Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

@bimmy-lee I still have several men's World Cup Soccer matches in mind, going all the way back to '74...

@HobbitGamer Yup, we're a very boxy species. Put it in a box, label it, problem solved and named...
We need boxes and boundaries, otherwise we enter the unknown, or we remain there, and people don't like unknowns. By nature, we need to define everything in our world, as best we can, and if we aren't able, that generally annoys or fazes us.

And it is indeed a very human thing to do, to generalize. Albeit sometimes also because there's no comparison to the custom or behavior in their own culture, and as such, it would indeed be labeled as belonging to a certain country or region.

I already touched upon what you said, though, in the first two paragraphs of the text wall I sent to @bimmy-lee. Foreign people do the same with the Dutch, and all people of the world will probably have fixed ideas about various countries and how "all people" live, eat and behave over there, regardless of whether or not that's actually true...

Meanwhile, Disney is trying to balance their hit and miss ratio again:
Who could have thought, that after all the ethnically and locale-correct movies they've done so far, that the live-action reboot of the Little Mermaid would feature an African American actress?

I mean: the origin of the story is Danish, aka Scandinavian, and although there are people from all kinds of countries living their now, the indigenous people are of course all Caucasian, and back then, there were no people of color over there, so if this new movie still takes place in the same time period, then that's a rather weird choice from Disney. They should have stayed true to the source material, like they've done with the other live-action reboots.

It's a shame too, because regardless of how good of an actress and singer this girl might be, it'll be a huge distraction for many people that will subconsciously compare this to the cartoon original.

Still waiting for that historically accurate, live action Pocahontas 😂

So while they replaced the seal and sandblasted rust off the driveshaft, under warranty, another problem arose. The front passenger tire is starting to shred. While they were showing me that, we checked the ball joints; all upper and lowers are shot. That’s what is causing the camber angle to jack up and eat tires. The tire replacement, gubbins, and labor is under $100, I’ll have to see tomorrow what ball joints they can scare up. Another wear and tear part that’s still the factory item, though. So I guess I’m around the time that all those need replacements.

@HobbitGamer maybe I needed to purchase collection of patience too. I really need some as I get older 😂. Sucks about the car my man. Always something going on with those buggers

@HobbitGamer Yeah, that will probably always be a touchy subject. Enough real movies and series made about it already, though. And at least that animated movie was ethnically correct. But if they're gonna apply the Little Mermaid treatment to more live-action Disney movies from now on, then we might also see a Chinese or white Pocahontas...

@HobbitGamer I'm beginning to think that you don't have the best luck with vehicles.

@ThanosReXXX I do tend to get a little stuffed at times during the spring, but the main problem is that my eyes would really start itching. My right eye in particular liked to develop a line of bumps under the lower lid. Getting better about cleaning my contacts right after outdoor activities and using eye drops helped, but I still had a few issues this past spring. In all honesty I should've switched into glasses full time for a bit, but I didn't have an updated pair then.

I'm still not sure if it's a type of tree pollen that I'm apparently allergic to, or the grass itself.

I do use lubricating eye drops as I do experience mild dry eye symptoms. Some of it was due to my heavy contact use, while the rest of it kinda comes with heavy screen and book use. XD I've become better about taking breaks. Mild dry eye symptoms are a given for a little while anyway since it's a short-term side effect from my surgery.

I also agree with you on med use. While I'm not against using them if I really, truly need them, I'm also not a fan of pumping my body full of random over-the-counter stuff that may or may not help with everyday things. The only OTC meds I stock are ibuprofen and generic Benadryl, both of which see very little use.

@HobbitGamer Philosophical question for you (and anyone else reading) how many parts of something can you replace before you consider it something else? Like if you have a car, and you replace the wheels, engine and doors. Is it really still the same car? Or is it a new car with some old parts?

I read a book recently where this got brought up. Although in that case it was with regards to someone asking about a person - trying to get a mad scientist to save someone by replacing all their individual organs, one at a time.

@ThanosReXXX - It’s really crazy how they stick with you. I have such vivid memories of certain sporting events through the years, most of them terrible losses. I guess it’s this way with fanatics. My friends and I often joke that we care way more than the actual players. I used to care a lot more, but time and other priorities have taken a bit of the vinegar out of me. I still get pretty revved up for my NFL team and certain other events though.

@NintendoByNature - It’s the worst running over living creatures. I’ve seen some pretty bad ones. I grew up rural and a friend of mine hit two different deer on the same day, with the same vehicle in two separate accidents. That was a bad day for him. And the deer. My dad accidentally ran over a good sized painted turtle once when we were at the lake. I had to go back for a look. It was a nightmare.

@HobbitGamer - It’s incredible that the ole Dodge pickup still has its original tie rods. You have a good one. That could have easily been done three times over for its age. I can’t remember if you’ve mentioned mileage, maybe it’s crazy low? If it were a Ram around the same age, they’d probably be replaced every year after maybe 50k miles. What are you thinking on tires? I’m a Bridgestone/Firestone guy myself, depends on the vehicle, but there are lots of good options for your pickup.

@HobbitGamer - Yup, mind blown. If you can get 20 years out of anything, you’re on the right track. I love the first generation CRX. I worked at a firestone store for a while about 10 years ago, and I had a regular customer who had one so tuned up, that I got nervous driving it into the shop. He bought a pair of the cheapest performance tires I had every few months. He liked them specifically because they didn’t have any grip. Must have been some money in having a car that fast.

@bimmy-lee Oh man those boxy CRX models were great. They’re so light to begin with,, and there’s not a bunch of gubbins taking space. I had one in Tennessee, and made some scratch at the Bristol dragway once in awhile for fun. But it was a great grocery car too. I think mine got about 29-33mpg by the time I’d rerouted vacuum and taken off redundant things.

I’ve learned that I can’t play Graveyard Keeper past 9pm or else I lose track of time. But I just made my fifth zombie minion, so there’s that.

I've learned to take Yoshi's Island in small spurts at a time. I'm starting to warm up to the game more, but it's kinda annoying when you're knocked halfway down a pit with no easy way back to the top, and there's a crying baby waiting....

@HobbitGamer Ah, makes sense. XD I also buy used, though I tend to pick things that won't need major tune-ups for awhile. I can do some very basic car maintenance, but I've never been much of a gearhead.

@RedderRugfish I have only seen screenshots of the game on 64. How does it play? Does it comes even close to PC?

@RedderRugfish My life for Aiur!! Few things in games are more wonderful to my ears than hearing “Carrier has arrived”

@Tyranexx I'd advise against ibuprofen. Even in small doses, it's more damaging than nearly any other painkiller. The only one I stock, is paracetamol, which in the US is known as acetaminophen or Tylenol.

@bimmy-lee You're friends definitely aren't wrong, but if you stop to think about it for a moment, then you'd soon realize that the players and the teams simply don't have the luxury to care as much or as long, because after the loss of the game, or even a championship, they have to move on, and change their mindset to training for the next game or the new season, while we as spectators are still left with the defeat of our team.

But yeah, becoming older takes the edge off a bit, and being a parent probably also helps in some ways. Although, if you look at my old man, who's 76 now, and is still shouting at the TV screen, so for some people, some things never change...

@HobbitGamer God, no. How would that even work? Would it then be an ice slipper instead of a glass shoe? And they only rub noses instead of kissing?

@Heavyarms55 Concerning your philosophical question, I'd say I have to agree with @HobbitGamer where the car is concerned: engine and transmission is like the heart and soul of a car. If it would concern a human, then far as I'm concerned, the same would be true: heart and soul = the person, so as long as the heart and brains are still together, regardless of them being put in a cybernetic body for all I care, then it would still be you.

The body is not you. Got a nice quote for you that supports that notion:

I turn to you, I poke you in the arm with my finger
and I ask: "Is this your body?" You answer: "Yes."
I then ask: "Well, if that's your body, then WHAT are you?"

@ThanosReXXX Yes, then the prince has to spend 55 minutes on screen searching a frozen tundra for the right fishing hut to find the woman that fits the ice slipper.

So....the ball joint job is around $700. Dang factory design has the originals welded to the control arms, otherwise I'd do it myself. Pooooooooopy diapers.

I have bones from a dead man in my neck, the threads from a surgical screw in my ankle, and ink under my skin. Still me because me isn’t my body. Not sure what me is, but it isn’t my shell.

@ThanosReXXX - Yep, that’ll probably be me if I’m lucky enough to live that long. I still do plenty of yelling/cursing at my TV. Nice quote, I enjoyed that, what is it from?

@HobbitGamer - Awe man, you have to buy the whole knuckle. Huge job. Sorry man.

@bimmy-lee
I have bones from a dead man

What?!

I still do plenty of yelling/cursing at my TV

I did when i was kid and preTeen. 😳
I had tendency to hit the TV when i saw some violences like peoples fighting or peoples arguing with anger.
I had ever condemned some actor / actress due to their F***ing evilness (example Soraya Montenegro from telenovela Maria la del Barrio, that f***ing b**** 😠 ) and i still f***ing hate them until today. I hate them to death.

Guess it's not as bad as a boneless banana

Did subscribe myself on a horror stream in the Netherlands, gotta say its pretty cool