If you want to make an apple pie from scratch you must first invent the universe.

If your friend’s car looks like this, check on them. When my car was that bad it’s because my mental health was in the gutter.

Yep. Too many people think attractive only means good looking. I may not be good looking, but I’m not real smart either. I forget where I was going with this.

That last sentence is the one. Until someone comes out with a study we’re not going to know because what we see is informed by where we choose to go. I’m not generally in places where you can buy fancy coffee so I don’t see it, but I sure hear about it. If we’re only going by what I see then hardly anyone drinks coffee and people order green tea shots at an alarming rate.

You’re definitely not wrong there. There’s good coffee here but you’ve got to go out of your way to get it. I’ll have it from time to time, but I’m not a huge coffee drinker. I’m an unsweet tea guy. You know, or bourbon. I was inoculated by institutional government coffee years ago so nothing phases me.

Is it? I’m not the one downvoting here, I’m just not convinced. There’s still a lot of folks drinking drip coffee at home or at greasy spoon joints every day. Starbucks and the like is loudly popular but tons of folks still use the old drip machines or (ugh) cup/pod systems.

It’s been pretty good at finding functions that don’t exist.

That definitely became a thing. They think if you have an older car it means you won’t have insurance so they’ll be able to ticket you. Drug dealers around here used to ride in hoopties (the assumption at the time was that cops wouldn’t stop them because they knew they didn’t have any money) which probably doesn’t help the perception of older cars. They moved on a while back to newer and more invisible cars like slightly used SUVs.

For a while the number of white cars on the road was like 1/3 (the greatest number), black cars made up about 1/5, and red was 5%. But red cars were pulled over the second most.

Blame the cops. They were pulling over brighter vehicles at a higher rate for a long time. May still be.

Your husband and I could be best friends because I also have poor hearing and can do the same thing with motorcycles with a pretty high success rate.

We can sit in the same room not talking. Then one of us will think the other said something and yell “Huh?”. The other will loudly reply “What?”. Then that’ll go on for several minutes until we both smile and nod.

Probably. We have the nine banded ones here in Texas. They can’t roll into a ball like that.

Theoretically? Maybe. If a critical mass of people started voting in primaries for candidates who promise that then followed through with voting in the general. Then primaried them the second they veered off the path.

In reality? That’s not going to happen. Moneyed interests, entrenched systems, lying jackasses, and low information voters will stand in the way.

I never heard that about aliens (probably grew up in too podunk a place for anyone to bring it up) but 100% heard this about hauntings. Anything related to ghosts is demonic or satanic.

Along with any bad thing that happens. Alcoholism? Demon got him. Accidentally killed a kid? Demon. Purposely killed and ate a kid? Demon. Spilled breakfast cereal? Demon. Don’t like the way someone looks? A demon is probably in them, you can see it behind their eyes. Cheat on your wife? Demon. Get caught getting split open by two dudes in a truck stop bathroom? Demon. “Wrestle with gay thoughts” to the point where you think homosexuality is a choice? Well, thoughts of sweaty men showering together were sent directly by Satan himself.

For a bunch of folks who say you should take personal responsibility they sure blame a lot of shit on demons.

I don’t know over what time period, but I’ve had my main number for well over 15 years. I still don’t get spam phone calls. I’ve had my business number for probably 6 years and it also doesn’t get spam.

However, I’ve got a throw away number that I cycle out every few years for a few bucks and I get endless spam calls on it. Apparently I’m getting numbers that people have given up because they got too much spam. Now I’m worried if I ever need to change my main number I’ll start getting crazy amounts of spam calls. Because for the throw away number I just check it once a week or if I need to get a code. I don’t have the calls forwarded to my phone so I literally do not care about the spam.

You’d think they learned their lesson when Starz did it to Torchwood. It strips out a lot of the charm.

I think there’s a roadmap. My gut says they know what’s going to be in it. Likely they don’t have the art yet. But the reason for the dog and pony show is to get people to feel like they’ve bought in.

It doesn’t work on some people, but feeling like you were a part of making it (even when you’re not) does make certain people more likely to buy it. And it gives free advertising.

I do contract work (not like I should be an employee but they’re trying to screw me out of giving me benefits like Amazon workers, like I started my own business to sell my specific skill set) and while it’s not this blatant it’s absolutely similar. They want me exclusively? Pay me. You want to end my contract early? Pay me. Travel (that includes to and from the office)? That goes towards my working hours. Want me available at 2am? Pay me. Didn’t tell me but called me at 2am for an emergency? Here’s my emergency call out rate (it’s extortionate).

Everything has a rate. Of course the downsides are that I’m footing my own benefits and when I take vacation I’m not getting paid, but it’s been worth it.

To be honest, I think the way I’m treated is how all workers should be treated except with benefits. I’m extremely lucky to have the gig I have.

They don’t do that to me because I’m a contractor who they me more than I need them. However…

I’ve seen this exact thing play out several different ways. My favorite recurring one: “Why didn’t you respond on slack/why were you offline?” (Always over some bullshit that could wait or that someone else could have handled).

“I worked the maintenance window last night because you said this non production change couldn’t be done during the day”

“Well you should still be monitoring in case there’s an emergency!”

Look, not to sound snobbish but I’d never date anyone who would have such low standards as to date me.

This is the answer. And the C levels renting from these spaces are absolutely invested in the companies that lease the space.

I’ve seen it even more incestuous as well. CEO buys building for kids and lets other C levels get in on it. The company rents a space. Everyone at C level agrees it’s the best space because they can get a sweetheart deal on rent for the company. Company pays for space, money flows back to C Suite and CEO doesn’t have to pay for kids’ lifestyles anymore.

There’s a very nice office building like that down from me, except it’s CEOs cousin or nephew or something. It came out when they started pushing for RTO as soon as they could.

Must be nice getting C level salary, a little extra in your bonus for getting a sweetheart rental deal, and passive income from being a partial owner of the building your company rents from.