Tortilla chips, Haribo gummy bears, ice cream and TJ’s peanut butter pretzels are all staple junk food that I usually restock before I run out.

I’ve never had a dog that reacted to music at all.

I’ll believe it when I see it.

I’ve tried “downloading” albums for long flights, only to have them completely fail to play.

Sometimes day-ta, but more often da-tuh, with the first a being pronounced like acrobat, the second as a schwa.

• To the nearest convenience store: 1.3km (small supermarket)
• To the nearest chain supermarket: 2.25km (Trader Joe’s)
• To the bus stop: 321m (busses 30 minutes apart)
• To the nearest (public) park: 1.1km
• To the nearest big supermarket: 2.89km (Safeway)
• To the nearest library: 1.3km
• To the nearest train station: 1.8km

Straight-line distance to Golden Gate Bridge: 11.6km

I usually go with hayberry fields.

Call me a hippie all you want, but I usually go back to Pink Floyd lyrics when I get confused which one to use.

“Straw you, out there in the cold…” Just doesn’t sound right.

Me neither. They dry themselves by the time they need clothes.

That’s an amazing read.

I love the Ig Nobel. Always so much to think and chuckle about.

I’m not sure what the forest fire risk is in this area, but i’d be happy to trade a little flooding for an early end to fire season right about now.

Edit: That said, I hope everyone stays safe!

Optics.

Sooner or later someone will commit suicide while watching your show, no matter what you do. If that episode happens to contain a suicide scene, and somebody rightly or wrongly connects the dots, you want the disclaimer to be there.

I missed this whole thing. I’ve had them blocked for as long as I can remember.

Travel on the cheap while you’re still willing to put up with it.

Seriously. Save up a couple thousand dollars. Go see stuff.

Make sure you have enough in your emergency fund to get home if you screw it up.

Certainly. Germany is an extreme example.

I’m from California, been on various trips around Spain, and France, with under a week spent in both Italy and Switzerland.

I love everywhere I’ve been. I’d be happy to live somewhere in western Europe.

I don’t know if European healthcare is better, but it’s far more civilized in its availability. I haven’t seen much difference between EU and USA for equivalent-quality grocery prices, with the exception of Zurich. I’ve found Europe to be generally safe. There seems to be more “sneaky” crime, whereas the States has more confrontational crime.

Freeway etiquette is far better in France and Spain than California. Trains, of course, are better too.

One major difference is labor laws. The EU has far more protection, but far less mobility. I remember telling a German friend that I had gotten a new job operating a fairly large power system, after working in a tangentially related field, without any additional study or licenses, and his response was “Only in America!” I hadn’t even considered that this move would be far more difficult in other countries.

You think that’s hard?

Last year my dentist/denturist asked my what I wanted my teeth to look like!

It was unreal, trying to develop an aesthetic preference for teeth. It was actually quite eye-opening. I did find that I had a very strong opinion about it. I haven’t quite gotten to the end product, but I now know what I want.

I recommend photos, but also to be careful in explaining what you like about the photo. It’s easy to latch on to one aspect of a style, not realizing that an attempt to reproduce other aspects might end up completely ignoring what drew you to it in the first place.

We could do many things in a decade. We won’t, but we could.

Not here, friend. Not here.

My plan for your Saturday is to survive my Friday.

Do we have an extradition treaty with Brazil? Just thinking ahead…

The classic is anything that separates you from the ground.

I’d add anything related to plumbing, electricity and roofing.