@realplayer Bike helmets FTW. Analogous to seatbelts. A seatbelt and passenger front airbag saved my life ten years ago. Be safe.

Gate

Omg.

@mark Mark, thanks, yes the discipline to play each through daily is one thing for me to take on. Getting a good teacher is another ideal, if as is likely, I continue learning certain classical pieces. A lesson every fortnight would do. The first two Chopin you play, I remember attempting (not very successfully) as a teenager because my elder sister played them, leaving her music open on the music stand tempting me to dabble with (she attained all 8 grades before going to University and I'm 5 years younger so was always catching up, before musically going our different ways). They are beautiful works. The third Chopin is new to me and shall find it on youtube.

We have two staircases that turn 180 degrees each so two curves on each floor. Plus they’re too slow.

Exactly.

I'd rather agree with Ax than w/ the NYT in this case. I'm specifically referring to your first paragraph, Ax. I love beautiful rooms, beautiful pianos, Louis Armstrong, and cute animals a lot. I love the fact that spaces (literal and metaphorical) exist that can be filled with art by artists. But the aspirational articles from the NYT are, if I'm being honest, seemingly endless. And include product placements without end (thanks, Joe). I spent half my life indulging in the Sunday NYT. Don't get me wrong. I get my aspirational goals and distractions from the Google machine (including YouTube) these days.

The joys of property ownership Fix the leaks! Sounds like a new mattress ought to be high up on your list!

My Ting came from State Farm too. It also has a $1,000 remediation allowance if it finds an issue.

AMF.

@DougG said: Great, now Jon’s last post expects me to come up with a rhyme for “lits”. I’m pretty sure there isn’t one. Could this be the end of the word association thread?

Sadly, my Thai basil. Now the leaves aren't much good.

Link to video Omg!

Yes and seems so random as always.

@jon-nyc said: [image: 1786805318857-screenshot-2026-08-15-at-09.07.28.png] Yes, and Madonna took the first "selfie" in "Desperately Seeking Susan." I mean this as a cultural phenomenon, strictly speaking. People have been pointing cameras at themselves and others for a long time. Lol!

Well, they were a communist country for the better part of a century. I will make a note to unpack my smallest violin to play for the oligarchs whose assets are seized. I know the subtext is- "Putin bad!" 10 years of Trump the Ubiquitous and- "Putin bad!" have made a long 10 years. I know this is a legitimate news story but Russia didn't practice "capitalism," either before the break up of the USSR, or after.