@AdagioM said: Dates are delicious! But be careful, they can have a laxative effect. Go slowly if they’re new to you. I'm a fan, too! But I love all dried fruits....plums (formerly known as prunes), apricots, and figs. Dried fruit compotes are common in the cuisines of many countries. We Lithuanians always have "kompotas" at the Christmas Eve meal. Bunch of dried fruits, some water, honey, cinnamon stick, and lemon. Simmer for a bit so everything softens up and the flavors meld together. So delicious! But definitely can be laxative....

She’s forgetting we’re basically insolvent. There won’t be another new deal or great society in our lifetimes. But I agree that we need a big tent strategy

I’m liking it. May the bull market continue as it has after every recent midterm.

There was more going on in Ohio than just Trump. The imperial GOP thought they owned us. They've neglected public school funding which was ruled unconstitutional by SCOO almost 30 years ago, plus a few scandals. Then their unfortunate choice for governor took the whole slate down. Hubris. I voted for as many Democrats as Republicans this year, maybe more. Plus an equal number of Libertarians.

Hart To Hart. Late 70's.

No worries, Bernard. The people have spoken!

The market has seen fit to...? This market of which you speak seems imperious. It doesn't seem to rest on a solid foundation nor to factor in the matter of the relation between the individual and society in neither an economic nor a social sense. Why would one assume the military should be privatized? There have always been mercenaries, but leaving this aside, how could a privatized military have an allegiance to a constitution? This is a rhetorical question. It couldn't. Our Constitution contains the provision that the military is under civilian command. This person's adventures are inconsistent with it. Also, this person's father's fortune, and his own, were built on literal slavery. It's a mining fortune held by apartheid fascists and slave owners. And, this is to say nothing about this person spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy US elections. IMHO, "oligarch who wants to take over the world" is a good theme for comedy, but not so much of a good idea in real life.

Hope Johnson gets quite a spanking, not the kind he wants, but one that hurts nonetheless.

I'm so dumb! The dental office was having an all day Halloween costume party. I don't celebrate Halloween plus I can be somewhat too literal at times in social situations if that makes sense. I failed to notice. This was the day of my initial appointment. I thought the receptionist was a security guard. Hahaha! She was very beautiful and charming too which didn't help matters. Omg.

OMG! I think a lot of people (including my mother!) kind of try to do something in return to scammers, and I’ve done that thing where you just respond to every question with a different question back at them until they hang up. (It’s kind of funny tbh!) So this is a good reminder that just hanging up is probably best! Yikes!

So to make a note of it- My Casio digital is F-91W. It's a decades old classic. Actually it's one of the most famous digital watches. It's old school size designed before the world headed in the big watch direction. It has time (duh), military time, calendar, alarm, stopwatch, the ability to perform a "grandfather-like clock" function, and a backlight function. I have a hard time seeing any of it because I'm farsighted. I have bought this same watch over decades. I used to be able to read it as clear as day. Life. It has 3 physical buttons. There's a very completed set of instructions about which button to press, which to press simultaneously, and which to press and hold, in which sequence, to hack it, let alone other functions. It's easy to press and hold to turn on the back light. That's about it for my old self. My plan is to let the battery die and keep the watch, and continue to wear it occasionally. I wouldn't be without one. I can't set it. And inflation. I've told this story but my Casio analog, white dial, small Arabic numerals (the large numerals variant came later) went from $13 to $29 in the most recent price hike (for a watch that never had price hikes). So I'm not paying for another digital, and the analog will get a battery replacement. Interesting trivia- There's an urban legend that OBL used this watch to detonate the Twin Towers on 9/11. Yes, even though airplanes were involved. Yes, even though OBL wasn't in the US on 9/11. Yes, it makes no sense at all. But the urban legend continues.

A great date in those teenage years for when headlights are approaching.

@RealPlayer said: too clean, sterile side. Yep, I think that's what I'm hearing and of course @adagiom 's comments. @AdagioM said: It would be interesting to ask your uni tuner if he tunes the Fazioli. I know that he doesn't any more, because he is fully retired, but I don't know if he used to. I also don't know how long they've had the Fazioli, but for some reason I think it's somewhat recent. Anyway, I'll ask the next time he's here. @rontuner are you semi-retired now or still keeping a full schedule? (my memory is semi-retired?) How many pianos do you think you see, or used to see, a month?

@bernard You wrote- "Once-in-a-while I'll get a McDonald's 2 cheeseburger meal but not for the quality of the food, for nostalgic reasons. Fond memories attached to my first visit to a McDonald's when I was in high school." That's my favorite too and you've just made me realize why I still eat it (although I'm swearing it off). It's comfort food for me. Except its current engineered version is having the opposite effect on my body. It makes me physically uncomfortable and even sick. Well how many time do you have to touch a hot burner to know it will burn you? I think I've finally reached my limit. I'll achieve 50g protein today- I got up, couldn't focus on eating, went to my appointment, got home, stated making protein drinks. I've made the 3rd one with 10g this time. I have to take a break. I can't drink it now. I ate a variety of food yesterday. Today had to concentrate on protein.

I was out in the woods in a cabin, no trick or treaters out there!

@wtg said: @AndyD Love the rectory. The interior space is very inviting and I love the gardens. Three months in spring would be nice there. Three in summery Dublin. Then three autumn months in Japan. And three winter months in Penang I've pretty much finished the house and can plan my retirement properly

Especially with the strength of the stuff now. I recently shared a joint with someone. It reminded me of why I haven't done that for 40+ years. It was not the fun silly little buzz it was in my youth, but felt more disassociative like PCP or something. I cannot imagine it helps anyone with any sort of brain or nervous function.

Was visiting the Porsche museum and learnt about this piece of pre-1900 EV history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egger-Lohner_C.2_Phaeton The Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton, erroneously called Porsche P1, is an electric vehicle built by Egger-Lohner. … It is powered by the "octagon" electric motor, that Ferdinand Porsche designed, which took its name from the eight-sided design of the motor housing. The electric motor can produce an output of 3 hp (2.2 kW) at 350 rpm and, for short periods of time, up to 5 hp (3.7 kW) with a top speed of 35 km/h (22 mph) by overcharging it. … On September 28, 1899, Porsche drove a C.2 that was entered in the Berlin road race, where it won the gold medal and crossed the finish line 18 minutes before the second car. It also came out on top in the efficiency test, where it was recorded as the lowest energy consumption vehicle in urban traffic.