?

Yes. Sure was lucky our boys had those F4U Corsairs like they did .

[Blackhawk]

Baa Baa Black Sheep was a documentary, right?

Disturbingly, parts of it were. Many of the combat footage scenes were actual gun cams of real Japanese pilots being shot down, many of them killed. Once that was discovered, it caused a certain amount of controversy at the time.

As to Boyington - he was human trash. When some of his claimed kills were compared to actual Japanese records after the war, he was shown on several occasions to have 'shot down' more Japanese planes than were ever in the air that day. And when the POW camp he was in was rescued, and all of the released prisoners walked out, thin from starvation, it turned out that Boyington had gained weight. How could that happen?

Spoiler:

He was working with their captors.

[Daehawk]

Well I cant make my car start. Even boosting the battery it still wont start. Cranks and cranks and nothing.

Guess Im staying home until next year. I think I can transfer money electronically from my main bank to my mortgage only bank so that should be ok.

I can have groceries delivered.

WhatI cant do now is get food bank help...the extra bag or two of food every month or two sure helped. And I cant get my medicines as my doc wont let my pharmacy fill them until I come in for a checkup THEN they''ll give me my meds. So no meds.

This is a fine kettle of fish.

[Holman]

Baa Baa Black Sheep was a documentary, right?

Disturbingly, parts of it were. Many of the combat footage scenes were actual gun cams of real Japanese pilots being shot down, many of them killed. Once that was discovered, it caused a certain amount of controversy at the time.

As to Boyington - he was human trash. When some of his claimed kills were compared to actual Japanese records after the war, he was shown on several occasions to have 'shot down' more Japanese planes than were ever in the air that day. And when the POW camp he was in was rescued, and all of the released prisoners walked out, thin from starvation, it turned out that Boyington had gained weight. How could that happen?

Spoiler:

He was working with their captors.

Wow. I've never heard this before.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Well I cant make my car start. Even boosting the battery it still wont start. Cranks and cranks and nothing.

Guess Im staying home until next year. I think I can transfer money electronically from my main bank to my mortgage only bank so that should be ok.

I can have groceries delivered.

WhatI cant do now is get food bank help...the extra bag or two of food every month or two sure helped. And I cant get my medicines as my doc wont let my pharmacy fill them until I come in for a checkup THEN they''ll give me my meds. So no meds.

This is a fine kettle of fish.

FWIW, here's a Chattanooga-based mobile mechanic service that can apparently repair your car at your home:

Chattanooga Auto Repair
Service Hours: 7 AM - 9 PM, 7 days a week

Phone Number: 1 (855) 347-2779

Phone Hours:
6 AM - 5 PM PST, Mon - Fri
7 AM - 4 PM PST, Sat - Sun

Address:
We come to you at no extra charge

Guarantee: 12-month/12,000-mile warranty
Our certified mobile mechanics perform over 600 services, including diagnostics, brakes, belts, oil changes, 30k/60k/90k maintenances, and will come to you with all necessary parts and tools.

And here's another: ChattanoogaMobileMechanic.com

[Holman]

It's weird to realize that the heyday of the WW2-themed TV show was a period when much of the audience included WW2 veterans.

People sometimes look back and can't believe how something like Hogan's Heroes or various variety shows with Hitler skits could somehow "make light of the Nazis." I think the truth is that mocking and laughing at Nazis was one of the spoils of victory. At that time, we were still certain that their ideology had been defeated and rendered obsolete.

In fact, the actor who played LeBeau on Hogan's Heroes was not only a French Jew but literally a survivor of Buchenwald who lost multiple siblings to the Holocaust. The actors who played Colonel Klink, Sergeant Schultz, and General Burkhalter were all German Jews whose families had fled before or during the war.

[dbt1949]

I'm getting sick and tired of thinking I can eat as much as I used to. Same with the dog. I waste so much now.

[LordMortis]

I'm getting sick and tired of thinking I can eat as much as I used to.

I am soooo the exact same statement but from the other direction; currently trying to stay under 1950 calories a day. It sucks. My body so wants about 2400 a day just to feel sated. 2700 to feel right. More to feel gluttonous and the feel like ass later. Even with my stomach and appetite smaller than it was last year, I could wreck a liter of Coke and a 16" pepperoni pizza in a sitting (about 3200+) and then continue to snack if I let myself.

OtOH, my grocery bill keeps shrinking while my freezer and pantry cupboards keep staying too full. I had to organize my snacks into use by dates so they don't go bad. I might spend $2 on snack food a month now. Maybe less. And I'm only now working my use by September snacks. I have them out to April of next year. I'm currently working a bag Snyder's Honey Mustard Pretzels. A bag might have made it to two sittings in the before times. I'm currently on day 4 and about half way or less through a fairly small bag (about 1500 calories total or around three cups).

Let me amend that. My grocery bill stays the same in spite of shrinkflation and my freezer and pantry cupboards keep staying too full. $50 still filled a grocery cart in 2019 if I was careful shopping. Now it mostly fills one of those half carts, if I'm really really frugal and lucky.

[Daehawk]

well heres another night of zero sleep. I wanted to get up early and have a long good day today. My alarm is set to 8am and its almost 7am now. So might as well get up. My eyes are dried out and Im very tired yet I cant sleep because Im under so much stress and my mind is racing.

Now my car wont start. That brings new problems. Like my medications need refilling but the doctor wont approve refills unless I come in for blood work. I cant get to the doc. So Ive got to plead with them later this morning to call them in for me anyways. Its that or let me sit here and die due to complications of high blood pressure disease. And if they call them in then I have to ask the pharmacy to mail them to me or drive them to me. And to also let me pay at the beginning of next month since I dont have the money for the meds now or to fix the car.

So Im not sleeping...if stress is gonna kill me I wish it would just do it and get it over with.

[Anonymous Bosch]

well heres another night of zero sleep. I wanted to get up early and have a long good day today. My alarm is set to 8am and its almost 7am now. So might as well get up. My eyes are dried out and Im very tired yet I cant sleep because Im under so much stress and my mind is racing.

Now my car wont start. That brings new problems. Like my medications need refilling but the doctor wont approve refills unless I come in for blood work. I cant get to the doc. So Ive got to plead with them later this morning to call them in for me anyways. Its that or let me sit here and die due to complications of high blood pressure disease. And if they call them in then I have to ask the pharmacy to mail them to me or drive them to me. And to also let me pay at the beginning of next month since I dont have the money for the meds now or to fix the car.

So Im not sleeping...if stress is gonna kill me I wish it would just do it and get it over with.

Dunno if you missed or overlooked my response above, but have you tried contacting a mobile mechanic service for your locale and at least obtaining a ballpark quote on the cost to get your vehicle operational?

Because even if you're currently stony-broke with no funds whatsoever, it's worth knowing what the likely cost will be to have a mobile mechanic repair your vehicle at your home. It's also worth asking them if you can have the necessary repairs performed on a payment plan, which may make it more attainable and affordable. Chances are, if you explain your circumstances, they may empathise and provide you with a more affordable payment option. Because needs must when the devil drives; especially when you cannot.

[Daehawk]

Ya I looked at the links. But I have no money. Just dust. I just now got hit with an overdraft fee at my bank for $35 so Im in the hole $46 for the next two weeks. That will come out first of my next disability check next month before anything else. That hasn't happened in 29 years.

The one thing dragging me down is the mortgage payment every month. It is due to end next year and Ive spent the last 4 years since my wife died paying on it to get it clear and be out from under it. Its a finish line and if I have to crawl across it Im gonna do it or it kills me one or the other there are no prisoners.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Ya I looked at the links. But I have no money. Just dust. I just now got hit with an overdraft fee at my bank for $35 so Im in the hole $46 for the next two weeks. That will come out first of my next disability check next month before anything else. That hasn't happened in 29 years.

The one thing dragging me down is the mortgage payment every month. It is due to end next year and Ive spent the last 4 years since my wife died paying on it to get it clear and be out from under it. Its a finish line and if I have to crawl across it Im gonna do it or it kills me one or the other there are no prisoners.

You should be able to obtain quotes on what your repair will cost without necessarily committing to or paying for any actual repairs. And it's worth getting those quotes, even if you are currently penniless. Because cost will clearly remain a significant issue if/when your funds are somewhat replenished, so why procrastinate? If you can obtain quotes from three different mobile mechanic services in your locale, that should at least provide you with sufficient comparative info to get the best bang for your buck and provide an accurate idea of what it will cost to get your vehicle operational again.

[em2nought]

Maybe the mobile mechanic would be willing to barter.

Once you have the house paid off depending on how much longer you're likely to live I wonder if a reverse mortgage might not be an idea for you. I don't think they're really good ideas, but maybe in your case? Maybe somebody else might know better. I'm thinking there's no one you plan to leave the house to when you give up the ghost. I wonder if a reverse mortgage gives some protection if the housing market tanks?

[em2nought]

From what I've seen so far today you have to be at least 62 years old to get a reverse mortgage.

[Kasey Chang]

I am pretty certain I met a pig butcher on a dating website.

Matched with someone age appropriate. Started chatting, started innocently enough, what sort of music, stuff like that.

Then she suddenly changed genres and want to talk rap. Why? Some rapper is into crypto.

Told her not into rap, and definitely not into crypto. In fact, I helped busted some fake crypto scams.

Got unmatched immediately. LOL.

[Blackhawk]

Today I discovered that 'pig butcher' isn't just a profession involving meat.

[em2nought]

We never ate lamb because my dad wouldn't butcher them.

[Kasey Chang]

Today I discovered that 'pig butcher' isn't just a profession involving meat.

Apparently the term came from the Hong Kong, where basically the victims said they've been not just fleeced, they've been butchered (rough translation) and the "pig butchering" literal translation became the English name for the scam.