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

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

I don't want to corrupt the MLB thread since this has little to do with the on field games today.

Atlanta Braves to reduce Tomahawk Chop in Game 5

Why now? Why are the comments of Ryan Helsley the tipping point for this? What am I missing?

I really am not trying to get into the right, wrong and rights of the Chop. That has been discussed ad nauseam. It just seems weird that it was cool for Game 1 and 2 but then Ryan Helsley said something and then poof... reduction of the Chop.

Ryan Helsley is a member of the Cherokee Nation. I wonder how many others who are Native American have played in Atlanta the last few years?

Back in 2008, the New York Times did an article on it and the only current Native Americans were Joba Chamberlain (Winnebago Nation) of the Yankees, Jacoby Ellsbury (Navajo) of the Boston Red Sox and Kyle Lohse (Nomlaki Nation) of the St. Louis Cardinals - and they counted only 50 Native Americans in baseball history.

Seems like Helsley and Ellsbury are the only current Native Americans:

American Indian Baseball Players by Baseball Almanac

Maybe it was just right timing?

[Edward64]

Ouch. Reminds me of "this is your brain on drugs" back in the 80's.

Mother's photos of her son taken months apart reveal horrific toll of heroin and meth addictionÂ* | Daily Mail Online

A mother has shared heartbreaking pictures of her son showing how he became emaciated and gaunt after spiraling into drug addiction.

Jennifer Salfen-Tracy posted before and after images of Cody Bishop taken just seven months apart.

In the first image he is pictured looking athletic and fresh-faced, but in the second image Bishop's face appears more gaunt and his emaciated body looks much thinner, with track marks from intravenous injecting clearly visible along his lower arms.

[JPhillips]

Eliud Kipchoge breaking the 2 hr mark for a marathon is crazy impressive.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I have a similar memory that is burned in my head even years later: I was at a fairgrounds concert with my buddy (Steely Dan AND Michael McDonald)...

[stevew]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Eliud Kipchoge breaking the 2 hr mark for a marathon is crazy impressive.

I didn’t really pay much attention but they used pacers and controlled conditions. It’s a great achievement but I wonder how much longer it’ll be until someone routinely breaks 2 in something like Boston or NYC or any of the other major races.

[Edward64]

They really needed different colors like Gold-Red-Blue.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/16/tech/...scn/index.html

Virgin Galactic, the space tourism startup that could be months away from its first commercial flight, unveiled its line of Under-Armour-made spacesuits for passengers.

The royal blue jumpsuits are made of lightweight "flight-grade" fabric and have a backup air supply to keep customers comfortable as they hurtle more than 50 miles into the atmosphere at up to three times the speed of sound. The material is made from special yarn designed by Under Armor that can help regulate body temperature.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I like the way Virgin avoided using the term "vault suit"

[Chief Rum]

Is that the Matrix breaking up over the heads of the two on the ends.

[ISiddiqui]

Looks like the next season of Star Trek Discovery

[JediKooter]

I think rich people really start these things just so they can wear fancy jump suits.

[Edward64]

I was at Dragon Con a couple years ago and saw some Picard TNG outfits. If they were made out of better materials, I would have bought one just for Halloween.

[molson]

I feel like such a goober when I make a reservation at a restaurant and then we're the only customers there.

[RendeR]

Never wrong to be planning ahead.

[JediKooter]

I hate moving. I really do. However, this time I don't "have" to move, so I can be picky and I have to say, it definitely makes it better, but, I still hate moving.

Edit: By move, I mean, change places where I store myself and most of my stuff. Not just my body moving.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I'm pretty tired of Harry and Meghan in the news.

I'm hoping this is the obligatory get to know Harry & Meghan couple years and then it'll focus rightly back on Charles & Camila and the woes of the Prince in Waiting

Oh com'on Harry & Meghan. Not going to feel sorry for a couple that has all the resources in the world for not being "ok" with all the intense media scrutiny.

You don't need to be in the limelight (pity William instead, he has to be). The answer is simple - stay out of the limelight, stop talking to the press directly, do your charitable work behind the scenes or let someone else be your spokeperson. Move to South Dakota if you really, really want to get away from it all.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/21/europ...gbr/index.html

Clearly trying to find the right words to convey herself, Meghan then thanked Bradby for asking if she was alright in the wake of the intense media scrutiny.

"Thank you for asking. Not many people have asked if I'm OK, but it's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes," she said.

Pressing on, Bradby asked Meghan whether that meant she wasn't OK, and that it "really" had been a struggle, the former actress replied simply with one word: "Yes."

[ISiddiqui]

Though I think what you are ignoring there is that there have been some pretty racist sort of things said against Meghan, which I'd imagine would make someone struggle even if they were in a privileged position.

British tabloids are like on a far different level than American paparazzi. I don't blame her for being surprised by it.

[miami_fan]

Our country's fascination with the British royals is something I really do not understand. That being said, the idea of asking someone if they are mentally all right being off putting is frankly kinda of weird IMO. If I was talking to someone and they had that look on their face, I hope I would ask if they were all right. That person has some things on her mind!

[ISiddiqui]

It's far better to be fascinated with British royalty than trying to create our own - whether it be the Kennedys or some fans of Trump wanting him to be King.

[PilotMan]

After all of the self reflection as a society that was done after the death of Diana, it's a pity that nothing ultimately ended up changing, or that we look at the events of today, as anything other than a repetition of the past. It's as bad now, as it's ever been. The things that have actually been published by the British tabloids are simply shocking at times. It's unreal that people have to deal with that.

[Edward64]

Scary and pretty cool also. Assuming its gone through the necessary trails, approvals, ethical consideration etc. ... yes, I would want gene defects to be available after the patient has been fully educated.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/22/healt...scn/index.html

Scientists have developed a new gene-editing technology that could potentially correct up to 89% of genetic defects, including those that cause diseases like sickle cell anemia.

The new technique is called "prime editing," and was developed by researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, who published their findings Monday in the journal Nature.

Prime editing builds on powerful CRISPR gene editing, but is more precise and versatile -- it "directly writes new genetic information into a specified DNA site," according to the paper.
:
:
"With prime editing, we can now directly correct the sickle-cell anemia mutation back to the normal sequence and remove the four extra DNA bases that cause Tay Sachs disease, without cutting DNA entirely or needing DNA templates," said David Liu, one of the authors of the study, in a Broad Institute press release.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Scary and pretty cool also. Assuming its gone through the necessary trails, approvals, ethical consideration etc. ... yes, I would want gene defects to be available after the patient has been fully educated.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/22/healt...scn/index.html

This is scary...

What can sometimes be a detriment, can also be an advantage. Sickle cell is a good example, having one of the genes helps against malaria (which is prevalent in West Africa, where many people with sickle cell live), having two of the genes gives you sickle cell anemia which is also bad.

[Edward64]

You can't beat Costco's $1.50 hot dog + drink combo.

We used to always spend too much buying more than we should but now we have gotten into a rhythm of just buying what we need from Costco and buying the other stuff (in smaller quantities) at regular grocery chains.

We always end up getting the combo afterwards.

[tarcone]

Didnt know where else to post this, s I will put it here.

Just got my A1C results from the last 3 months. A normal reading is a 5.7 or under. That is a reading of 120. Normal is 80-120 for you non-diabetics.

My reading was a 6.3 or an average of 130.

That is a fantastic 3 month average if I say so myself.

[hollmt]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Didnt know where else to post this, s I will put it here.

Just got my A1C results from the last 3 months. A normal reading is a 5.7 or under. That is a reading of 120. Normal is 80-120 for you non-diabetics.

My reading was a 6.3 or an average of 130.

That is a fantastic 3 month average if I say so myself.

Good job, Tarcone.

I'm sure I missed it, but are you Type 1 or 2? How long? What was your previous A1C?

[tarcone]

Type 1 for 32 years now. Previous A1C was 6.5. Im rocking the pump and sensor combo. And as my doctor says, I have the good type 1 diabetes.

[hollmt]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Type 1 for 32 years now. Previous A1C was 6.5. Im rocking the pump and sensor combo. And as my doctor says, I have the good type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 here as well since '98. I have the 670G and it works well for me. My last was a 6.5 (from a 7.1), so it steadily improves.
Keep up the work and eat a piece of cake to celebrate!

[thesloppy]

Nicely done!

[cartman]

One of our big customers is a direct to consumer diabetes supply company. They have been selling the Abbott CGMs as fast as they can get them in stock. The new Medtronic devices like the one hollmt has are super sweet.

[Radii]

Congrats tarcone, that's great news

[Lathum]

That is great Tarcone. Keeping blood sugar in check can be a bitch.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 about 6 years ago. Everyone was baffled because I wasn't your typical diabetic. 6-1/ 220. Worked out. Did cardio. Ate halfway decent (can always do better), didn't drink soda. I made a lot of changes and got my A1C to 5.3 and always questioned not only the diagnosis but my lifestyle.

Fast forward 5 years later and my new doctor runs some tests. Liver function comes back high. I like to have drinks, but again, nothing off the charts. He tells me about this relatively rare disease called hemochromotosis. I get tested and have it.

Basically what happens is your body doesn't process iron properly and instead deposits it into your organs, primarily your liver, heart, and pancreas. Long story short the excess iron is what nuked my pancreas, not anything I did.

I got the treatment for the disease, which is regular phlebotomy, once a week for 3 months to get the iron out, then as needed, but I still have the diabetes.

[RendeR]

Been a type II diabetic for almost 2 decades. I'm a HORRIBLE diabetic. Bad eating habits, terrible med taking record. I don't even track my sugar well. I suck at being a patient.

back in July my A1C was 11.3

Wednesday it is down to 8.8

Its still bad, but at least I'm going in teh right direction.

[Critch]

Why does blocking the toilet make me feel more masculine?

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Critch

Why does blocking the toilet make me feel more masculine?

Just put the seat down -- cats can't lift it.

[miami_fan]

I was today years old when I found out that emergency transport in an ambulance is $598.33. $526.33 plus 12.00 per mile.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

I was today years old when I found out that emergency transport in an ambulance is $598.33. $526.33 plus 12.00 per mile.

That's actually cheaper from what I have heard from some others.

Also, this seems oddly specific. Did you recently have occasion to need one? Hope all is well.

[thesloppy]

When I was on Medicaid i got to the point where taking an ambulance to the hospital cost less (free) than taking the bus or a taxi. It still wasnt very enjoyable.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

That's actually cheaper from what I have heard from some others.

Also, this seems oddly specific. Did you recently have occasion to need one? Hope all is well.

My wife used one recently. She is fine but they sent her a bill instead of sending it to my insurance company. Thanks for asking.

I just realized my privilege and good fortune of having absolutely no idea of the costs associated with an ambulance ride in 2019. I wouldn’t have come anywhere close to that number if asked before today and I had no idea that mileage was a separate charge. It’s been a long time that I have been that ignorant to the cost of something that common. Just surprising.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

My wife used one recently. She is fine but they sent her a bill instead of sending it to my insurance company. Thanks for asking.

I just realized my privilege and good fortune of having absolutely no idea of the costs associated with an ambulance ride in 2019. I wouldn’t have come anywhere close to that number if asked before today and I had no idea that mileage was a separate charge. It’s been a long time that I have been that ignorant to the cost of something that common. Just surprising.

Sadly, that is a primary reason for the runaway cost of healthcare in this country. Insurance and healthcare companies have done what they could to hide the real prices they are charging each other from us regular blokes. They charge each other higher and higher, along with Big Pharma, and then all of those falsely inflated costs are passed along to us in the form of increased premiums and a drops in coverage.

They have set up a labyrinthine system of payments, much of which are hidden either as a rule of doing business or under the questionable determination that they fall under medical confidentiality protection. And they pay the politicos very well to not dig too deep oe enforce too much regulation.

And everyone not in on the pot of gold wonders why our costs for healthcare go up while the quality of saidnhealthcare falls. There is no connection to actual supply and demand.

[molson]

Have we backed of the thing from the last few years where you have to stay in your race lane for Halloween costumes? I'm seeing a lot of white liberal friends and their kids rocking stuff like black panther, Japanese geishas, and Moana tonight.

If I had a kid, I'd be so psyched if he wanted to be black panther because he thought black panther was awesome and wasn't hopelessly wrapped up in thoughts of whether it was culturally appropriate. Even though as I type that I wonder if that would be considered bad parenting to relish in his racial ignorance that he could maintain only because of his white privilege

I was elderly Larry Bird last year. (The wig was whiter than I expected). Sitting this year out

[albionmoonlight]

I don't know why I enjoy it so much, but I love watching the players after pro sporting events who have been teammates in the past greet each other and act like they are seeing their long lost brother after 10 years.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by molson

If I had a kid, I'd be so psyched if he wanted to be black panther because he thought black panther was awesome and wasn't hopelessly wrapped up in thoughts of whether it was culturally appropriate. Even though as I type that I wonder if that would be considered bad parenting to relish in his racial ignorance that he could maintain only because of his white privilege

My 6 year old daughter was Uma from The Descendants. My daughter is blond haired, blue eyed, white as can be upper middle class. Uma is a black girl from the ghetto.

Race played zero roll in her choice, she just likes Uma. I don't think it makes us bad parents that we enjoy the fact our kids at this point don't see race, and I certainly don't feel bad about my privilege.

[PilotMan]

My water usage has gone up over 20% since my boys became teenagers.



Chances are that can't all be attributed to more dishes and more laundry.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by molson

Have we backed of the thing from the last few years where you have to stay in your race lane for Halloween costumes? I'm seeing a lot of white liberal friends and their kids rocking stuff like black panther, Japanese geishas, and Moana tonight.

If I had a kid, I'd be so psyched if he wanted to be black panther because he thought black panther was awesome and wasn't hopelessly wrapped up in thoughts of whether it was culturally appropriate. Even though as I type that I wonder if that would be considered bad parenting to relish in his racial ignorance that he could maintain only because of his white privilege

I was elderly Larry Bird last year. (The wig was whiter than I expected). Sitting this year out

Eat your heart out!

Halloween 2019: The best celebrity costumes - BBC News

[molson]

The furnace at my house started making noise, struggling to produce heat, until eventually not working at all. Had to wait a few days for the furnace company I trust to come by. They show up and the furnace kicked on immediately with no problems and his inspection revealed no issue.

I guess that's better than having to buy a new furnace. But that was a cold couple of days....My space heater positioning game mastered in my younger days in shitty apartments is still on point though.

[Ben E Lou]

Out of the blue, our 6yo has starting addressing my wife as “Mother,” and it is glorious.

“Mother, may I have some water?”

“That’s a good idea, Mother.”

“Thanks, Mother.”

It’s a struggle for me to keep from busting out laughing every time she does it. Pray for me, y’all! ��

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Out of the blue, our 6yo has starting addressing my wife as “Mother,” and it is glorious.

“Mother, may I have some water?”

“That’s a good idea, Mother.”

“Thanks, Mother.”

It’s a struggle for me to keep from busting out laughing every time she does it. Pray for me, y’all! ��

That is great

Must be a 6 year old thing, my daughter has started calling me Papa recently.

[Edward64]

Great & bad packaged ramen.

During college days, there wasn't that much variety. Nowadays, you can get better ramen at Krogers or Publix. Not near the variety as in an asian grocery store but still some good stuff.

Been watching some ramen shows on Prime like Midnight Cafe and got inspired to make some "fresh" (not packaged ramen) yesterday. It turned out well and I'll be experimenting more.

For those that like ramen but may not be as aware, you owe it to yourself to try the "great" ramen below. Its the best of the packaged ones I've tried (and I've tried many).

Bad - cheap and bad. 4 or 5 for a $1




Great ramen

[thesloppy]

I feel like this dude is in 2 out of every 3 things I watch:

[Lathum]

Can’t remember the last time I endorsed a check was.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Can’t remember the last time I endorsed a check was.

You sound like my wife. (This is an ongoing topic here for the past couple of years).

I did check with the bank recently, who told me that checks for deposit are still supposed to be endorsed and can be rejected (or the deposit delayed) if they aren't. Since I'm not a fan of either of those things, it's worth a few seconds to me to avoid the risk.