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RTDNTOTO šŸ» Random Thoughts Deserving No Thread Of Their Own 20 (2025)

ursus said:
Here's the rundown: Everybody pretty much said and did the things you would have expected. Although there was that one day we all had a water-fight and then when the laughter died down we told heart-rending stories about things that happened when we were younger. It got a little dark when @Maister remembered being lost in the woods and finding a man's body and then he ran all the way home and kept seeing an old lady in the shadows and he cried and cried and when he finally told his family they called the police but when he took them to the old twisty tree the body wasn't there and that reminded @mendelman that once he was making out in the woods after a party (I know, it seemed implausible to all of us as well, but we were having a moment) and he thought he kept seeing an old lady in the woods out of the corner of his eye and he was sitting with this girl from Canada (I know, again) by an old....twisty tree! OMG! And so it turns out they grew up in the same town and when we tried to find the town on google maps....it doesn't exist and so now we want to plan a road-trip-meet-up where the town is supposed to be so they can confront the past and we can find out who the old lady of the woods is.....

And that's what you missed. Also some political stuff that makes me uncomfortable and some really funny gifs. :)
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You really should be writing cozy mysteries and slice-of-life anthologies.
 
bureaucrat#3 said:
You really should be writing cozy mysteries and slice-of-life anthologies.
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Oh, believe me, I wish I was! Alas, I have this pesky need for things like food and wifi, and so I keep just showing up to my government job. In between the necessary, my head is MOSTLY full of cozy mysteries and slices of lives....and I unload my pent-up energy for the written word on all of you. You're good sports. :) Cyburbia is a street at the end of the world, and I'm happy to roam, and trip over curbs, and fall asleep on your front lawns.
 
ursus said:
Oh, believe me, I wish I was! Alas, I have this pesky need for things like food and wifi, and so I keep just showing up to my government job. In between the necessary, my head is MOSTLY full of cozy mysteries and slices of lives....and I unload my pent-up energy for the written word on all of you. You're good sports. :) Cyburbia is a street at the end of the world, and I'm happy to roam, and trip over curbs, and fall asleep on your front lawns.
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You would have been a good writer for the Lake Wobegone stories segment on A Prairie Home Companion. Alas, the show is no more.

season 5 episode 6 GIF
 
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My vision is deteriorating fast. I went to the opthamologist a few weeks ago to update my prescription and they referred me to an eye doctor for glaucoma. I went to the eye doctor earlier this week and I have to go back in a few months to get some new measurements but he commented that I'll probably be getting cataract surgery sooner rather than later. Not too crazy in the grand scheme of things, but probably a bit early considering I'm still in my mid-40s.

Anyway, my new glasses came in today and, wow, what a difference!

I'll definitely be holding off on cataract surgery for now though as I've got to get my money's worth out of the new frames I just paid for.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
My vision is deteriorating fast. I went to the opthamologist a few weeks ago to update my prescription and they referred me to an eye doctor for glaucoma. I went to the eye doctor earlier this week and I have to go back in a few months to get some new measurements but he commented that I'll probably be getting cataract surgery sooner rather than later. Not too crazy in the grand scheme of things, but probably a bit early considering I'm still in my mid-40s.

Anyway, my new glasses came in today and, wow, what a difference!

I'll definitely be holding off on cataract surgery for now though as I've got to get my money's worth out of the new frames I just paid for.
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And we're the same age.

season 8 grandpa simpson GIF


For context, I've had full severe near-sightedness vision correction requiring glasses/contacts since I was 7 years old, but I think my vision is stable-ish...for now.
 
mendelman said:
And we're the same age.

season 8 grandpa simpson GIF


For context, I've had full severe near-sightedness vision correction requiring glasses/contacts since I was 7 years old, but I think my vision is stable-ish...for now.
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I'm farsighted, just like my father and his father before him, but it was never notable enough to warrant glasses or anything. About five years ago I went to the opthamologist after driving at night one time and realizing I couldn't see much of anything. I got glasses for reading and driving at night then about a year+ ago I began wearing the glasses basically all the time. My vision seemed to get much worse all of a sudden over the past 3 or 4 months and my old glasses were sort of useless for reading anymore prompting me to go back to the opthamologist last month.

Also... my old glasses were clear frames. I went with the total opposite this time around with the thickest, blackest frames I could find. Our oldest daughter just got home from school and she is not a fan of these new frames. :rofl:
 
mendelman said:
You would have been a good writer for the Lake Wobegon stories segment on A Prairie Home Companion. Alas, the show is no more.

season 5 episode 6 GIF
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I still miss the show. I subscribe to Garrison Keillor's email blog to get my fix. I used to have fantasies wherein I would start a "Salt Lake Supper Club" where we had great dinners and dancing but also live entertainment and I would emcee the evenings, Thursdays through Sundays. After it's success, Garrison would naturally choose me as a successor (this was back when he was preparing to retire and they turned the show over to that guy who played the mandolin all the time...) and I would just die from happiness.

Get out of my head, man! :)
 
My reply on
Watches - don't wear one - gave it up when I had skin cancer surgery on my left wrist. Didn't like wearing on on my right wrist.
Eye sight & Glasses - years ago had catract lenes replacement surgery - switched from nearsightednes to far - need readers for computer work & reading books.
Garrison Keillor - back in the day used to listen to A Prairie Home Companion on NPR. Didn't the Bear hang out at the Sidetrack Tap ?
 
Me in 1997: I want a Beeper, pretty please!!! I want a Beeper like Uncle Mike!!

My dad: You can have one as an adult! You don't need a beeper in 1st Grade!

Grandpa: We will probably all be talking on the Web by time he's an adult.....

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/style/ai-nostalgia-tiktok-90s-80s.html

I fall into this nostalgia trap so often myself, because of my love of the Tech from back than. But I dont want to go back to the days of the '94 Crime Bill.
 
Had my interview with the City of Fernley today. I decided to go ahead and let them know I have another job starting on the 15th, but, since they are my first choice, I would take the Fernley job instead if offered.

I was thinking that could possibly scare them away, but since my philosophy is that the worst thing that can happen is the status quo (i.e., I walk into a state job on Monday), it didn't hurt to mention it.

= = =

So now, all I have to do to polish off this round of my job search is to finish sending withdrawals to any employer that has not gotten back to me yet. Other than that, that's a wrap, folks.

Jim
 
GUESS WHO IS GOING BACK TO PLANNING????

THIS GUY!!!!

I will be working for the city of Fernley, 30 miles east of Reno (and only a 25-minute drive normally), for just about the same pay and benefits I had with Reno, and with some of the same co-workers.

I start Monday.

Hopefully, when I get on the freeway, I remember to take the eastbound ramp instead of the westbound.

Jim
 
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jumbach said:
GUESS WHO IS GOING BACK TO PLANNING????

THIS GUY!!!!

I will be working for the city of Fernley, 30 miles east of Reno (and only a 25-minute drive normally), for just about the same pay and benefits I had with Reno, and with some of the same co-workers.

I start Monday.

Hopefully, when I get on the freeway, I remember to take the eastbound ramp instead of the westbound.

Jim
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Congratulations!
 
I should not have stayed up to watch the rest of the Green Bay game last night. I am very tired today.
 
Doohickie said:
People do that?
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I do. Just seems considerate to me, so they donā€™t sit there and discuss me or the like when I am no longer available. Also leaves a professional aftertaste. I say that my decision to take another position has nothing to do with their agency and I wish them the best of luck.
 
Could you do this ?

Congratulations to Karen Zemlin on completing a pioneering 23km route in Lake Superior, from Isle Royale, Michigan to Pigeon Point, Minnesota. Karen endured several miles of sub-50F (10C) water. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world, and is never a warm place to swim.

The swim is pending ratification via MSF Documented Swims. Way to go Karen, enjoy that warm shower!
 
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When danger rises and the world trembles, itā€™s not just heroes we call ā€” we summon legends. We callā€¦ TEAM CANADA.

In a world crying out for justice, peace, and maple syrup-fueled courage, four iconic defenders rise from the frozen north. With unshakable unity and hearts as vast as the Rockies, they are the embodiment of Canadian pride, power, and politeness.

The Tactical Beaver ā€” with engineering brilliance and a heavy-duty maple-powered bazooka, this national symbol doesn't just build dams ā€” he builds legacies.

The Laser-Eyed Goose ā€” swift, silent, and absolutely savage. Youā€™ve seen them at picnics, but youā€™ve never seen them like this. When freedom is threatened, she honks back... with lasers.

The Shielded Hockey Warrior ā€” a guardian of the North, wrapped in red and white, shielded with the emblem of unity. He hits harder than a slapshot and fights with the soul of a nation.

The Tactical Moose ā€” calm, composed, and devastatingly strong. Clad in military-grade armor with a maple leaf on his sleeve, he stomps injustice into the tundra.

Together, they stand not just for a country, but for everything Canada means to the world: strength in kindness, power in unity, and unstoppable politeness backed by righteous fury.

When the world needs savingā€¦ Call in Team Canada.

Maple-powered. Moose-backed. Goose-approved.
 
JNA said:
My reply on
Watches - don't wear one - gave it up when I had skin cancer surgery on my left wrist. Didn't like wearing on on my right wrist.
Eye sight & Glasses - years ago had catract lenes replacement surgery - switched from nearsightednes to far - need readers for computer work & reading books.
Garrison Keillor - back in the day used to listen to A Prairie Home Companion on NPR. Didn't the Bear hang out at the Sidetrack Tap ?
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This could have been three posts. It would have helped the numbers.

I'm probably 10 years from cataracts surgery based on family history. My aunts and uncles in their 70s and 80s have all started to require eyelid surgery due to sagging eyelids. They all had constant looks of surprise when I saw them last Christmas.
 
bureaucrat#3 said:
I'm probably 10 years from cataracts surgery based on family history.
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Back in the 1970s when my grandfather needed cataract surgery it involved a four-hour dive up to Emory University hospital and an overnight stay - these days it's outpatient meh plus some eyedrops.
 
Just realized I have the same book checked out from two different library systems.

I hope I have not caused some hole in the bibliophilic space/time/shelving continuum.

I may have to jump into a book-powered time machine and return one of the books stealthily to the shelf, at a period just before I checked it out, while not running into my other self checking out the book. If that happens, Iā€™ll be sucked into an alternate universe consisting of nothing but bank safes and Burgess Meredith.
 
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