Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

@Tyranexx After having posted that, I thought afterwards that it might have come across as a bit harsh, regardless of the smiley indicating it being a joke, so my bad if it did, but I did wonder about how much more you can dress down from business casual before you go full-on hobo...

I get that sentiment of not being able to find something that's supposed to be really close to where you live. Especially what with all the small alleyways and streets around here.

Ah. The blackout saga continues.

Now with the extra benefit of loss of cellular data so now it's no power, no home wifi, and no personal hotspots either.

Ain't it cute.

On the brighter side, I found a mini USB fan I can use with an external battery, so at least my face can be fresh while the rest of me suffers in the dark.

@NintendoByNature
Its an amazing game, its one of the better gb games ever made.
The story is pretty deep for at that time

@NintendoByNature - Water heaters seem to be the least reliable major mechanical in any given home. Maybe it’s by virtue of their odd job of storing and continuously heating water in a big tank. Three years is absurd though, and sadly indicative of the throw away nature of what’s on offer, even on large expense items. Hopefully you can get it fixed up, and it has a long life. I looked in to tankless even before mine went out last fall, but it wasn’t right for the space.

@RedderRugfish - Man, that’s music to my ears. I was getting kind of disheartened as I learned more about it (thinking it was just a D&Bs), but the article was specific to mention a total of 200-250 cabinets. I’d be thrilled with anything you mentioned, and maybe some retro in there too. This will be less than five minutes by car from my house. I have great memories of two different KI cabinets. It was like a party playing that back in the day. It’s the perfect fighter for people of any skill level.

@RedderRugfish
There is a DDR A20 at my local arcade center.
Actually it was an update from DDR A to DDR A20.
So excited to play the newest DDR Arcade.

@ThanosReXXX Yeah that's reasonable. Both about console care and food. I'm sure part of my issue with McDonald's is something more because of my own stomach. I've had it suggested to me that it has something to do with how they cook and then recook their fries that makes something in them hard for certain people to digest. I'm frankly not willing to test this theory though.

@NintendoByNature I mean, you can get better options for the same price probably. That said, just because there are better quality options doesn't always mean those choices are as convenient. Even when I was willing to risk McDonald's it was never my first choice. I used to call it the ultimate 3rd choice, when you and your group of friends can't agree on anyone's first or second choice, well, there's always a McDonald's. Ah, high school, how different life was...

@NEStalgia Don't get me wrong, I understand a lot of what you're saying and I think most people my age and many people younger than me actually do too. (And I honestly REALLY hate that mindset of thinking the younger generations are ignorant, blind, brainwashed or stupid - it's a load of BS, please don't go there) But what can we do about it? Go without washing machines, phones and computers? Okay sure that's possible but no way people are going to do that in enough numbers to affect the companies enough to force them to change. Companies might make excuses about color or say they are going for energy efficiency to appease some environmentalists but those are just excuses and lies. The only thing corporations care about is profit. They measure consumer purchase patterns and sell products they think can best take advantage of it.

Maybe at some point companies actually did simply try and make the best, highest quality, consumer friendly products around - but I don't believe any major multi-national corporation cares in the slightest about doing this. Selling a product that lasts a consumer for 20+ years means that consumer isn't going to buy another one from you for 20+ years - that doesn't encourage profit the way selling a product that needs to be replaced every 5 years does.

There probably are some smaller companies that do still try the old ways - and I think they are doomed. You can't compete that way. No small family owned company building products that last and are easily repairable can compete with giant multi-national corporations and if they get popular enough, big multi-nats will just openly undercut them and shut them down.

Another factor is that repairable products are also bad for business. Unless these corporations also run repair companies, there is no profit to be had in selling a product that is easy to fix. Companies want to walk that line between a decent product and one that will eventually fail and encourage another sale, rather than a repair.

That's the unregulated free market everyone loves so much, whether they want to admit it or not.

@ThanosReXXX I didn't really take it as a harsh statement. I was in nice dress pants and a nice shirt, which was more or less what I would wear at my previous job. A step down for me are nice Jeans and a t-shirt, which is my preferred attire. Below that are well-worn/everyday clothes and casual shorts. There are even lower tiers, but I don't think I need to go into detail about those. XD

I would have had an easier time finding the church if I had searched the full name (which I didn't know at the time) instead of the address. It also would have helped if someone would have told me there was a cemetery nearby since those can be easily seen on maps.

@StableInvadeel Bummer. Hopefully the duration is short-term.

@Heavyarms55 I have a friend who also has a tough time with fast food. Not all of it affects her, but something about it in particular really puts her stomach through the wringer.

Ever since I changed my diet for the better, too much of that stuff does physically make me ill. I do occasionally eat fast food for a rare treat and don't typically have problems. Unfortunately, I also like long, crisp French fries, and generally homemade alternatives don't QUITE cut it for me.

i told everyone streets of rage 4 was coming.
i said it before anyone heard anything on it.
and i will engrave this in yer skulls foe lyfe.
never doubt an ogo79er

@Tyranexx It's not all fast food. While some do make me spend more time in the bathroom, only McDonald's actually makes me sick. It actually causes me pain and other... even less pleasant issues.

On the other hand, I make my own french fries pretty often now without much issue. Grocery stores here sell frozen ones that cook up real well in veggie oil.

I'll admit that I probably eat way too much fast food.

Tuesday nights I always stop by a burger place for dinner (usually Burger King or a local chain, though sometimes McDonald's), Friday nights it's Taco Bell, and on Saturdays I often order Pizza Hut (usually there's enough left over for me to have Sunday night as well).

I do cook the rest of the week, but even then it's stuff that's likely not all that good for you, like hot dogs, breaded fish patties (I bake them & make sandwiches with them), and frozen pizza. Ocassionally boxed mac n' cheese.

I'm just not much of a cook.

@Heavyarms55 I've tried making my own by cutting up potatoes and frying them in olive oil, but either I haven't done it enough, or I'm just bad at it. XD They typically turn out a little soggy, but edible. I should probably attempt it again soon.

At least the baked chicken with veggies I had last week turned out well. I'm trying to experiment more these days.

Cooking is a lot of work, from the prep to the cleanup, but I kind of enjoy every phase of it, especially when grilling. I’m not good at desert or baking, but I can put a meal on the table otherwise.

@RedderRugfish - Well, I’m now very excited. I can deal with all the other madness for a lineup like that, though I do enjoy some skee ball and table games. I’ll temper that excitement until I know about pricing. Modern cabinets and pinball tables can be incredibly pricey at some places if you pay as you play.

@ogo79 - I remember you talking about SOR4 back on the playground even before SOR. We were all like, “what are you EVEN talking about Ogo”, but just look at you now! Soak it up man. Soak it up.

@Tyranexx Sounds to me like you're soaking them in the oil or something, you want to fry them, not boil them. What kind of oil are you using too?

On the bright side, these blackouts have been considerably shorter than previous ones. At least none of them has lasted an entire freaking hour.

On the dim, candle lit, barely visible side, it's happened five times today.

Quantity of over quality, I see.

At least my phone only lost coverage once.

@RR529 If there was a place that delivered around here, I'd be ordering out way more often. But I live in a really rural area, if I want to eat something I didn't cook or reheat from a grocery store, I have to go out myself. Which is good motivation for me limiting eating out to once or maybe twice a week.

I've gotten pretty decent at baking and boiling things. I'm not bad with a grill, but the only one I currently have is a lame electric one that I inherited from my parents. I'll need to remedy that at some point. It's functional and gets the job done, but it's just not the same when compared to the electric ones I grew up eating off of.

@Heavyarms55 I've been using olive oil for the most part. It's very possible that I've been using too much as the recipes I find are usually intended for a certain volume of people; I usually cook just for myself. I've tried adjusting things accordingly, but it still needs some work.

@Tyranexx Try vegetable oil instead, that's what I use. I pan fan too. I put the fries in the pan and poor only enough oil to coat them, then fry them up while mixing them around with a wooden spoon.

@Heavyarms55 Hmm....That substitution may be worth a shot. To be honest, I haven't tried frying much of anything lately. I typically pan fry when I do. Thanks for the suggestion!

@Tyranexx I'm no expert chef either, but that's one thing I can consistently make reasonably well. Sometimes I like to melt cheese on the fries afterword, but that is such a heavy meal at that point. XD