Random Thoughts Thread

[red321]

On the way in to the office today I saw 4 crossing guards at the bottom of the hill. 

4 is worse than one, so they were backing up traffic protecting little snot nosed shits who can't cross a major intersection in their own. 

It was an odd sight, so i watched. Apparently it was crossing guard training. I didn't think that job required training. Walk into street and hold the stop sign while previously mentioned shits cross street. Wash rinse repeat. But alas, I guess training is required. Which kind of scares me, who are they hiring to be crossing guards that would need training?

But my favorite part was after trainee number #1 rushed out and stoically held the stop sign, while using their other hand to frantically motion to cars stopped at a red light to wait, as he triumphantly walked back to the curb...the other trainees applauded. 

If I wasn't late for work I probably could have sat their all morning and watched. What would have happened if someone screwed up? Would they pat them on the back...don't worry...better luck next time? Can you fail crossing guard training? Do you have to turn in your vest and stop sign right then and there?

[cez]

what kind of parent names their twins Axel and Alex?

i guess i'll find out next tuesday at the parent/teacher conference. 

[Tank]

9 hours ago, red321 said:

On the way in to the office today I saw 4 crossing guards at the bottom of the hill. 

If I wasn't late for work I probably could have sat their all morning and watched. What would have happened if someone screwed up? Would they pat them on the back...don't worry...better luck next time? Can you fail crossing guard training? Do you have to turn in your vest and stop sign right then and there?

Kind of like when an NBA player misses a free throw and all his teammates on the floor come over and shake his hand.

[arch stanton]

Are there still kids who are allowed to cross the street without a parent correcting every step?

[red321]

I just called the LA Times...my monthly subscription went up a few bucks a month and I wanted to get it lower.

They still charge more for digital access than they do for weekend delivery + digital access...which I kind of get because they want to keep up the delivery subscription numbers for advertising purposes.

So, I currently get thursday-sunday for $2.20 a week, plus digital access. Used to be around $1.50. I ask...what promotions do you have, what can you give me because I don't like this rate hike.

Sure, because you are a loyal customer here's what we can do for you...we can offer you Saturday-Sunday delivery for $2.75 a week.

Hold on a second...your special offer to me is more than what I'm currently paying...and you are going to deliver two less days?

Yes, but it's a great deal off the normal $5.00 a week.

I understand you may think it's a great deal...but you do understand you are offering me less...for the opportunity to pay you more?

Well sir, I understand, but that is a great deal off of our normal $5.00 a week rate for Saturday and Sunday delivery.

 

I didn't have the heart to just outright cancel...I think it's important to support the "local" paper...but geez people

[gotbeer]

19 minutes ago, red321 said:

I just called the LA Times...my monthly subscription went up a few bucks a month and I wanted to get it lower.

They still charge more for digital access than they do for weekend delivery + digital access...which I kind of get because they want to keep up the delivery subscription numbers for advertising purposes.

So, I currently get thursday-sunday for $2.20 a week, plus digital access. Used to be around $1.50. I ask...what promotions do you have, what can you give me because I don't like this rate hike.

Sure, because you are a loyal customer here's what we can do for you...we can offer you Saturday-Sunday delivery for $2.75 a week.

Hold on a second...your special offer to me is more than what I'm currently paying...and you are going to deliver two less days?

Yes, but it's a great deal off the normal $5.00 a week.

I understand you may think it's a great deal...but you do understand you are offering me less...for the opportunity to pay you more?

Well sir, I understand, but that is a great deal off of our normal $5.00 a week rate for Saturday and Sunday delivery.

 

I didn't have the heart to just outright cancel...I think it's important to support the "local" paper...but geez people

You should see how they screw you in the yearly deal.  They charge you a yearly deal, for 52 weeks.  But they have what they call special editions that are like $5 a pop a few times a year, which were like 4 times a year.  They subtract that $20 from your 52 weeks.  So really you are only getting like 48 weeks.

[Tank]

red, i had the thurs-sun deal for maybe five years but finally pulled the plug on that mostly because i no longer found their paper interesting enough to read (i've always detested their sports section and the heroically awful way they cover hockey and the angels). cancelled a few years ago and haven't missed it at all.

your exchange with their phone person was awesome. "here's less days for more money than you're already paying, but it's less than the deal you're not even receiving. isn't that great news!?!"

[red321]

I've struggled with it tank, I always had the paper, even while growing up.I can remember running out to the street as a kid so I could check the boxscore, and on Sunday I would scour the league batting leaders, all 100+ names listed. Up until 5 or 6 years ago I would still read the print paper.

Now I have no use for the printed paper, but I still think the Times does solid work. The only reason I keep the print edition is it's much cheaper to have the print edition with digital access than just digital access. I read multiple articles a day online. I still enjoy their travel section  (they've been doing a 365 days of California that's had some great ideas) and they do some great long form journalism. I also think it's important for the region to have an independent paper who can hold local officials accountable via investigative journalism, especially now more than ever. If the Register wasn't such a train wreck (sorry Jeff), I probably would subscribe to their service as well. Journalism isn't free, that's one of the biggest issues papers have today, the early days of the web where everything was free in the push to capture eyeballs and we'll figure out how to make money later set unrealistic expectations.

I also subscribe to the Washington Post (as an Amazon prime member you get 6 months for free, and then it's $3.99 a month...to met that's well worth it for the job they've been doing covering this administration).

 

[Tank]

48 minutes ago, red321 said:

I've struggled with it tank, I always had the paper, even while growing up.I can remember running out to the street as a kid so I could check the boxscore, and on Sunday I would scour the league batting leaders, all 100+ names listed. Up until 5 or 6 years ago I would still read the print paper.

Now I have no use for the printed paper, but I still think the Times does solid work. The only reason I keep the print edition is it's much cheaper to have the print edition with digital access than just digital access. I read multiple articles a day online. I still enjoy their travel section  (they've been doing a 365 days of California that's had some great ideas) and they do some great long form journalism. I also think it's important for the region to have an independent paper who can hold local officials accountable via investigative journalism, especially now more than ever. If the Register wasn't such a train wreck (sorry Jeff), I probably would subscribe to their service as well. Journalism isn't free, that's one of the biggest issues papers have today, the early days of the web where everything was free in the push to capture eyeballs and we'll figure out how to make money later set unrealistic expectations.

I also subscribe to the Washington Post (as an Amazon prime member you get 6 months for free, and then it's $3.99 a month...to met that's well worth it for the job they've been doing covering this administration).

 

i loved reading the paper as a kid, obviously the sports page but also the political cartoons. even figured out on my own two separate ways to calculate how many games back a team was in the standings.

the sunday travel section in the times has been one of my favorites sections as an adult. do they still do the geography quiz on the back page? man, some of those were pretty  tough to get right. they also have had some chick who does a feature on good websites/apps for travel. liked her a lot and picked up a few apps on my phone because of her. 

i do most of my reading online now, and as my newspaper continued to pile up unread, figured it was time to say adios. they just ended up in the recycling can unread. no reason to keep wasting my money. i'll still buy a paper occasionally for special events, like the inauguration or when the kings won their first two cups (bought a TON of papers the day after). 

i never read jim murray, and it's one of my great regrets in life. a buddy recently gave me a book filled with murray's columns from his last few years of writing his column. man, what a gifted storyteller he was. that's how i wish i could write (minus all those pesky capital letters and whatnot). i'm taking my time with it because i don't want it to end. it'll be a sad day when i finish it. have enjoyed it immensely. if the times had a columnist like that today, i'd reconsider subscribing. i used to love alan malamud in the herald-examiner and his "notes on a scorecard" for the very same reason. both he and murray had a fascination for boxing and horse racing that completely escapes me, but i still read every word because they drew me in. rick sadowski and his hockey coverage of the kings was the same way. today? pfft. i wouldn't read bill plashcke if i was forced to at gunpoint. i think that gigantic doosh bag who used to write on page 2 of the sports section pretty much ruined the experience for me - tj simers. i hated seeing his column there. 

i miss having a paper that was interesting.

[red321]

1 hour ago, calscuf said:

The Register just appears on my driveway regularly.  I don't pay for it.  I've never questioned it.

It started appearing on my driveway and I called and asked them to stop littering

[Adam]

I can see Tank at an IHOP, sitting at the bar rather than a booth, chowing down on a rooty tooty, sipping some decaf, reading the editorial section.

[Adam]

I peg Red more of a breakroom at the office newspaper reader, mainly the crossword puzzle. #2 pencil, worn eraser. To drink - green tea with lemon. 

[Tank]

1 hour ago, Adam said:

I can see Tank at an IHOP, sitting at the bar rather than a booth, chowing down on a rooty tooty, sipping some decaf, reading the editorial section.

Nailed it!

and all while I'm wearing jorts.

[Adam]

38 minutes ago, calscuf said:

Oh oh oh, do me next!

Taxiing out in first class checking the classified section to make sure the ad they posted includes your slogan “In a crash? I’ll get you the cash!”

[gotbeer]

3 hours ago, Tank said:

i never read jim murray, and it's one of my great regrets in life. a buddy recently gave me a book filled with murray's columns from his last few years of writing his column. man, what a gifted storyteller he was. that's how i wish i could write (minus all those pesky capital letters and whatnot). i'm taking my time with it because i don't want it to end. it'll be a sad day when i finish it. have enjoyed it immensely. if the times had a columnist like that today, i'd reconsider subscribing. i used to love alan malamud in the herald-examiner and his "notes on a scorecard" for the very same reason. both he and murray had a fascination for boxing and horse racing that completely escapes me, but i still read every word because they drew me in. rick sadowski and his hockey coverage of the kings was the same way. today? pfft. i wouldn't read bill plashcke if i was forced to at gunpoint. i think that gigantic doosh bag who used to write on page 2 of the sports section pretty much ruined the experience for me - tj simers. i hated seeing his column there. 

 

You missed out on quite a bit with Murray.  He's almost as good as Plach..........hahahahahahah.  Ok, maybe Murray's pinkie toe is as good as Plach........Ok, Murray's pinkie toe is even better than Plachke.  

Helen Elliott is good on hockey, but she really doesn't write much.  Part of the reason for the sports section demise is Dwyre leading the team.  He occassionally had a good article, but he was pretty much garbage in between.  For someone that supposedly loved horse racing, he shit on the sport every chance he got.  Simers was more of shock jock journalism.  He actually writes really well, but he was hired for his whatever thing on page 2.  I think he came from back east where that sort of column worked.  Overall, the sports section is just crap compared to 30 years ago when they covered everything.

Biggest problem with the times is they have some really good articles.  I mean nationally newsworthy, breaking journalistic investigation articles.  Then they fill the gap with opinionated pieces of crap.  

[Blarg]

2 hours ago, Adam said:

I can see Tank at an IHOP, sitting at the bar rather than a booth, chowing down on a rooty tooty, sipping some decaf, reading the editorial section.

Uhhhhh...

That was me back in college when I was a manager.

[Adam]

I have been crushing pork rinds and cream cheese for lunch the past few weeks. 

[Blarg]

Adam is working towards two fold problem.

[Adam]

Negative. Gary Taubes and others have changed my life!

http://garytaubes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Science-The-soft-science-of-dietary-fat.pdf

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/02/18/insulin-resistance-causes-heart-disease.aspx

https://thenoakesfoundation.org/news/blog/the-low-fat-diet-does-not-prevent-arterial-disease-it-causes-it-prof-noakes

[Blarg]

I doubt any medical science says fried pork rinds won't kill you. 

[Adam]

1 minute ago, Blarg said:

I doubt any medical science says fried pork rinds won't kill you. 

That belief is why Western diets have led to an obesity and insulin resistance crisis.  

Check out some talks with Tim Noakes and Gary Taubes (just do youtube searches or podcast searches), the science is becoming a lot more clear, though more testing is definitely necessary. Insulin resistance appears to be the cause metabolic disorder and heart disease. 

[Blarg]

 

[cez]

8 hours ago, Adam said:

That belief is why Western diets have led to an obesity and insulin resistance crisis.  

 

also, fire hot, water wet

[cez]

8 hours ago, Adam said:

Insulin resistance appears to be the cause metabolic disorder and heart disease. 

and early onset alzheimers

a lot of pathologists refer to it as type 3 diabetes / brain diabetes

[Adam]

36 minutes ago, GOPSnowflakesHateCezero said:

and early onset alzheimers

a lot of pathologists refer to it as type 3 diabetes / brain diabetes

I’m loving learning about all this stuff