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Lookin

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Lookin last won the day on December 7 2015

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  1. Here, let me lick that for you . .
  2. I no longer live in the City but still watch the San Francisco evening news and I think we get a different mix of stories than the networks broadcast to the rest of the country. We do see the homeless problems well documented, but we also see the tremendous range and number of groups and individuals using their time and talents to help the unhoused. The City itself has lots of programs, but no one believes they could or should do everything. They tried setting up a drug use/education/treatment center but backed off because of liability issues. They're trying to get a private organization to take on the challenge. There's a major church in the Tenderloin that provides a wide range of services starting with food. There are dozens of food banks. There are organizations providing clothing, health/dental/vision services, hygiene support, family counseling, financial and employment support and, if I recall, there was a veterinarian going around checking on pets. There are also individuals going out on the streets to contact homeless folks with offers of help. One guy built a portable charging device and goes through the homeless areas offering phone charges. No doubt homelessness is a big story but, in my opinion, the bigger story is the number of folks reaching out to help. It brings a ray of hope, rather than a cloud of despair. I guess it's possible that some folks don't want to hear what's right with San Francisco and prefer to hear about decay instead of renewal. I'm sorry their heads are filled with sad stories and I hope they will one day notice the good things that are happening. There's a lot to see.
  3. When I was living in India many years ago, I was struck by the prevalence of intergenerational living. A family would own a compound with several living units inside the walls. Kids would grow up surrounded by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I always considered it an ideal way to live. If a child's own parents weren't up to the job, there were plenty of adults around who could pick up the slack. Cooking was also done in groups with skills being passed along. And older adults weren't required to keep the household running and they had plenty of help when they needed it. I've always enjoyed cooperative living and have fantasized about getting a group together, selling our houses and buying a larger property with separate living units, but with a common kitchen and social areas. I figured we could even hire a handyman who could help with the plumbing and drive us around when necessary. I've mentioned this to some of my contemporaries and the allure was there. But I think there's also a rut we get into and the idea of actually selling a house that's been part of our lives and part of our estate planning could be a risky move. It would be hard to go back if the cooperative living didn't pan out. I think the key to making it work would be finding a property that we all really wanted to live on. Having seen cooperative living work so well, it's an idea I can't get out of my head. And, as our population continues to grow and as we learn more about the value of social bonds, the idea seems to get better with age. Which is certainly something we all strive for.
  4. Honey, you don't know the half of it. Just learned that Chiquita herself is pushing eighty. She came to life in 1944, but was not trademarked until 1947. Although we were born within a year of each other, and are blemished on the outside and rotting on the inside, my own attempts at getting trademarked have all been patently denied. I guess not all elongated fruits are equal in the eyes of the law.
  5. A slippery slope indeed. Personally, I do the self-checkout when I don't want everyone to know I'm buying five bags of potato chips for the price of two. But I wait for the cashier when I've got more than a few items. In their pursuit of every last nickel, I'm not sure how long my market will even have a cashier, let alone a bag boy. At least they haven't sent me around back to help unload the delivery trucks. Not yet anyway.
  6. Great topic and very timely, as I just turned eighty. 😳 It's impressive and heartwarming to hear my fellow posters are blessed with supportive families and/or the wherewithal to keep going throughout the golden years. Personally, I've never been much of a planner. There's a chance a couple of my younger relatives would put me up when my cash runs out after a couple months in the Olde Poofters Home. But it's not a sure thing. I'm thinking my best bet might be to snuggle into a wicker basket and drop myself off at the local fire station.
  7. Thanks for the kind words! 🤗 It's been really busy the past few months and I haven't had as much posting time as I'd like. Things are slowing down though and, as soon as I get a few notes in order, I'll be churning out the usual drivel.
  8. Still unclear on what exactly did the pediatric cardiologist do to earn disapproval and not be welcome? What majority wanted him to 'Just go.'?
  9. Are you sure? In Louisiana, where the pediatric cardiologist and his family feel unwelcome, 53% of adults say homosexuality should be accepted and 36% say it should be discouraged. In Missouri, where a woman and her transgender daughter feel unwelcome, 57% of adults say homosexuality should be accepted and 36% say it should be discouraged. If my math is correct, it seems that minority rules in the two communities cited by the OP.
  10. Haven't been able to get this question out of my mind. I keep wondering why the person who doesn't welcome me would want to live near me. Isn't he also free to move somewhere else? Are his ties to the community stronger than mine? Does he have more furniture than I do? If I were to look for a sign of an unhealthy society, I don't know that I'd look much further than people having to uproot their lives to get away from people they don't like or who don't like them. The success of our species is based in large part on our ability and desire to work together to do things we couldn't do alone. When did it become a great thing about the US to tell others to 'Just go.'? No doubt I'm overlooking something. One of these days I may wake up and decide to move away from everybody who doesn't welcome me. I may even leave a note saying I'm sorry for bothering them. But that day is not today and, if someone chooses to leave to get away from me, I sure hope the door doesn't hit him in the ass.
  11. I should be so lucky. I can say that when I studied massage back in the day, client arousal was discussed so it wasn't a surprise when it happened and we knew not to overreact, if at all. I guess your Ben would have had similar training and would not be fazed. Unless of course he also liked what he saw and next time your one-eyes may cross. 👀
  12. Many years ago, a friend moved to Germany to marry his partner. He asked the lady at the corner grocery for a box of plums that were stacked behind her. The box she gave him contained a couple plums that were past their prime. He asked her if he could pick his own box. Nein!, she told him, Somebody has to eat them. 😁 Personally, I'd rather have plums that are slightly overripe than the purple billiard balls at my local Safeway. I understand that some fruit is bred to look good even after going through a large complex distribution system. Flavor, texture and perhaps nutrition take a back seat to eye appeal at the point of sale. I wonder if US customers are less interested in how something tastes. That was all that mattered where I grew up, near a major farming community.. I really appreciate all the contributors to this thread! And I'm sure hoping for an Aldi or Lidl to open near where I live. 😋
  13. A friend of mine gets jittery days before he gets on a plane. Statistics don't mean anything to him. He picks a window seat behind the engine and watches the whole way to Brazil. He averages one trip a year. I suggested a mild sedative which he pops when he gets on the plane. It helps, but I can't recall a single time when facts alone overcame feelings of anxiety. Reason and emotion are different things, and the best I can do is listen. I used to enjoy air travel and it still doesn't bother me once I'm on the plane. It's the hassle of navigating to, from and through the airport that keeps me close to home these days. That and the peanuts. 🙁
  14. Honestly! All the Sturm und Drang about disasters, plagues and house arrest leaves me weary. 🥱 First thing tomorrow, I'm planning to cancel all my insurance - car, house and medical - and let the chips fall where they may. I haven't been blown to Bermuda yet and I'm betting I never will be. 💨 Three years of wearing a face mask and all I have to show for it is clear lungs and a rubber rash behind my ears. 😷 And why I worry about getting t-boned by a driverless Waymo is beyond me. 🚕 Just as you say, it's all bullshit, pure and simple. 💩 Once I'm finished tearing up my policies, I think I'll fill in my driveway with some nice bamboo and eucalyptus. It's not like I go around tossing lighted matches and, if the fire trucks can't get through, I'm sure I can piss away any flames before they really get going. 🔥 🔥 🔥 All that's left after that is to get rid of my stash of snacks and booze. Unfortunately, everyone I know these days is a teetotalling vegan so I may have to bite the bullet and finish them off myself. There's bound to be some health benefit from grain alcohol, processed cheese food, artificial flavor and preservatives. If not, at least the weather's nice and I won't have to spend my day indoors hunkered over the commode. 🤮 What a relief it will be to finally stop worrying about overblown disasters that will probably never happen! I feel better already!
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