WTF-Beta

I’ve noticed that you can get used to buying some item regularly and then BAM, suddenly it’s gone. It all has to do with whatever deal (or lack thereof) that Costco has made with the manufacturer.

Curious. I never thought of Costco as a “third place “. But I guess it works for some.

Did you see the article about the woman who set up a samples table at Costco and distributed free tequila shots in paper cups? She made a lot of people happy before she was discovered and escorted out.

My kind of lady!

I love her poetry, but some of them are a little opaque for me.

Here in NYC we’ve been setting out food waste in separate bins once a week. (We’re in a private house, not an apartment building.). I do maintain a small garden, and I’m told I can go to the local composting facility and get free compost. But the herbs I grow seem to enjoy the unimproved soil here, so I haven’t bothered.

Yes, and another analysis I read speaks of Narcissus rejecting the real (avoiding the possibility of a real relationship with a real person, Echo) in favor of an obsession with an unreal entity he can never have (his reflection).

Wow!

@Daniel Sorry, not really disparaging Swiss cheese. It’s one of my favorites too.

I was in Lugano, Switzerland to make a piano TV show around 2012, and there was a memorable cheese (and bread) shop a short walk from the hotel. What I meant was that there’s a great variety that we don’t see here, very tasty. And yet broadly related to the Swiss cheese we get here, but earthier and with varying intensity and terroir. Delectable!

Cheese! Far more than just the generic Swiss.

I haven’t used Uber but the bus drivers have been rather cordial.

I love and appreciate tea cozies. I have one.

When visiting the west coast, my friend had an insulated French-made French press and vacuum-sealed carafe all in one. It worked great. And it was stainless steel. It was old, and I can’t remember the name, but awhile back I looked it up online, and the company is still around.

Interesting to see what you all use, and why.

I used to have what used to be called a
fanny pack (now a belt pack?) but I felt it looked droopy and unbecoming, especially after long use. That’s why I now prefer a shoulder bag.

For under-the-seat air travel I have a second-hand soft briefcase, with some business logo on it, but fits 8 1/2 x 11 papers and other stuff. Even my 12.9-inch iPad.

I bought a rather large Timbuktu messenger bag for very large music scores, 11 x 17, but seldom really need it. It’s pristine. I could probably resell it easily.

A related topic could be rolling carts, which exist in variety here in New York because so much shopping is done on foot, but are probably uncommon elsewhere. Covered granny carts. Folding 4-wheel wagons. And some contraptions I’ve never seen before.

I was gifted an electronic coffee mug that maintains a constant temperature, but if you want to program a different temperature (or other things) you need their app.

The whole thing is pretty unnecessary, tbh, with or without the app.

I’m not baking much any more, but a new local pizzeria is making a sourdough crust, so I think a visit is required.

I remember workplaces filled with sickening secondhand smoke, and not a thing you could do about it.

@Daniel oh, I like the dimensions of the old Travelon bag, about 10” by 10” with interior (and a couple exterior) pockets for phone, sunglasses, reading glasses, various cards. Space for charging cable, pillbox, pens/pencils, folded shop bags, whatever. I guess RFID protection, not sure how important that is. Sturdy hardware, an understated clean look.

It’s for everyday use. It should go with me everywhere. I carry keys and cash elsewhere.

This is my bicycle bag. It attaches to loops on the back of the saddle. Made in Connecticut with a quality canvas fabric imported from England. I wish I could find this look in a shoulder bag.

Daniel started a topic on these in 2025.

My Travelon shoulder bag has become pathetic. Can’t go out in public with it. Main zipper failed. Fabric looks shoddy and puckered, and the whole thing has lost its shape.

I spent some time online looking around. I like the anti-theft type with locking zipper pulls, but unless I travel internationally, not sure I really need that.

Nordstrom has some nice options which I will explore further. Looked at Bergdorf Goodman, but they sell in the four figures. Ha!

I don’t like the crossbody design, but even those can be adapted to be over-the-shoulder.

And P.S., it feels odd to write about this since I am anything but a fashion plate!

I think that’s a compliment.

I thought this was going to be about fractals (Julia sets).

It must be hard to render faces frontally on coinage because of the way the nose projects outward. I think that’s why they’re traditionally done in profile.

Can you imagine doing Washington’s nose frontally? OMG!