Jump to content

Random thoughts that don't warrant a thread


GSU&UT

Recommended Posts

8 hours ago, Superhero said:

Listening to Colin Jost’s audiobook “A Very Punchable Face”. He has had a very interesting life, and I would kill each and everyone one of you to have a drink with him.

Perfect.  While you do that, I'll entertain his wife.

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before I was born, my Dad & family were stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska 1940-42 (then he was in the Aleutian Campaign in 1943).
Dad collected these walrus tusks & artifacts while up there.
1 raw tusk, 1 tusk carved & scrimshawed into a cribbage board, a meat carving handle set, polar bear salt & pepper shakers, & other little items.
They are all owned by my brother who was born there before all dependents were evacuated Stateside after the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands.
 

464$$IMG_1867.jpeg

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do those Beachbody workouts intermittently. Couple of thoughts:

 

1 while most are in incredible shape, their bodies rate change over the years.  This leads me to believe that unless you’re doing something drastic, our body has a natural peak.  

2 the fats that they roll out never lose weight 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I e had a lot of phones over the years like all of us, but wow, going from a iPhone 12 to 15 was so simple. All my icons are in the same place and passwords saved.

Changing phones and computers has always been painful to me, one got better.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm seeing some reports that interest and sales at Starbucks is sharply declining. They could be going the way of Radio Shack. I for one am here for it. Their coffee sucks and is overpriced.

  • Hook 'Em 4
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, ajax said:

I'm seeing some reports that interest and sales at Starbucks is sharply declining. They could be going the way of Radio Shack. I for one am here for it. Their coffee sucks and is overpriced.

their whole business model is providing the feel of a mini vacation.  now when i go in it is trashy and dirty and it is just mcdonalds with whip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like to think of Starbucks in the context of Krispy Kreme. They both showed up around the same time. Krispy Kreme made it about the donut and disappeared. Starbucks made it about the experience and took over the world.

Now they are losing the experience.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today at lunch, having seafood with my dad, I was struck by a conundrum: Is it wrong to use delicious shrimp for fish bait, or is it wrong to eat the outstanding fish bait that is shrimp?  And if one is wrong but not the other, why?  (Yeah, the conversation hit a dull spot.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My posting history should tell most people that I'm not some jingoistic guy who thinks America is infallible.  I believe in diversity but holy hell, can customer service reps speak English?

And the profit margin says..,,(points to the family feud board)
  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, closetohumping said:

My posting history should tell most people that I'm not some jingoistic guy who thinks America is infallible.  I believe in diversity but holy hell, can customer service reps speak English?

if a company has a presence on facebook or twitter i use that first.  gets things in writing and, often, things get solved much more quickly and painlessly. surender in bangladesh pretending to be herb in overland park doing the responding.

16 hours ago, ajax said:

I'm seeing some reports that interest and sales at Starbucks is sharply declining. They could be going the way of Radio Shack. I for one am here for it. Their coffee sucks and is overpriced.

their rolling 12mo sales figure are extremely stable and still growing.  starbucks imo is not a coffee company.  its a sugary-drink company.  in a big city its a reliable place to piss or use as impromptu rendevouz spot. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Scheiss Meister said:

Today at lunch, having seafood with my dad, I was struck by a conundrum: Is it wrong to use delicious shrimp for fish bait, or is it wrong to eat the outstanding fish bait that is shrimp?  And if one is wrong but not the other, why?  (Yeah, the conversation hit a dull spot.)

giphy.gif

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, closetohumping said:

My posting history should tell most people that I'm not some jingoistic guy who thinks America is infallible.  I believe in diversity but holy hell, can customer service reps speak English?

u spel Engrish rong

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, ajax said:

I'm seeing some reports that interest and sales at Starbucks is sharply declining. They could be going the way of Radio Shack. I for one am here for it. Their coffee sucks and is overpriced.

I wouldn’t drink Starbucks coffee if it was free. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 9 YO came back with a teacher note yesterday saying he “made an inappropriate gesture with sausage at the lunch table”.

I drilled down to the facts in a non judgmental way. He felt bad and started crying.

While I was concerned that he was learning stuff like this in elementary school, deep down I wanted to say “dude, that’s not what guys do”. 
 

NTTAWWT

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)

Just reflexively told a fast food worker “have a good weekend” as I drove off.  It never struck me til now that service industry people don’t experience weekends the same way as office workers. I wonder if they find that insulting, and if so, have I been doing it my whole life? I say it all the time to people on Fridays. There might be people who think I’m an asshole for that, damn.

Edited by 'stache
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/9/2024 at 12:18 PM, ajax said:

I'm seeing some reports that interest and sales at Starbucks is sharply declining. They could be going the way of Radio Shack. I for one am here for it. Their coffee sucks and is overpriced.

I got a drink there the other day and when I got to the price at checkout I was kind of amazed at how much it was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like that you can find Starbucks in small towns and suburbs. Way better than gas stations and fast food restaurants, but well below local coffee roasters in bigger cities which are always my preference. And if any of you say “McDonalds and Dunkin are pretty good” prepare for a neg.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just reflexively told a fast food worker “have a good weekend” as I drove off.  It never struck me til now that service industry people don’t experience weekends the same way as office workers. I wonder if they find that insulting, and if so, have I been doing it my whole life? I say it all the time to people on Fridays. There might be people who think I’m an asshole for that, damn.

giphy.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, 52-80 said:

their rolling 12mo sales figure are extremely stable and still growing.  starbucks imo is not a coffee company.  its a sugary-drink company.  in a big city its a reliable place to piss or use as impromptu rendevouz spot. 

I'm not saying Starbucks is in danger of going out of business, but this article says that Starbucks had a 3% drop in North American sales due to a 7% drop in the number of transactions.  I skimmed the article so I may have missed the time period this covers but I presume it is the first quarter this year.

Quote

For some restaurant chains, comparable sales even fell. Starbucks posted a 3% drop in North America comparable sales, which it attributed to a 7% fall in the number of transactions. William Blair analyst Sharon Zackfia said in a note to clients that it was the "weakest traffic performance at Starbucks outside the pandemic or the Great Recession."

Is Starbucks stable?  I would agree with that statement.  Growing?  Those numbers perhaps suggest otherwise.  Maybe overall Starbucks is growing.  I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night so I certainly not an expert.

I rarely hit up Starbucks myself as I think, like was posted upthread, the coffee is not that great.  Your mileage may vary though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Superhero said:

My 9 YO came back with a teacher note yesterday saying he “made an inappropriate gesture with sausage at the lunch table”.

I drilled down to the facts in a non judgmental way. He felt bad and started crying.

While I was concerned that he was learning stuff like this in elementary school, deep down I wanted to say “dude, that’s not what guys do”. 
 

NTTAWWT

Dude, what did he do?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/10/2024 at 2:44 PM, 'stache said:

Just reflexively told a fast food worker “have a good weekend” as I drove off.  It never struck me til now that service industry people don’t experience weekends the same way as office workers. I wonder if they find that insulting, and if so, have I been doing it my whole life? I say it all the time to people on Fridays. There might be people who think I’m an asshole for that, damn.

Nah.  They’re happy you didn’t throw coffee in their face.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shockingly bad ass Medal of Honor citation I just came across.  It would be difficult to distinguish it from John Rambo's.

 

giphy.gif?cid=6c09b952ixanakejqjonpb383s

 

https://mohmuseum.org/medal_of_honor/bennie-adkins/

 

Quote

Sergeant First Class Bennie G. Adkins distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an Intelligence Sergeant with Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces, during combat operations against an armed enemy at Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam, from March 9 to 12, 1966. When the camp was attacked by a large North Vietnamese and Viet Cong force in the early morning hours, Sergeant First Class Adkins rushed through intense enemy fire and manned a mortar position continually adjusting fire for the camp, despite incurring wounds as the mortar pit received several direct hits from enemy mortars. Upon learning that several soldiers were wounded near the center of camp, he temporarily turned the mortar over to another soldier, ran through exploding mortar rounds, and dragged several comrades to safety. As the hostile fire subsided, Sergeant First Class Adkins exposed himself to sporadic sniper fire while carrying his wounded comrades to the camp dispensary. When Sergeant First Class Adkins and his group of defenders came under heavy small arms fire from members of the Civilian Irregular Defense Group that had defected to fight with the North Vietnamese, he maneuvered outside the camp to evacuate a seriously wounded American and draw fire, all the while successfully covering the rescue. When a resupply air drop landed outside of the camp perimeter, Sergeant First Class Adkins, again, moved outside of the camp walls to retrieve the much-needed supplies.

During the early morning hours of March 10, 1966, enemy forces launched their main attack and within two hours, Sergeant First Class Adkins was the only man firing a mortar weapon. When all mortar rounds were expended, Sergeant First Class Adkins began placing effective recoilless rifle fire upon enemy positions. Despite receiving additional wounds from enemy rounds exploding on his position, Sergeant First Class Adkins fought off intense waves of attacking Viet Cong. Sergeant First Class Adkins eliminated numerous insurgents with small arms fire after withdrawing to a communications bunker with several soldiers. Running extremely low on ammunition, he returned to the mortar pit, gathered vital ammunition and ran through intense fire back to the bunker. After being ordered to evacuate the camp, Sergeant First Class Adkins and a small group of soldiers destroyed all signal equipment and classified documents, dug their way out of the rear of the bunker and fought their way out of the camp. While carrying a wounded soldier to the extraction point he learned that the last helicopter had already departed. Sergeant First Class Adkins led the group while evading the enemy until they were rescued by helicopter on March 12, 1966. During the 38-hour battle and 48 hours of escape and evasion, fighting with mortars, machine guns, recoilless rifles, small arms, and hand grenades, it was estimated that Sergeant First Class Adkins had killed between 135 and 175 of the enemy while sustaining 18 different wounds to his body. Sergeant First Class Adkins’ extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces and the United States Army.

https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/bennie-g-adkins

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...