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

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Absolutely without a single doubt THE most miserable household task I had to assume a couple years ago. And, accordingly, THE most stressful by a wide margin.

I spent a couple of years working for BCBSIL and even I find it difficult to figure out things sometimes when it comes to health insurance.

[Ksyrup]

With the wife having had hip surgery almost 2 months ago, we have done very little outside the house. But she got her brace off last week and can start slowly putting weight on the leg while using a walker, so we've gone out a few times.

She decided last night she wanted to go to Red Lobster. We haven't been there in a long time and certainly not since the whole bankruptcy thing. I was not prepared for what that place looked Ike at 5:30 on a Friday night. Ghost town. A few old couples. I joked that I felt like we were on the worst cruise ship in the world - empty and we're the youngest of a sparse crowd eating at dinner.

This place used to be SRO on a Friday night. And the irony is they never used to take reservations, but now that you don't need one, you can reserve a table through their app.

If this is representative of what RL's look like across the country, they won't be open much longer.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

With the wife having had hip surgery almost 2 months ago, we have done very little outside the house. But she got her brace off last week and can start slowly putting weight on the leg while using a walker, so we've gone out a few times.

She decided last night she wanted to go to Red Lobster. We haven't been there in a long time and certainly not since the whole bankruptcy thing. I was not prepared for what that place looked Ike at 5:30 on a Friday night. Ghost town. A few old couples. I joked that I felt like we were on the worst cruise ship in the world - empty and we're the youngest of a sparse crowd eating at dinner.

This place used to be SRO on a Friday night. And the irony is they never used to take reservations, but now that you don't need one, you can reserve a table through their app.

If this is representative of what RL's look like across the country, they won't be open much longer.

It is. Their prices are ridiculous and the food quality is terrible. I was craving some seafood for my birthday last year, and I decided I was going to splurge and get the Ultimate Feast at RL as a treat. It was like $54 for pathetic little servings of rubbery, low quality shellfish. I don't think the lobster tail tasted like lobster. It was all just nasty.
The only thing RL has going for it is the lunch special where you can get soup and salad for $10. Their clam cowder is still good, and pairs well with a Caesar salad. That with ceddar bay biscuits is the only reason to ever go.

[Ksyrup]

My meal was fine. I had the shrimp and scallops skewers for $22. To my surprise, the scallops weren't tiny. Baked potato was still good (I love the salt rim). They had a mango pineapple vinaigrette dressing that was good.

Mostly it was the atmosphere that was depressing. I felt like I was eating in a funeral parlor. I gave the waitress an extra tip because I figure she wasn't hitting close to a usual Friday night collection.

[Lathum]

the 80s style restaurants are all dying a slow death.

[Ksyrup]

Bring back Bennigan's!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Bring back Bennigan's!

Their smothered steak (onions & mushrooms, beneath cheese (mozz? provolone? I want to say the former but it feels like the latter would have been better?) ... STILL my single favorite restaurant dish EVER.

I miss it.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

I spent a couple of years working for BCBSIL and even I find it difficult to figure out things sometimes when it comes to health insurance.

Same for me, even including working for BCBSIL! When were you there?

[NobodyHere]

Are you an overweight male who wants to FEEL thin?

Just go to a screening of the new Deadpool movie. You'll be thinner than 90% of the guys there.

[cuervo72]

We used to go to RL all of the time; my wife and I first before kids (I'd get the $4.99(!) AYCE soup/salad), then often on Sundays when we were regularly doing church/Sunday school. At some point they just became too expensive for what they were, while at the same time they just started feeling...old. (Also didn't help that one kid stopped eating popcorn shrimp and never ate fish.)

My lament on "best dishes" that disappeared would actually be their wild mushroom soup. LOVED that stuff. But I guess nobody else did, and away it went. After that most of the time I ordered their calamari/broccoli appetizer as a main course.

[Lathum]

The only time I ever set foot in a RL was an uncle gave us a $50 gift card and we sat at the bar and drank with it.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

It is. Their prices are ridiculous and the food quality is terrible. I was craving some seafood for my birthday last year, and I decided I was going to splurge and get the Ultimate Feast at RL as a treat. It was like $54 for pathetic little servings of rubbery, low quality shellfish. I don't think the lobster tail tasted like lobster. It was all just nasty.
The only thing RL has going for it is the lunch special where you can get soup and salad for $10. Their clam cowder is still good, and pairs well with a Caesar salad. That with ceddar bay biscuits is the only reason to ever go.

Glad to hear other people had a similar experience as I did. We went back in May and it was the absolute worst. What's weird is we went in December to the same exact restaurant for my son's birthday and it was pretty good. After the May trip, my son swore off going to one of his favorite childhood restaurants forever.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Same for me, even including working for BCBSIL! When were you there?

2010-2012, roughly. You?

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

We used to go to RL all of the time; my wife and I first before kids (I'd get the $4.99(!) AYCE soup/salad), then often on Sundays when we were regularly doing church/Sunday school. At some point they just became too expensive for what they were, while at the same time they just started feeling...old. (Also didn't help that one kid stopped eating popcorn shrimp and never ate fish.)

Speaking of popcorn shrimp, nowhere to be found on the menu that I could see. It's been replaced with something called "crunch-fried" which the waitress described as basically popcorn shrimp with the tails on. I'm assuming that was a marketing move to make customers feel better about paying $20+ for mini-shrimp nuggets.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

2010-2012, roughly. You?

2018 to 2023. I was on 21, then moved to 37 shortly after the return to office. Left only because I got sick of being forced to come in to mostly sit on zoom calls with people in Dallas.

[flere-imsaho]

Not surprised they forced everyone to come back into the office - a lot of money was spent on that building.

I was on one of the lower floors, below 13, though I can't remember which one, exactly. Maybe 8. I joined when they were just finishing all the upper floors.

[Ksyrup]

"Target has your back to school."

Sorry, that sounds way too much like there's a Target on your back at school.

[Ksyrup]

Appears there will be another new permanent Dr. Pepper flavor coming early 2025 - Blackberry.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

Not surprised they forced everyone to come back into the office - a lot of money was spent on that building.

I was on one of the lower floors, below 13, though I can't remember which one, exactly. Maybe 8. I joined when they were just finishing all the upper floors.

Yep. They tried to be cool for a while, but eventually got more and more restrictive. I was hybrid before, in a very relaxed way, then with return to office, I was hybrid in a way where they were checking badges to see how often everyone came in. Meanwhile, we were considering moving back to Detroit, so I found something fully remote while we figured that out

This probably happened after you were there, but 8 became one of those "open" floors where they took out all the cubicles and replaced them with desks, then out in a large common area with a kitchenette, some games, and slightly better coffee.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

"Target has your back to school."

Sorry, that sounds way too much like there's a Target on your back at school.

That reminds we of when NPR had a promotion in 2020 where they were giving out black face masks (not blackface masks).

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Appears there will be another new permanent Dr. Pepper flavor coming early 2025 - Blackberry.

Interesting. I was commenting to wife/son after seeing an Olipop (?) commercial featuring a grape flavor that we don't put enough emphasis on soda flavors, everything usually just defaults to "Coke" flavor. Which is fine I guess, but thinking about it I don't know why everyone prefers it. Give me more cool options!

(Admittedly, I don't buy soda much anymore. But again, part of that is options -- harder to get various flavors in diet, and if you do it is almost certainly going to be just in a 2L.)

[Ksyrup]

I absolutely love most of the flavored pops. When I go to a place with a Coke Freestyle machine I will never get a plain flavor. The tropical Coke is pretty good. I'd buy that if they sold it.

[Ghost Econ]

Plain coke from a Freestyle tastes terrible.

[stevew]

I hate Freestyle Machines. Nothing like waiting behind a bunch of indecisive people just to get a Diet Coke that tastes like garbage.

[GrantDawg]

Coke Zero Cherry is better out of the Freestyle machine than it is out of the bottle.

[Ghost Econ]

Just watched a squirrel eat a mushroom. When it was done it just stood in place with a blank state. Then it started pointing at nothing.

[NobodyHere]

I have never watched a Mr. Beast video. Am I strange?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

I have never watched a Mr. Beast video. Am I strange?

Nah.

That's just means you're a full grown adult I think.

[dubb93]

I wouldn’t even know who Mr Beast is if my kids didn’t talk about him and I asked who he was. I think it’s pretty normal that most people above a certain age don’t know who basically any streamer is.

[Qwikshot]

My 12 y.o. watches him, he watches another ragtag group as well "Unspeakable", they're like Jackass without the cursing and nudity. I've tried to discourage him from watching them and at least explain they're like early 30 year old doing very stupid things.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

I have never watched a Mr. Beast video. Am I strange?

I was just only made aware of him a few months ago and have never watched a single video. I am not sure I could pick him out of a lineup.

[thesloppy]

I was instantly suspicious of Mr Beast the first time I ever saw a few of his videos. I got the vibe that all the good works were done in order to cynically game public opinion for profit, same as he did with the youtube algorhythm.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I was just only made aware of him a few months ago and have never watched a single video. I am not sure I could pick him out of a lineup.

Hadn't heard of him till the grooming allegations.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I absolutely love most of the flavored pops. When I go to a place with a Coke Freestyle machine I will never get a plain flavor. The tropical Coke is pretty good. I'd buy that if they sold it.

I used to do some outside counsel work for Coca-Cola. As a company, they didn't like freestyle machines or any fountain machine. They felt like it took the "Coca-Cola Experience" out of their hands and had to rely on third parties to maintain the machines, make sure they were clean, the mix was right, etc. They were worried that they couldn't control that experience and someone who have a bad tasting Coca-Cola product out of a machine, due to user error, and then relate that bad experience back to the Coca-Cola product in general.

[thesloppy]

There is a local indie theater here that is pretty much the only place I go to see movies in a theater anymore. I just got an email from them and I thought it would be this month's schedule but instead it was a partnered ad for an online make-a-will service and a plea to put them in my will.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I absolutely love most of the flavored pops.

Grape Sprite is a go-to for me on the freestyles.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I used to do some outside counsel work for Coca-Cola. As a company, they didn't like freestyle machines or any fountain machine. They felt like it took the "Coca-Cola Experience" out of their hands and had to rely on third parties to maintain the machines, make sure they were clean, the mix was right, etc. They were worried that they couldn't control that experience and someone who have a bad tasting Coca-Cola product out of a machine, due to user error, and then relate that bad experience back to the Coca-Cola product in general.

Interesting. Makes sense. They'll be assured knowing that I don't blame them for the time I went to 5 Guys, tried to get an Orange Coke Zero and the machine shot orange syrup all over my jeans and white shoes, permanently ruining both.

[B & B]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Grape Sprite is a go-to for me on the freestyles.

This is the type of statement that makes me change the mental image of the poster. From now on JiMG will appear like Stephan from Django in my mind.


And Im okay with that.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Somebody else's discussion caused me to try to figure out the last thing I watched on "traditional TV" other than live sports.

Best we could figure out, the answer is April 2020. (The mid-season finale of TWD S10)

I've watched a few Netflix series (all Will prompted), one Amazon series (Fallout) but other than that, I can't think of anything scripted on regular ol' channels. And I don't feel the slightest sense of loss about that, not one iota.

I mention that largely just to say how kinda, well, crazy that seems. Scripted just doesn't have much appeal to me in years and apparently nothing outside of a few streaming services even gets that close.

[Lathum]

Nothing like waking up at 2:45 and not being able to go back to sleep night before a 2 hour ferry ride followed by a 6 hour drive with your mother as the passenger

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Somebody else's discussion caused me to try to figure out the last thing I watched on "traditional TV" other than live sports.

Best we could figure out, the answer is April 2020. (The mid-season finale of TWD S10)

I've watched a few Netflix series (all Will prompted), one Amazon series (Fallout) but other than that, I can't think of anything scripted on regular ol' channels. And I don't feel the slightest sense of loss about that, not one iota.

I mention that largely just to say how kinda, well, crazy that seems. Scripted just doesn't have much appeal to me in years and apparently nothing outside of a few streaming services even gets that close.

Before Elsbeth this past spring, I think the last thing I watched on network TV that wasn't sports or news programming was a short-lived true crime summer series a few years back about forensic genealogy used to solve cold cases. But in terms of plain old scripted TV, I'd have to go back to the early CSI days in the mid-00s. I did watch the Mindhunter series on Netflix which was scripted but also a true crime story about the origins of the FBIs behavioral psychology unit in the 70s and 80s (which unfortunately ended prematurely after 2 seasons).

Aside from that... I still watch Columbo 4 or 5 times a week.

[flere-imsaho]

We cut the cord 11 years ago and our kids were born in 2008 and 2011, so I'd guess the last thing, cable or network, that I actually watched when it aired, besides sports or news, had to have been over 20 years ago.

[Qwikshot]

I got Columbo the 70s on Blu Ray, may splurge on the Magnum PI box set. I watch House on Amazon Prime (no commercials).

Because of my demanding life and the kids, I get very little time to commit to something that isn't quickly digestable, something I can walk away from and come back and not feel out of place. Yes there are story arcs in some of these shows but you know the principle character and that's the main focus.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Somebody else's discussion caused me to try to figure out the last thing I watched on "traditional TV" other than live sports.

Best we could figure out, the answer is April 2020. (The mid-season finale of TWD S10)

I've watched a few Netflix series (all Will prompted), one Amazon series (Fallout) but other than that, I can't think of anything scripted on regular ol' channels. And I don't feel the slightest sense of loss about that, not one iota.

I mention that largely just to say how kinda, well, crazy that seems. Scripted just doesn't have much appeal to me in years and apparently nothing outside of a few streaming services even gets that close.

Not to mention that basically anything scripted on traditional TV is also going to be on a streaming service somewhere. It really feels like live sports is the only thing holding those businesses together. Makes sense that WB is going to fight so hard to keep the NBA on their channel and off streaming services.

[NobodyHere]

I think the last thing I recall ever watching on TV was Fox's Sunday evening animation block a couple years ago. I've been cordless for almost 5 years now and most of my time is spent on video games or reading.

[Ghost Econ]

Was on a work call with someone who clearly works from home. I could barely hear them talk because someone/some dog was loudly snoring in the background. The person didn't comment on it so I assume it's just a normal occurrence.

[Lathum]

Is anyone else terrified to eat anything from their parents house if you can’t identify the expiration date?

[NobodyHere]

Does anyone think cannibalism would be more accepted if human meat was really tasty?

[Ksyrup]

How do you know it's not?

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

How do you know it's not?

Good point.

ETA: Google says it tastes like pork or veal.