@Steve-Miller the spirits are about to speak!

I only ever heard of him from the wave of jokes about him that swept through pop culture for 15 minutes however many years ago.

Schwinn

It's just a countdown to Christmas. Each flap reveals a treat of some variety. They have one for Fountain Pen Inks. lol I was raised Catholic and I had to google it. lol Advent is the Christian liturgical season of waiting, prayer, and preparation leading up to Christmas. Deriving from the Latin word adventus, meaning "arrival" or "coming," it marks the beginning of the new church year in Western Christianity. IOW they start repeating the same cherry picked verses from their book.

Link to video Camilla is a very strange woman. Yikes

Good idea. There used to be an important concept in the universe of forums- shilling. IRL,the line between shilling and not seems to have almost been erased. I don't trust social media reviews of contractors. I know that system can be gained because I got an estimate from a l. contractor from a company with a 5 star rating (that showed up on Google with the business website (Trust Pilot (?) is what Google was using) and after I got the written estimate, I knew dead to rights the man was a con artist. I doubt his manager didn't know it. Make that make sense.

@wtg said: Happy Diwali! We used to love going to the lunch buffet at our favorite Indian restaurant on Diwali. The buffet was always expanded to include even more items, and the restaurant was always super busy. Fun times! I've been to Indian restaurants in NYC, and I just don't like Indian food. More for you!

my therapist is trying to get me to stop obsessing about Thanksgiving leftovers. He wants me to quit cold turkey…

I just watched an engineer's video about the deliberate destruction of copper land lines It's a fait accompli. After it happens, instead a working, reliable connection to authorities, first responders, the fire department, etc., when e.g. a hurricane hits, you'll have your cellphone signal. Except for the fact that you won't. Ice cream? They can take the lactose out of milk. Why in the name of all things holy don't they take it out of ice cream?

Lutnick. Look up his background. Don't sugarcoat it, whether you post about it or not. He didn't or didn't do x, y, or z, in his professional capacity? Well, surprise.

It's on its way! I have to be home for delivery. As much as I want a flagship phone, I'm getting my entire list for less than many of them cost. The washing machine transaction will probably not happen until Saturday or after Saturday but I have the shop vac for the washer. It's also for the air intake duct. I finally took that apart to measure the filter and inspect everything. The filter was unrecognizable. It was a mass of dirt. I could only see the cardboard frame. I threw it away. I'm surprised any air could pass through it. PSA, not that I expect anyone here would, but know that if you buy a vacation home, it might (of course not always but probably for most homes) need spring cleaning from top to bottom, have electrical hazards like burning lights split into two pieces, and an air filter that could have been replaced for less than $10, but wasn't, all with no rhyme or reason. I moved here on or about August 7. I'll be doing these projects for a good 6 more months from now.

@RealPlayer said: I remembered a couple…I was too young to go shopping but still remember some brands. Another one you don’t see any more…Sunshine Hydrox cookies. They were direct competition for Oreos. I thought they had a deeper chocolate flavor. And at least one dissertation has been written on the intricate design embossed into the chocolate wafers. Tangent, but your post reminded me of the signs and symbols around us every day. I have a theory that most of them hide in plain sight. My favorite company logo growing up was the logo for Eastern Airlines. I remember National's, and Piedmont's. Nation was Eastern's main competitor for NY to Tampa, and Piedmont was a Charlotte based airline, where my grandmother's family including my great grandmother, my grandmother's sister and brother, and my mother cousins lived. So it makes sense. I knew the badge of every vehicle marque by the time I was 5. Domestic and foreign if it had been imported after the war. I could tell the name of every make and model of car and truck on the road at a glance. It sounds like a brag. That's not the way I mean it. My favorites were Ford, VW, and Honda. I have a wooden ruler. I bought it 10 years ago. The brand is Westcott ("Since 1892"). Well, it took me until a few days ago to realize "Westcott" has an arrow running through it. It tiny. It starts before the W and crosses the E. I don't know why this kind of thing intriques me.

Hell @piano-dad has bigger sideburns today.

The utterly delusional fantasy of living on Mars, whether held by the delusional themselves or by con artists, ranks "way up there" (sic) among our culture's delusional fantasies. "Rosetta Stone for Mars"? A bit self-serving. /Understatement

He might have a positive influence in one respect. His personality and behavior seem to serve as catalysts in galvanizing those members of the military who truly understand the military and the oath of alliance to the Constitution its members take.

@Mark So that is what happened. huh

May be a positive if the others ignore him.

Link to video Fantasia tribute to Aretha Franklin. "This video features a high-energy musical tribute to Aretha Franklin by the singer Fantasia as part of the UNCF An Evening of Stars special, which originally aired in 2007. Throughout the performance, Fantasia pays homage to the Queen of Soul by delivering powerful renditions of several of her classic songs while backed by a live band and chorus. Key performance segments include: Introduction and early set: Fantasia opens the tribute, demonstrating her strong vocal style and stage presence (0:00 - 4:00). Vocal highlights: The latter portion of the performance features intense vocal runs, particularly noted around (6:38), where Fantasia delivers particularly impressive notes that showcase her range and passion. The tribute celebrates Aretha Franklin's immense musical legacy, with Fantasia visibly pouring her emotion into the stage performance while the audience and honoree look on." My comment-- Fantasia is the best gospel singer to appear since Aretha Franklin. I don't think there's really any question about it. I chose this performance because, although there are many Fantasia tributes to her, performances where Aretha Franklin was present are relatively rare. Aretha Franklin was a mentor to Fantasia professionally and personally. I'll end this post with a link to Fantasia's tribute at Aretha Franklin's funeral. Link to video

I should have guessed Lisbon and Nazare. Been to all those spots in the last few years.