Random Thoughts About Thoughts Random

[mister d]

How old? Heading into 2nd grade've hit, I think pretty early, a stage where it looks like its more targeted deals with like 4-5 friends versus who class parties.

(At the 6 year old party, there was literally no one there at 2 minutes before it started and we were terrified we'd fucked up the address or date/time on the invite but it turned out there was a bit of traffic. These parties suck.)

[govmentchedda]

Man, I fucking hate kid's birthday parties.

[Pruitt]

Man, I fucking hate kid's birthday parties.

I've probably been to every kids party place in Toronto. Just dismal, awful places.

[Johnnie]

What I've learned after living in Arizona is that if you ever get invited to a Mexican birthday parties for a kid(s) it's actually an invite to an adult party where you day drink into the evening, put the kids to bed at 7, and then party well into the night kinda thing.

[The Sybian]

So glad I am just about done with the birthday party industrial complex. A few stragglers for my daughter, but my son's friends are down to small invite lists, and they go to a movie and dinner or a backyard bbq.

[Johnny Carwash]

Happy Birthday Syb, btw.

[duff]

We had birthday parties for when the girls turned 10. Luckily none of their friends had birthdays near theirs. The oldest we had a Harry Potter themed party. Good thing I hadn't shaved for almost five months. Made a very convincing Hagrid. The wife was professor McGonagal and the in-laws played Dumbledore and Professor Trelaney. It was a lot of fun. Made our own demontor that we hung in the unfinished part of the basement. The kids had to retrieve something from the treasure hunt as it hung there in the dark floating.

For the youngest we hosted a Roblox party. Lots of fun. One room became a "cave with hidden treasure". We covered the room with Halloween spiderwebs. Hid a few keys in them that would unlock the treasure chest. And had a large spider hanging from the ceiling fan in a little closet that used to be someones computer desk. The chest was hidden underneath the desk. Had all the blinds pulled and a lamp with an orange tint glowing in the "cave". We also converted the garage into a black light carnival.

Two totally different parties, but awesome none the less. Parents of the attendees hate us now, because their lame ass parties can't compare.

[DSafetyGuy]

How old? Heading into 2nd grade've hit, I think pretty early, a stage where it looks like its more targeted deals with like 4-5 friends versus who class parties.

She's in 2nd grade/turns 8.

Originally, this was supposed to be a scaled down party in part because our plan for months was to get her Taylor Swift tickets as her present, but also because, as I told my wife, "the days of the $1,000 birthday party are over." (Of course, our son will be entering those days soon.) When she asked about having a dance party theme and we realized we could do it pretty cheaply, we acquiesced.

And if you think I'm kidding about $1,000 being spent on a birthday party, I'm not. Bounce house rental/renting an event place (the aforementioned Sky Zone is $450 for a two-hour party for 20 kids, which includes one hour of jumping), food and drink, decorations, gift bags for each of 20 kids, etc. adds up quickly.

[brian]

Getting over bronchitis and about three weeks of running my self ragged between travel and hockey games so I’ve gone three straight days without weed or booze for the first time in about three years. Been kinda nice to be honest.

[brian]

(That said looking forward to that first beer which looks to have an ETA of Wednesday.).

[A_B]

Getting over bronchitis and about three weeks of running my self ragged between travel and hockey games so I’ve gone three straight days without weed or booze for the first time in about three years. Been kinda nice to be honest.

I had only a couple of beers at the Red Sox game last week surrounded by two completely sober days with tons of walking and I woke up saturday feeling great. But then I reunited with my buddy Jimmy Beam.

[sancarlos]

Getting over bronchitis and about three weeks of running my self ragged between travel and hockey games so I’ve gone three straight days without weed or booze for the first time in about three years. Been kinda nice to be honest.

I had only a couple of beers at the Red Sox game last week surrounded by two completely sober days with tons of walking and I woke up saturday feeling great. But then I reunited with my buddy Jimmy Beam.

Yeah, I was feeling great, eating right, had lost nearly 20 pounds. Then my daughter graduated high school, parents and various other relatives came to town, went to a couple graduation parties, ate mostly at restaurants, too much snacking, too much alcohol...
Just sent the last ones out of town this morning. Now it's time to get back on track.

[Johnnie]

When I saw that IHOP did the IHOB thing, I thought they rebranded to International House of Breakfast.

I thought it was weird people were giving them shit all over the internet for what seemed like a decent idea.

Then I realized it was burgers and I was like "Oh yea. Light em the fuck up, internet."

[Johnny Carwash]

Most awkward mall store to shop in: Lids. Change my mind.

[brian]

Most awkward mall store to shop in: Lids. Change my mind.

Victoria's Secret?

[wlu_lax6]

Most awkward mall store to shop in: Lids. Change my mind.

Victoria's Secret?

Fat guy at Peleton
One of those $20 for a survey setups
Mall Massage Joint

[Ryan]

Hot Topic

[Steve of phpBB]

Most awkward mall store to shop in: Lids. Change my mind.

Victoria's Secret?

When you have a teenage daughter. Yes.

[tennbengal]

Claire's.

[govmentchedda]

Who goes to the mall?

[Johnny Carwash]

Most awkward mall store to shop in: Lids. Change my mind.

Victoria's Secret?

Was anticipating that response and should have appended a "without being a perv" qualifier.

Here's my breakdown on why it's Lids for me:

1. It's called "Lids," which right off the bat makes you feel like you don't belong there if you're over 25 and not hip to the lingo the youngsters are using nowadays
2. You are usually (at least at the mall near me) the only customer
3. The one employee is always some ~18 year old who looks like a British soccer hooligan, who says "How's it going?" but in a way that signals they'll be watching you
4. The store is tiny, and the booth where the employee sits is positioned so that they are always within 10 feet of you
5. Trying on something for your head just feels weirdly intrusive, and especially awkward when you're doing it right in the middle of the store, even more so if you end up not buying anything

I've been looking for a new hat just to wear around on weekends etc. and have been putting it off for months just because that experience is so damn awkward. I know a large part of it is my OCD and other anxieties, but still...

[P.D.X.]

Speaking of, I will never wear a flat-visor baseball cap and often wonder if my curved visors betray me as one of the olds.

[sancarlos]

Most awkward mall store to shop in: Lids. Change my mind.

Victoria's Secret?

Was anticipating that response and should have appended a "without being a perv" qualifier.

Here's my breakdown on why it's Lids for me:

1. It's called "Lids," which right off the bat makes you feel like you don't belong there if you're over 25 and not hip to the lingo the youngsters are using nowadays
2. You are usually (at least at the mall near me) the only customer
3. The one employee is always some ~18 year old who looks like a British soccer hooligan, who says "How's it going?" but in a way that signals they'll be watching you
4. The store is tiny, and the booth where the employee sits is positioned so that they are always within 10 feet of you
5. Trying on something for your head just feels weirdly intrusive, and especially awkward when you're doing it right in the middle of the store, even more so if you end up not buying anything

I've been looking for a new hat just to wear around on weekends etc. and have been putting it off for months just because that experience is so damn awkward. I know a large part of it is my OCD and other anxieties, but still...

Your OCD sounds like a pain in the ass for you, Carwash.

I went to the lingerie department of Macy's last December to get my wife a Christmas present. I guess guys don't do that much, because the staff was unhelpful and, as far as I could tell, definitely not convinced I wasn't just some perv. Awkward, to say the least.

[brian]

Speaking of, I will never wear a flat-visor baseball cap and often wonder if my curved visors betray me as one of the olds.

Yeah, it's the hats doing that.

[sancarlos]

Speaking of, I will never wear a flat-visor baseball cap and often wonder if my curved visors betray me as one of the olds.

Yeah, it's the hats doing that.

If you guys had teenage kids, you would never forget you're old because you would be reminded constantly.

[brian]

Speaking of, I will never wear a flat-visor baseball cap and often wonder if my curved visors betray me as one of the olds.

Yeah, it's the hats doing that.

If you guys had teenage kids, you would never forget you're old because you would be reminded constantly.

Fortunately I have the literal deterioration of my body to remind me.

[Pruitt]

Speaking of, I will never wear a flat-visor baseball cap and often wonder if my curved visors betray me as one of the olds.

Yeah, it's the hats doing that.

If you guys had teenage kids, you would never forget you're old because you would be reminded constantly.

Fortunately I have the literal deterioration of my body to remind me.

"Is it a gout flareup, plantar fascitis, or just a sore foot?" - morning thought at least once every two weeks.

[tennbengal]

I don't know where else to put this, but, holy crap:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/briannasacks/e ... mxynKrOnnP

Eric Abramovitz had been training for this moment for nearly his entire life: the opportunity to study under one of the best clarinet teachers on the planet, on a full-ride scholarship to a prestigious music conservatory in Los Angeles.

The college sophomore from Canada was already an elite musician, having won a slew of awards and delivering stunning solo performances in his home country's top symphonies. And completing his bachelor's degree at Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles on a full scholarship, worth about $50,000 a year, was a dream he had been working toward since he was 7 years old.

After a lengthy and competitive audition process, he was one of two students to receive the honor that would jump-start his career. It should have been a seminal moment in the 20-year-old's life, but he instead ended up devastated when he later got a rejection email.

"I was numb when I read the email. I had to read it a few more times," Abramovitz, now 24, told BuzzFeed News on Thursday. "When I found out I didn't get it, it was really hard to deal with. I went through some really dark, sad, angry days."

Little did he know, his girlfriend at the time was the one who had sent the heartbreaking rejection.

This is an argument for sending at least some things via snail mail. Like, say, his original acceptance letter should have been mailed in addition to emailed...

Also, the whole never stick your dick into crazy thing...

[BSF21]

I don't know where else to put this, but, holy crap:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/briannasacks/e ... mxynKrOnnP

Eric Abramovitz had been training for this moment for nearly his entire life: the opportunity to study under one of the best clarinet teachers on the planet, on a full-ride scholarship to a prestigious music conservatory in Los Angeles.

The college sophomore from Canada was already an elite musician, having won a slew of awards and delivering stunning solo performances in his home country's top symphonies. And completing his bachelor's degree at Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles on a full scholarship, worth about $50,000 a year, was a dream he had been working toward since he was 7 years old.

After a lengthy and competitive audition process, he was one of two students to receive the honor that would jump-start his career. It should have been a seminal moment in the 20-year-old's life, but he instead ended up devastated when he later got a rejection email.

"I was numb when I read the email. I had to read it a few more times," Abramovitz, now 24, told BuzzFeed News on Thursday. "When I found out I didn't get it, it was really hard to deal with. I went through some really dark, sad, angry days."

Little did he know, his girlfriend at the time was the one who had sent the heartbreaking rejection.

This is an argument for sending at least some things via snail mail. Like, say, his original acceptance letter should have been mailed in addition to emailed...

Also, the whole never stick your dick into crazy thing...

That's terrible. He'll likely never see that money either. What a terrible human.

[Gunpowder]

The board is so much better without a pinned thread.

[rass]

Heard this song today at the barbershop and asked outloud who it was and then answered myself “I know it’s not Mazzy Star but...” and have never been surer I was sort of in the neighborhood.

[Johnnie]

Am I having a Mandela Effect moment in thinking that at least some aspect of Minecraft was around in the 1980's? I swear that I had heard of it from childhood, but the internet is telling me otherwise.

[EnochRoot]

I had Fox Sports 1 on in the background I was working, and they did a bit on some vacation retreat of Joseph Stalin's.

It led off with..."Whatever your opinion may be of Joseph Stalin, he was one of the most prominent men of the 20th century."

Fucking glossed over Tass / Pravda bull shit is that?

[mister d]

Am I having a Mandela Effect moment in thinking that at least some aspect of Minecraft was around in the 1980's? I swear that I had heard of it from childhood, but the internet is telling me otherwise.

Minesweeper?

[Johnnie]

Am I having a Mandela Effect moment in thinking that at least some aspect of Minecraft was around in the 1980's? I swear that I had heard of it from childhood, but the internet is telling me otherwise.

Minesweeper?

That's probably the most likely thing I'm mixing it up with, but I remember that game. I was terrible at it along with that windows pinball game.

[EnochRoot]

I had Fox Sports 1 on in the background I was working, and they did a bit on some vacation retreat of Joseph Stalin's.

It led off with..."Whatever your opinion may be of Joseph Stalin, he was one of the most prominent men of the 20th century."

Fucking glossed over Tass / Pravda bull shit is that?

Deadspin to the rescue.

[A_B]

In a hospital waiting room and there is a woman playing videos on her phone full volume.

[brian]

In a hospital waiting room and there is a woman playing videos on her phone full volume.

That is one of my biggest pet peeves. I see it enough that I'm kind of surprised I don't see it more often if that makes any sense.

[Ryan]

In a hospital waiting room and there is a woman playing videos on her phone full volume.

That is one of my biggest pet peeves. I see it enough that I'm kind of surprised I don't see it more often if that makes any sense.

We had to take Cam to a random ER in Bedford, Virginia during our last vacation and a woman was watching Everyone Loves Raymond on her iPad full blast. THEY WERE OFTEN ALLUDING TO SEX!

[govmentchedda]

In a hospital waiting room and there is a woman playing videos on her phone full volume.

My father in law will do this.