Well, the thing is, you do not need any qualifications (don't even have to be paid) to comment. And we don't usually edit or kill comments, because we have good, decent people commenting. And really, since we average 50-60 commenters per Gene Pool, you should be able to find yours. So, like Susan Collins, I am Concerned.
In the category of "well, that's a relief," there's word that all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants are back with a vengeance including, no doubt, new experimental ones without sneeze guards ("Some Staphylococcus aureus with that meatloaf ?"). In other füd news, a start-up called CloudChef, self-described as a "Spotify for food," claims it will allow culinary masterpieces by renowned chefs to be recreated authentically step-by-step without the chef calling the shots on site, by codifying the intent behind the steps and the intuition of the chef. The chefs would receive royalties each time one of their recipes is made. Can CloudFud be far behind ?
Drivers that leave space in front seem to be so lost in anxiety that they must move a bit every 30 seconds and this keeps them from hitting the vehicle in front. For a while. Perhaps they eventually hit.
I was stunned when I read that drivers in the DC area left “too-large” gaps when stopped at stop lights, because 1) I thought that the small city that I live in, St. Cloud, Minnesota, was the only place where that occurred; and 2) DC and St. Cloud have nothing in common. Then, I read in the Post article that they were talking about gaps of about one car length. Here, gaps of three to three-and-a-half car lengths inexplicably occur. On occasion, I have been tempted to pull into these huge gaps just as an object lesson.
On the matter of how good was mastodon meat, I suppose if you impress it as a leading exponent of experimental dining and raconteur to the great unwashed, an Aussie cultivated meat firm might give you a sliver of the volleyball-sized meatball it engineered from mammoth DNA. You would, no doubt, have to sign a waiver and eat it in a clinical environment since no one knows what effect 5,000-year-old protein would have on the modern immune or digestive system --- including your seemingly impregnable ones. An evolutionary genomicist has eaten the actual flesh of a real mammoth -- a small piece of frozen meat from the preserved carcass of a baby mammoth in Siberia. His verdict (shudder alert): what you might imagine putrefied jerky with no seasonings would taste like. Of course, you, in particular, probably wouldn't have to imagine what putrefied jerky tastes like.
Then again, not quite the same as sampling fresh mastodon but, as far as I know, there are only experimental gummies made from cultivated mastodon gelatin. Anyway, you may not have too much longer to wait to add extinct fud to your diet, including the long gone dodo. Uh...yum.
I loved “One Day,” and your Dooce profile was outstanding. As you noted, she was much more than a mommy blogger. She was a trailblazer and a gifted writer. She could be laugh out loud hilarious and also crack your heart open. So sad. Thank you for sharing your heartfelt and thoughtful words.
Gene, I knew that you favored Number 4. I picked Number 2, not because it looked like shit, but because I favor that style of watch, and, unlike the TAG Heuer, didn't busy itself with several mini-dials.
Call me an idiot with respect to watch aesthetics. I don't care.
I took 2 as well, but not because I liked it best. Because when I came back to click on image 2, I accidentally clicked on the wrong line. Very annoying!
Don't count my watch vote. I accidentally clicked on the vote instead of the watch link. I would have voted for the Timex (nice clean lines), but I accidentally clicked Watch 4.
On the watches - simple but functional and legible is my "looks good" ideal. I don't like Roman numerals or simple hashmarks for the hours because I want to be able to read the numbers at a glance, dammit. Plain, large Arabic numerals, please. AND minute marks between the hours, and a sweep second hand. And a metal band. Also, the visible works behind the second hand on that Jaeger looks way too snooty and pretentious.
Gene, a metal band works so much better than a leather band for people like me who sweat a lot. A leather band soon acquires an unsavory aroma as accumulated sweat provides a host platform for mildew.
Yep, I agree with Sasquatch. Just call me Sweathog. Also, after awhile, the leather rots, especially where it curves around the little toilet-paper-roll-holder doohickey that holds the band to the watch body -- what ARE those things called, anyway? -- and your watch falls off your wrist, usually at the most inconvenient time. Don't ask me how I know that...
I like plain, large, black (not gold) Arabic numerals and minute marks on a white face. A second hand is a bonus. And it should be round, not square or rectangular. But my favorite watch was a beautiful wind-up Omega with a "silk" band and a fancy catch (with chain)--a long-ago anniversary gift from my husband. Unfortunately, years ago a watchmaker screwed it up with what should have been a simple repair. Now I have a GPS watch for tracking my walks and other activities but rely on my phone when out and about or my computer or the multiple clocks in every room of the house when at home (which is most of the time).
"There’s always somebody who leaves a too- large gap between themselves and the next car. " This is actually recommended as a safety measure: If the guy behinds you rams into you, it won't push you into the car ahead of you, thereby saving you from being squished between two cars.
The only time I care, or even notice the too-large gap is when it's in the going-straight lane next to the left-turn lane and I want to turn left. The left turn lane splits from the straight lane and is short, but I could get into it and turn if not for Clueless Joe hanging back and blocking the entrance. So I have to sit though an extra round of lights after he's gone.
Granted. Many (most?) people insist on stopping mere inches behind the car in front of them. This is patently unsafe for the reason you describe. I recall being taught that the proper safe distance was such that you can no longer see pavement between your hood and the rear wheels of the car in front of you, and no closer. More than that is a too-large gap. Plenty of drivers leave that too-large gap (or even larger), and the resultant ripple in the traffic flow very often causes the traffic signal to think that it's time to cycle the light again.
C'mon. A lot of stuff is recommended and ridiculous. Like 20 miles an hour speed limit in cities. If you reduced to to 5 miles an hour, even more lives would be saved!
A quick check reveals a cornucopia of memorable (and not in the Cooperstown sense) baseball player names. There's Dickie Thon, Wonderful Monds, Ten Million, Rusty Kuntz (that's pronounced "koontz" wisenheimers), Cannonball Titcomb, Pussy Tebeau, Pickles Dilhoeffer, Pete LaCock, Dick Pole and Urban Shocker --- to name just a few (too many).
I miss Dansby being in the East because when he was up or made a play we would always say something in a snooty voice like “well done Dansby” and I liked the Braves fans with swans on their heads. Maybe Cubs fans do that too.
Not really snooty but in the 80s I was dating a guy who wanted to name a kid after Mookie Wilson because he thought it was hilarious. Given that we now have Mookie Betts someone did.
Don't care. Following the "Gene Weingarten Guide to Life," Chapter I: "Cross Slowly, Very Slowly on the Yellow. In Fact Stop, Bend Over and Retie Your Shoelace." Okay, just this once. How about J.J. Putz (Arizona) ? Okay, okay. Buttercup Dickerson, Quinton McCracken and Phenomenal Smith --- can't get anymore "snooty" than that. Well, maybe Ichiro Suzuki, which literally translates to "One who laughs at the American two-seam fastball," but is usually rendered as Arthur Livingston Merlot III.
I make comments and later come back to see if there has been a reaction and most of the time I never find my remarks. What am I doing wrong?
I don't know. First time I have heard this complaint. Has anyone else experienced it?
Then not to worry. I can go without comments. I thought a search tool might help.
Well, the thing is, you do not need any qualifications (don't even have to be paid) to comment. And we don't usually edit or kill comments, because we have good, decent people commenting. And really, since we average 50-60 commenters per Gene Pool, you should be able to find yours. So, like Susan Collins, I am Concerned.
Thanks, Gene. I appreciate your response.
In the category of "well, that's a relief," there's word that all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants are back with a vengeance including, no doubt, new experimental ones without sneeze guards ("Some Staphylococcus aureus with that meatloaf ?"). In other füd news, a start-up called CloudChef, self-described as a "Spotify for food," claims it will allow culinary masterpieces by renowned chefs to be recreated authentically step-by-step without the chef calling the shots on site, by codifying the intent behind the steps and the intuition of the chef. The chefs would receive royalties each time one of their recipes is made. Can CloudFud be far behind ?
Drivers that leave space in front seem to be so lost in anxiety that they must move a bit every 30 seconds and this keeps them from hitting the vehicle in front. For a while. Perhaps they eventually hit.
Regarding stoplight spacing: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/09/26/why-leave-space-between-cars-at-red-lights-readers-explain/c3e590ff-a1d4-442a-9d61-162eca628cfa/
I was stunned when I read that drivers in the DC area left “too-large” gaps when stopped at stop lights, because 1) I thought that the small city that I live in, St. Cloud, Minnesota, was the only place where that occurred; and 2) DC and St. Cloud have nothing in common. Then, I read in the Post article that they were talking about gaps of about one car length. Here, gaps of three to three-and-a-half car lengths inexplicably occur. On occasion, I have been tempted to pull into these huge gaps just as an object lesson.
On the matter of how good was mastodon meat, I suppose if you impress it as a leading exponent of experimental dining and raconteur to the great unwashed, an Aussie cultivated meat firm might give you a sliver of the volleyball-sized meatball it engineered from mammoth DNA. You would, no doubt, have to sign a waiver and eat it in a clinical environment since no one knows what effect 5,000-year-old protein would have on the modern immune or digestive system --- including your seemingly impregnable ones. An evolutionary genomicist has eaten the actual flesh of a real mammoth -- a small piece of frozen meat from the preserved carcass of a baby mammoth in Siberia. His verdict (shudder alert): what you might imagine putrefied jerky with no seasonings would taste like. Of course, you, in particular, probably wouldn't have to imagine what putrefied jerky tastes like.
Then again, not quite the same as sampling fresh mastodon but, as far as I know, there are only experimental gummies made from cultivated mastodon gelatin. Anyway, you may not have too much longer to wait to add extinct fud to your diet, including the long gone dodo. Uh...yum.
I loved “One Day,” and your Dooce profile was outstanding. As you noted, she was much more than a mommy blogger. She was a trailblazer and a gifted writer. She could be laugh out loud hilarious and also crack your heart open. So sad. Thank you for sharing your heartfelt and thoughtful words.
Gene, I knew that you favored Number 4. I picked Number 2, not because it looked like shit, but because I favor that style of watch, and, unlike the TAG Heuer, didn't busy itself with several mini-dials.
Call me an idiot with respect to watch aesthetics. I don't care.
I took 2 as well, but not because I liked it best. Because when I came back to click on image 2, I accidentally clicked on the wrong line. Very annoying!
Don't count my watch vote. I accidentally clicked on the vote instead of the watch link. I would have voted for the Timex (nice clean lines), but I accidentally clicked Watch 4.
Now I have watch ads popping up!! That is better than what was popping up before. Thanks, Gene!
Me too! And that is exactly what I came here to say. Can we get a poll on women's watches, at least, so the ads are more relevant?
Likewise!
I work with a bunch of military historians and William Tecumsah Charmin made me literally LOL. Thank you, Beverly Sharp! ❤️
On the watches - simple but functional and legible is my "looks good" ideal. I don't like Roman numerals or simple hashmarks for the hours because I want to be able to read the numbers at a glance, dammit. Plain, large Arabic numerals, please. AND minute marks between the hours, and a sweep second hand. And a metal band. Also, the visible works behind the second hand on that Jaeger looks way too snooty and pretentious.
I was with you all the way until you said metal band.
Gene, a metal band works so much better than a leather band for people like me who sweat a lot. A leather band soon acquires an unsavory aroma as accumulated sweat provides a host platform for mildew.
Yep, I agree with Sasquatch. Just call me Sweathog. Also, after awhile, the leather rots, especially where it curves around the little toilet-paper-roll-holder doohickey that holds the band to the watch body -- what ARE those things called, anyway? -- and your watch falls off your wrist, usually at the most inconvenient time. Don't ask me how I know that...
I like plain, large, black (not gold) Arabic numerals and minute marks on a white face. A second hand is a bonus. And it should be round, not square or rectangular. But my favorite watch was a beautiful wind-up Omega with a "silk" band and a fancy catch (with chain)--a long-ago anniversary gift from my husband. Unfortunately, years ago a watchmaker screwed it up with what should have been a simple repair. Now I have a GPS watch for tracking my walks and other activities but rely on my phone when out and about or my computer or the multiple clocks in every room of the house when at home (which is most of the time).
So terribly sorry about Dooce, condolences to her family and friends.
Clumsy fingers, I hit Watch 2 and that was a mistake. Sorry. Messing up the poll numbers. Please deduct and add a Watch 4. Thank you.
And I hit 1 by mistake, thinking I was clicking on the picture. So maybe we'll even out in the end
I did this as well.
If watch 1 wins, it is not legit.
Yes, my error was trying to hit the photo link and voting instead. It seems several of us were thusly fooled.
"There’s always somebody who leaves a too- large gap between themselves and the next car. " This is actually recommended as a safety measure: If the guy behinds you rams into you, it won't push you into the car ahead of you, thereby saving you from being squished between two cars.
And Gene, as a stick-shift driver, don't you want a little leeway to roll back on hills?
The only time I care, or even notice the too-large gap is when it's in the going-straight lane next to the left-turn lane and I want to turn left. The left turn lane splits from the straight lane and is short, but I could get into it and turn if not for Clueless Joe hanging back and blocking the entrance. So I have to sit though an extra round of lights after he's gone.
Granted. Many (most?) people insist on stopping mere inches behind the car in front of them. This is patently unsafe for the reason you describe. I recall being taught that the proper safe distance was such that you can no longer see pavement between your hood and the rear wheels of the car in front of you, and no closer. More than that is a too-large gap. Plenty of drivers leave that too-large gap (or even larger), and the resultant ripple in the traffic flow very often causes the traffic signal to think that it's time to cycle the light again.
I can't say I've ever noticed most people stopping too close!
C'mon. A lot of stuff is recommended and ridiculous. Like 20 miles an hour speed limit in cities. If you reduced to to 5 miles an hour, even more lives would be saved!
A quick check reveals a cornucopia of memorable (and not in the Cooperstown sense) baseball player names. There's Dickie Thon, Wonderful Monds, Ten Million, Rusty Kuntz (that's pronounced "koontz" wisenheimers), Cannonball Titcomb, Pussy Tebeau, Pickles Dilhoeffer, Pete LaCock, Dick Pole and Urban Shocker --- to name just a few (too many).
I miss Dansby being in the East because when he was up or made a play we would always say something in a snooty voice like “well done Dansby” and I liked the Braves fans with swans on their heads. Maybe Cubs fans do that too.
Not really snooty but in the 80s I was dating a guy who wanted to name a kid after Mookie Wilson because he thought it was hilarious. Given that we now have Mookie Betts someone did.
Everything I know about baseball names I learned from Dave Frishberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKzobTlF8fM
Right, but the poster was looking for classy names, not funny names.
Thurman Munson
Don't care. Following the "Gene Weingarten Guide to Life," Chapter I: "Cross Slowly, Very Slowly on the Yellow. In Fact Stop, Bend Over and Retie Your Shoelace." Okay, just this once. How about J.J. Putz (Arizona) ? Okay, okay. Buttercup Dickerson, Quinton McCracken and Phenomenal Smith --- can't get anymore "snooty" than that. Well, maybe Ichiro Suzuki, which literally translates to "One who laughs at the American two-seam fastball," but is usually rendered as Arthur Livingston Merlot III.
Chadwick Chandler Tromp, C - ATL
Now that is a snooty name!
The keyboard key with the tilde character typically has an accent grave, not an accent aigu. It's a flat, not a sharp.
You're right. It's grave. The plane is landing, not taking off.