Random Thoughts That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread Go Here

[Ksyrup]

Also, speaking of car dealerships, I just read yet another article about the imminent demise of Carvana. FOFC may be able to pick up a couple of collosal vending machines on the cheap if we want.

[jcard]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I heard about that one but haven't tasted it yet. I'm still in love with the new Dr. Pepper Strawberries and Cream. That one is a HR.

This past summer the local stores had something called Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Dreamworld. I thought it tasted like Triaminic or some other kid medicine (which, as any self-respecting elementary school student knows, is only palatable on the condition you are going to get to stay home from school for the day).

[Ksyrup]

Yes, I was not a fan of that one. Never tried Coke Byte (I think that was the name) because it was only available online.

I was a big fan of Coke Starlight which tasted like toasted marshmallows or s'mores, but I was the only one in my family who liked it. I'd buy that regularly if they brought it back. I finished my last small can right before the end of 2022.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

... Later, I saw online that apparently, this is a kindof common thing between dealerships - trading inventory from one dealer to another to get what you want for a customer. We roll in there Saturday morning, ready to get the car. Signing the paperwork for $18K, I notice it's the VIN from the place that couldn't budge below $20K and when we got out to the car, I noticed they had scratched off the sticker on the back of the car from the other place and added their decal instead. There was something a bit satisfying about that.

SI

Yup, happens all the time. As a matter of fact, if you ever want a part time job were you get to drive new cars around, most dealers are always looking for guys to drive those cars. You take a car from one dealership and you drive anywhere from a few miles to 100 miles to get a different vehicle to drive back. People that do it are usually retired and just looking for some extra income. If you ever got a new car that had 60-100 miles on it, then most likely it was a dealer-trade car.

[cuervo72]

Nick Offerman wrote a little about being such a driver a couple times...and wrecking at least one of the vehicles.

[Edward64]

My son worked at a car dealership in college. He did this (and also delivered cars to the buyers). He enjoyed driving some of the higher priced cars.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I heard about that one but haven't tasted it yet. I'm still in love with the new Dr. Pepper Strawberries and Cream. That one is a HR.

Alright, bought a 12 pack today. Got the regular (is there a Zero version?).

It was good but it could have a tad stronger/intense taste. Could be my taste buds though.


A 12 pack was $7.50. A 3x12 packs was $15. So also got the Zero Cream and Zero Dr. Pepper (not the Diet Dr. Pepper).

Some crazy prices on 2-liter Cokes, never going to pay $3.50 Kroger. I get inflation but that's a big jump from $2 to $2.99 per 2-liter. There's always a sale every 2 weeks or so.

[Ksyrup]

I only drink zero, so yes, there's a zero version. For me, it was just the right flavor and actually has a sweeter taste than I'm used to. I think the reason I like it so much is the nostalgia - it reminds me of the perfect combination of Dr. Pepper and the old Nestle Strawberry Nesquick powder drink.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

it reminds me of the perfect combination of Dr. Pepper and the old Nestle Strawberry Nesquick powder drink.

Okay, despite the wave of nausea it creates, I can at least imagine mixing those two things.

The word "perfect" however, no, that is not any part of such imagination.

[Ksyrup]

Well, the tastes are perfect for me, anyway. I'm not suggesting it tastes like strawberry milk pop, but it tastes like Dr. Pepper if you added that type of strawberry flavor to it. I like it. They made it a permanent flavor before introducing it to the general public, so I'm guessing they got very favorable feedback in whatever taste tests they did.

[Edward64]

I was actually comparing it to below in flavor intensity.

[Edward64]

I have my doubts but I'll try it. I hope I like it, another way to flavor my black coffee. They better not add an additional $1+ to a Grande though.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/21/star...ed-coffee.html

Starbucks has a new way to customize its coffee: olive oil.

The coffee giant will launch its “Oleato” line in its roughly two dozen Italian locations on Wednesday and plans to bring it to Southern California this spring. The United Kingdom, Japan and the Middle East will follow later this year.

Oleato means “with oil,” according to Starbucks.

The idea was born from a trip that outgoing CEO Howard Schultz took to Italy this summer, where he witnessed Sicilians drinking olive oil as a daily ritual. He, too, began drinking olive oil alongside his daily coffee and decided that Starbucks should try to mix the two together.

Schultz teased the release on the company’s earnings call earlier in February, calling it “alchemy” and a “game-changer.”

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I was actually comparing it to below in flavor intensity.

That, I can at least, get my head around.

[Lathum]

I have a lot of friends with kids who are super involved in dance. It is a big thing around here. Predictably my facebook feed is flooded ith pictures from competitions, etc...which is fine, but it is impossible not to notice that they dress these nine your old girls up like cheap hookers. It's weird.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Here's a handy tip in case anyone ever has to deal with the confounded contraptions I just got whacked by. (yes, this feels like "random" not "mental health")

Long story short: wife had some retail-styled clothes racks. You know, like the merch in a boutique hangs on. On wheels, two parallel rods to a rack.
I was extracting the next batch of stuff to go to the dry cleaners from those racks & suddenly gravity intervened.

One piece too many from the "inside" rod & the weight on the "outside" rod took over. The damned thing kicked out & up and crashed to the ground.
The base cracking me in the shins as it flew outward.

Sigh. Yes, I have it upright again, balanced again, and reloaded.

But FML, that was NOT on my agenda today nor do I suspect that it's something any of you ever wanna do to yourself in the odd chance you end up fucking with one of those racks for any reason. Hell, I had no experience
dealing with the stupid thing, I didn't have a clue that might happen. So I share to help you avoid the same FML moment.

[Solecismic]

Odd Random Happening:

I was going to the shower, heard a truck outside the front of the house, looked out a window and saw a regular-issue postal delivery vehicle.

Our mailbox is in back, and everything gets delivered to the back door, so I thought that was odd, but made a note to check the front door later (we've had packages sit out there for a week without noticing them in the past).

When my wife got back from work a few minutes ago, I remembered the delivery and she went out to check.

Door Dash. Delivered by the post office. A first name on the receipt (no last name), a toll-free call-back number. No address. We've never ordered Door Dash. Four nicely packaged entrees and a receipt for $52. Hopefully, since it's cold outside, still OK after more than an hour on the porch.

We could call the restaurant or the toll-free number that might be the person who ordered it. Or, since this is weird beyond weird and the damage is already done, we have a nice dinner for tomorrow. Last thing I want is to be accused of being a porch pirate. Hopefully, whoever ordered it has a door cam and knows it was never delivered.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

Odd Random Happening:

I was going to the shower, heard a truck outside the front of the house, looked out a window and saw a regular-issue postal delivery vehicle.

Our mailbox is in back, and everything gets delivered to the back door, so I thought that was odd, but made a note to check the front door later (we've had packages sit out there for a week without noticing them in the past).

When my wife got back from work a few minutes ago, I remembered the delivery and she went out to check.

Door Dash. Delivered by the post office. A first name on the receipt (no last name), a toll-free call-back number. No address. We've never ordered Door Dash. Four nicely packaged entrees and a receipt for $52. Hopefully, since it's cold outside, still OK after more than an hour on the porch.

We could call the restaurant or the toll-free number that might be the person who ordered it. Or, since this is weird beyond weird and the damage is already done, we have a nice dinner for tomorrow. Last thing I want is to be accused of being a porch pirate. Hopefully, whoever ordered it has a door cam and knows it was never delivered.

To add to the weirdness? Googling about this led me to discover that DoorDash will now pick up packages for you & drop them off to be shipped by your chosen courier (FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc)

But nothing I see about USPS delivery for DoorDash. THAT is strange.

edit: of course the most obvious answer is, I guess, that an enterprising postal worker has decided to do a side job while they do their main job

[Solecismic]

The phone number, from reverse lookup, belongs to Door Dash. So, finding who ordered the food isn't going to happen. The restaurant only handles take-out orders online (the Door Dash markup is 20% - something to keep in mind if it's only a mild inconvenience to pick up your own food), so I can't contact them.

The other part of this mystery is that the date on the receipt is yesterday's, not today's. But we think we would have noticed a delivery around that time yesterday, plus why would the USPS driver stop at our door today, turn off the engine, and leave nothing.

Yeah, it must be a USPS driver picking up extra cash on his own, at taxpayer expense (wear and tear on the vehicle, maybe even still on the clock). Not my problem, though. If a manager at the USPS is so bad at his/her job that this is even possible, it's just not worth saying anything.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

Yeah, it must be a USPS driver picking up extra cash on his own, at taxpayer expense (wear and tear on the vehicle, maybe even still on the clock). Not my problem, though. If a manager at the USPS is so bad at his/her job that this is even possible, it's just not worth saying anything.

I actually doublechecked with a veteran postal employee I know, just to see if this has become a known issue or anything. She was as bewildered as me, particularly because any deviation of more than like 1.5 miles from their assigned route should be caught & questioned. That's like a real no-no even for small towns where carriers are using their own personal vehicles. (She's been reported and then questioned for going off-route on her own time after her route was already finished -- her pov is marked as a mail delivery vehicle etc -- just for picking up dinner on her way home for the day)

So if it IS what is kinda looks like, I doubt it'll be a scam that happens very long. USPS is a clusterfuck but they do manage to know the length of their routes, extra mileage would show up on a USPS-owned vehicle.

[Ghost Econ]

Was walking the dog and we saw a hawk sitting on a mound of dirt.

It turned to look at us and it had a still attached strand of a squirrel's intestine hanging out of its beak.

It was like watching a child eat spaghetti.

[Edward64]

You go girl. Enjoy life, you aren't hurting anyone so frak what others say or think.

She’s hung up on another younger man.

Insiders are saying that Madonna has a new lover in her life: 29-year-old boxing coach Josh Popper, according to the Daily Mail.

Popper is training one of Madonna’s children at Flatiron District gym Bredwinners, according to the report, and is also on this season of Bravo’s Hamptons reality TV show “Summer House.”

The 64-year-old split from her latest boy toy, skateboarder and model Andrew Darnell, 23, just last week.

[Edward64]

I like my optometrist but do not like the eyewear co. that is in the same office as him selling frames, prescription lenses & contacts.

I have always suspected that I could get a better deal in the internet. I know this has been true for contacts (from what my wife tells me) and I do think if you have a complicated prescription, it is probably worth the premium you pay for the peace of mind.

However, if you have single vision prescription, no funky astigmatism, definitely consider buying the frame & lens online. I just paid for one today and, although I had to check out glasses.com, target optical, lenscrafters, pearle (sucky website) and do the price compares, I found a great deal for the frame & lenses I wanted.

Yes, you can enter your vision insurance info on their website. I did the without and with compares, and could see a 50%+ different in price.

[Lathum]

I get the script then go to Costco.

[Edward64]

I've been to Costco but they really don't have a wide variety of name brand frames. If you are happy with the basic frame or limited options, then sure.

I've found (so far) glasses.com has the largest selection. Lenscrafters also has a good selection but it tried forcing me to higher priced lenses (fancy stuff) but glasses.com didn't, that was a min savings of about $80.

[cuervo72]

Ok, this Murdaugh stuff is interesting enough to some I guess, but is it really "World News?"

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Ok, this Murdaugh stuff is interesting enough to some I guess, but is it really "World News?"

I just looked out of curiosity.

It's currently the #1 story on bbc.com

edit to add: I will say that further review gives me a sense that the page is a LOT more heavily U.S. oriented than I normally see on a quick visit. Not sure if that's a new thing or what.

[Edward64]

Found guilty.

No need for a suicide watch, hope he offs himself and save taxpayers a bunch of money. Some people just deserve to die.

[cuervo72]

Jeez NBC even broke in (into their own newscast) with a SPECIAL REPORT on the verdict. As my wife said "it's like it's OJ or something."

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Found guilty.

No need for a suicide watch, hope he offs himself and save taxpayers a bunch of money. Some people just deserve to die.

I'm kind of surprised the verdict came back so quickly.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I just looked out of curiosity.

It's currently the #1 story on bbc.com

edit to add: I will say that further review gives me a sense that the page is a LOT more heavily U.S. oriented than I normally see on a quick visit. Not sure if that's a new thing or what.

Well outside the UK bbc.com directs to an entirely different 'international' site than those within the UK see, that is surely much more US focused....but I also don't think that's anywhere near new.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Ok, this Murdaugh stuff is interesting enough to some I guess, but is it really "World News?"

There is a Netflix show about it that the wife and I planned to watch this weekend. I don't know what the feed looks like elsewhere but that was the first thing that popped up on my screen when I open the app a few days ago.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Well outside the UK bbc.com directs to an entirely different 'international' site than those within the UK see, that is surely much more US focused....but I also don't think that's anywhere near new.

This was several times more U.S.-centric that I'd ever seen on the site previously. (that's the "newness" I was referring to)

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

There is a Netflix show about it that the wife and I planned to watch this weekend. I don't know what the feed looks like elsewhere but that was the first thing that popped up on my screen when I open the app a few days ago.

The only reason I had known about this was the Netflix series.

[Ksyrup]

Really? The entire saga has been covered as big news for months.

[cuervo72]

I mean, it's gotten the 20\20/Dateline/48 Hours and whatever other murder shows treatment for a while. But I don't know why *this one* is getting so much national, nightly news attention. Other than they think it gets eyeballs. In the grand scheme of things, I don't see it as particularly important. (Not that these days half of the news is, I guess. Old guy yelling at cloud and all that.)

[Ksyrup]

I know the family is only a local/SC celebrity but I assume the whole story involving the downfall of a rich family, embezzlement, murder, even a side story regarding a maid... It's got a little bit of everything.

[GrantDawg]

I have received all my information about the Murdaugh case by "Dateline: My Wife." She could be making crap up for all I know. I haven't read anything but the headlines about it, but she very enthusiastically tells me everything she hears as it goes.

[sterlingice]

It's one of those weird cases where I don't get how it bubbles to the top. It's definitely had outsized coverage for what it is. It would be one thing if it was Lindsey Graham or, as was mentioned above, OJ - someone who already had a Q rating. But, near as I can tell, no one outside of South Carolina knew who this guy was. Like if the local popular ambulance chaser (Jim Adler is Houston's, but most places have one) had gotten embroiled in some scandal, I wouldn't expect it to make national news.

SI

[flere-imsaho]

This is literally the first I've heard of this case.

[Ghost Econ]

I think it was a combination of factors.

1. That sleazy old South background and family who ran that part of the state.
2. The housekeeper who died mysteriously years ago (turns out he and the biggest bank in the state faked paying her family a settlement.)
3. The son who was murdered who a year earlier killed a cute girl in a boat crash and absolutely nothing happened.
4. The drugs and embezzlement from the law firm.
5. He then gets shot in the head on the side of the road in the most innocuous way possible.

Really all the salaciousness you could want for a murder mystery.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

3. The son who was murdered who a year earlier killed a cute girl in a boat crash and absolutely nothing happened.

The son could've been a great Senator from Massachusetts.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

The son could've been a great Senator from Massachusetts.

I vaguely remembered a story about a guy getting shot after his wife had been shot. I went on a small rabbit hole to see if that guy was Alex Murdaugh. As I read through the articles, my first thought was "Oh, these were the the Kennedys of the Lowcountry".

[molson]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

The son could've been a great Senator from Massachusetts.

Interestingly enough, Murdaugh is how that Senator would pronounce murder.

[miami_fan]

This school year, the local school districts have told middle and high school teachers that assigned homework will not count towards a student's report card grade. The teachers can assign home work as "practice". But the grade can not go in the official grade book. There are exceptions to the no homework rule. It does not apply to essays, long-term projects or even assignments begun in class but sent home for completion. To quote the school district "The focus is on extra work that teachers often send home for students to practice or review content covered in class." None of my son's 9th grade teachers have assigned him any "practice" homework so they are following the rules.

Today, a message was sent through the school's group chat from the Class of 2026 counselor that the third quarter grading period ends next Friday. It also tells students and parents to ask their teachers what the students can do to bring up their grades.

Doesn't that amount to asking the teacher to assign homework that will be graded that will count towards the student's report card grade?

[Ghost Econ]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

I vaguely remembered a story about a guy getting shot after his wife had been shot. I went on a small rabbit hole to see if that guy was Alex Murdaugh. As I read through the articles, my first thought was "Oh, these were the the Kennedys of the Lowcountry".

Possibly more inbred... but that could be debated.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

I think it was a combination of factors.

1. That sleazy old South background and family who ran that part of the state.
2. The housekeeper who died mysteriously years ago (turns out he and the biggest bank in the state faked paying her family a settlement.)
3. The son who was murdered who a year earlier killed a cute girl in a boat crash and absolutely nothing happened.
4. The drugs and embezzlement from the law firm.
5. He then gets shot in the head on the side of the road in the most innocuous way possible.

Really all the salaciousness you could want for a murder mystery.

That's right, I forgot about the son and the boat crash. That's actually what made this a big story to begin with as I recall there were questions about whether his death was related to that, and then you had the left turn of involving his dad, the embezzlement, the attempted staged killing/suicide. Really, I don't know how this story couldn't have become so big, given all the tentacles.

[Edward64]

Two life sentences.

I guess that's the best you can get if you're a non-capital offense person. Lifetime of appeals and a small tax payer fortune coming up.

He will spend the next few weeks at the R&E facility where he faces rigorous testing before he will be assigned to a permanent state prison. As he is a double murderer, he will be housed with the state's most brutal and violent inmates.

Meanwhile, in Belgium, a woman who murdered her 5 kids 16 years ago, is voluntarily euthanized. I assume there is a rigorous process to make sure she's of sound mind, really wants to do this etc. It's an option I would consider if I was stuck in prison for rest of my life.

[Edward64]

... and now for some levity

I don't come close to agreeing with this ranking and the methodology is suspect IMO but still interesting. I'll have to research if there is a better, world wide research/polling done.

(There's a ranking chart in the article, not able to embed here)

The 50 most attractive nationalities revealed: India is No.1, USA second - UK has most handsome men | Daily Mail Online

The 50 most attractive nationalities in the world have been revealed – and it's India that is No.1, with the USA beating Sweden to the runner-up spot.

The ranking was produced by an analysis of thousands of Reddit posts about attractive nations. Any Reddit posts referencing 'attractive', 'sexy', 'beautiful', 'handsome', 'gorgeous', 'good looking', 'pretty' and 'hot' with a country was analysed. A score was then created using the number of posts, comments and upvotes.

According to the study, by the swimwear brand Pour Moi, Japanese people are the fourth most attractive, Canadians the fifth best-looking and Brazilians the sixth.

The rest of the top ten comprises France (seventh), Italy (eighth), Ukraine (ninth) and Denmark (10th).

And for men, my guess is people are envisioning "Bond, James Bond". But I only see Austin Powers & King Charles.

The UK misses out on a top 10 spot – it comes 12th. But the study revealed that British men are thought of as the most attractive.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

There is a Netflix show about it that the wife and I planned to watch this weekend. I don't know what the feed looks like elsewhere but that was the first thing that popped up on my screen when I open the app a few days ago.

After watching the docuseries and a bit more sleuthing, I understand why this was world news. I did not know that the killing of the wife and youngest son had been breaking news at least on Fox News when it happened. It was also picked up by some of media outlets under the Murdoch umbrella.

Sidenote: I think all Southern small towns have a Murdaugh family in it. The family who has been there forever and basically runs the town behind the scenes. Even in the area of Dade County I grew up in, there was a family who had a member of their family in multiple elected goverment positions who allegedly did all kinds of shady shit behind the scenes. Does this happen everywhere else?

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Sidenote: I think all Southern small towns have a Murdaugh family in it. The family who has been there forever and basically runs the town behind the scenes. Even in the area of Dade County I grew up in, there was a family who had a member of their family in multiple elected goverment positions who allegedly did all kinds of shady shit behind the scenes. Does this happen everywhere else?

I grew up in a small self-contained incorporated suburb, and we had two families like this. In fairness to them, I don't think that they were involved in high-level shady stuff that I was aware of. But I was around the same age as their kids, and I remember the kids bragging about getting caught with weed or underage drinking or whatever and laughing about how their dad made it go away.