Random Thoughts Thread

[trinacriabob]

I had to look up the Feast of San Gennaro in NYC ... courtesy of Neapolitan immigrants since 1926.

This crusty dude is of local vintage ... not from the motherland.  He can't pronounce "cacio" correctly because he was probably brought up with a dialect.  It's "ca-cheeo," not "ca-gee-uh." 

Love all the blondies who want to culturally appropriate themselves to being Italian.  I've seen these types in language courses in h.s. and college and they can be pretty dumb.

I should make it a point to be in NYC during San Gennaro.  The official day in Naples is September 19.  The NYC festival runs about 10 days.  I could get lunch or dinner in Little Italy on a daily basis.  But, take note that a la carte street food + NYC prices can make for a dent.  The a la carte pricing at Greek festivals in secondary cities adds up, so imagine how so in NYC.

[Drew Dowdell]

On 9/14/2025 at 4:39 PM, trinacriabob said:

When I saw this, I thought of you guys and how much most of you love Tesla.  This is obviously where they unload these nasty cars.

This is what I saw walking from the marine terminal in Southampton to the train station to fly out to warm weather that same afternoon.

I was following some Europeans with luggage across the street and a green turning lane was still in effect.  A local started yelling at us from his car in that working class brand of UK talk, including all "you 'effin' idiots."  At least I could understand it.  I need a translator for heavy-duty Scottish talk.

The crossing was good.  The ship stayed close to Canada all the way up to Newfoundland and then crossed.  There was only one day of light chop.  There were 2 poolside days in the beginning.  That meant indoor jacuzzis under the glass roof for the rest of the crossing.

Of four trips, the cabin was the best I've had.  The composition of the table was marginal compared to previous trips.  I won't go into it or I wouldn't be P.C.  I reverted to the open seating option on a few nights.

With all that, I didn't want to get off.  A few others said the same thing.  If the seas are good, it's incredibly relaxing.  You're just lulled into another state and it's mostly a good one.

Sooooo jealous! A crossing on the Queen Mary 2 is definitely on my bucket list. 

That reminds me that I need to start accumulating Carnival stock. If you are a shareholder with at least 100 shares, you get onboard credits up to $250 depending on the length of the cruise.  The stock is only about $30/share right now.

[Drew Dowdell]

On 9/17/2025 at 11:49 AM, trinacriabob said:

It's amazing how a leather wrapped steering wheel changes the experience at the wheel for the better (it seems to make for an almost different car from the model with a urethane steering wheel).

It really does, though some non-wrapped are better than others, and I do like wood on the wheel as well, we have that in the 300. 

Honda non-wrapped wheels tend to be good. Chrysler, GM and Ford non-wrapped wheels are awful. VW and Toyota are tolerable but nothing special. 

[Robert Hall]

On 9/18/2025 at 10:55 AM, G. David Felt said:

I will say that my Escalade Steering wheel with the built in knobs on the underside of the steering wheel are just a great comfortable grip for long road trips and confidence that it will not just slip in the hand when turning also on top of leather and heat.

My CT6 has these thumb rest bumps at 10 and 2 that I use often.  But when I’m doing a straight line cruise on the freeway I often hook my thumbs at 5 and 7 so I can rest my elbows on the armrests.  

Edited Sunday at 02:59 PM by Robert Hall

[trinacriabob]

On 9/21/2025 at 12:39 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

Sooooo jealous! A crossing on the Queen Mary 2 is definitely on my bucket list. 

That reminds me that I need to start accumulating Carnival stock. If you are a shareholder with at least 100 shares, you get onboard credits up to $250 depending on the length of the cruise.  The stock is only about $30/share right now.

Don't be jealous.  Just kidding.  Just do it.  Easier said than done, but I recommend it.

And you nailed it.  It is considered a crossing in that it's New York to Southampton, or vice versa.  Those who know and love this voyage would bristle at it being called a cruise.  It follows the traditional historic route of its Cunard predecessors. This is my third crossing and fourth time on QM2. 

I cut out a lot of things in life.  I hit up BK on Whopper Wednesday, for example!  

Say you're heading to Europe and staying a while.  Compare a nice enough cabin to outlays for one-way airfare, lodging for 7 nights, your daily meals, and that you don't have rental car costs and utilities.  It's not that much more.  You'll have to get an internet package.  I also participate in the tipping package and give extra to the stateroom attendant and the dinner waiter and second person.  I don't buy alcoholic drinks and I don't go into the casino.  I bought a mug and a t-shirt this time ... usually stuff like that.

I do have some CCL stock I bought a few years ago.  The 7 day crossing gets you $100 in credit.

This crossing runs deep in my family.  I made 2 round trips on then active Italian Line as a kid.  My parents and some of my relatives did it more often than that.  Italian Line still called it a transatlantic crossing, but they had stops.  Often, from NYC, it was (1) Portugal: Lisbon, (2) Spain: Algeciras/Gibraltar, Barcelona, OR Palma de Mallorca, (3) France: Cannes, and finally (4) Genoa and Naples.  They did drop off and pick up passengers at these ports, so people from 4 Southern European countries used their ships to immigrate or repatriate.  In port, we usually took the 4 hour motorcoach tours.  Lisbon was my favorite port.  My parents said the food on Italian Line was top notch, but it was definitely Italian-centric and only somewhat international.  The cabin attendants made us these delicious panini with prosciutto, cheese, etc. when we kids asked for them as snacks.  You will never forget crossing an ocean as a child.

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

[ccap41]

On 9/13/2025 at 10:25 AM, Drew Dowdell said:

One can acknowledge that it is a horrible and uncalled for thing to happen while simultaneously not mourning the loss and acknowledge that the world is a slight slightly better place today.

I don't agree with him on everything, I doubt most completely agree with any politician 100%. But, one of the guys biggest points was to keep talking to each other. Keep the dialogue going. We can have opposing views, but we need to keep talking and not building these walls between each other. A lot of people here would rather build the divide rather than have good conversations where both parties learn a thing from the other.

[G. David Felt]

6 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I don't agree with him on everything, I doubt most completely agree with any politician 100%. But, one of the guys biggest points was to keep talking to each other. Keep the dialogue going. We can have opposing views, but we need to keep talking and not building these walls between each other. A lot of people here would rather build the divide rather than have good conversations where both parties learn a thing from the other.

I have always believed in Education is the great equalizer that allows people of very different viewpoints to at least communicate, live next door to each other and be respectful that we all want to live a quiet, free life.

Death of anyone before their natural time is just WRONG!!!

I agree that communication is a very important point and needs to continue in a respectful manner to work out joint agreements to get the bigger picture done. Respect for ALL HUMANITY is a MUST in my book and in this regard, some fall low on the ladder of respect.

The biggest question that is very hard to answer is HOW can another human clearly not have respect for others regardless of their choices in life. Regardless of one's choice of spouse, when one does not pay another's bills, what they do in the privacy of one's home on top of a desire for religion or lack of one, should not reduce that human at all.

We have far more honorable Transgender, Gay and Lesbian folks as well as folks that choose to be non-binary serving our great country than the weak, ignorant administration we have today.

Looking at the companies that are having to go bankrupt, close, sending manufacturing out of the country, the Tariff war is a FAILURE, Idiot47 is a FAILURE, the world sees it, half of this country sees it and as such, America has gone backwards almost 100 years due to the incompetence in DC.

Those that think America is getting stronger, are a horse with blinders on, in this case a Human with Blinders on to the reality of the current situation.

[G. David Felt]

This pretty much is a very well calculated statement of the current administration has FAILED our country and economy.

 

[Drew Dowdell]

9 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I don't agree with him on everything, I doubt most completely agree with any politician 100%. But, one of the guys biggest points was to keep talking to each other. Keep the dialogue going. We can have opposing views, but we need to keep talking and not building these walls between each other. A lot of people here would rather build the divide rather than have good conversations where both parties learn a thing from the other.

 

I think you need to look deeper at this. He made his money, millions of it, by talking, so he has a natural desire to keep the conversation going. He was also incredibly disingenuous about it. It's all well and good to say we shouldn't build walls, but he was responsible for building or reinforcing most of them. 

This tweet is just rage bait designed to get the right wing angry at the gays, many of whom serve in the military.  May is Military Appreciation month. So not only is he spreading bigotry, he's also spreading misinformation.... and he did that All. The. Time.  When he got shot, he was in the process of trying to blame mass shootings on trans people. I frequently see people say that he was taken out of context, but when you go look up the entire context, what he's saying is even worse. You know what dead guy you don't have to ever explain context about? Mr. Rogers. 

Did you know he also kept a public list of professors who taught on subjects like feminism, LGBT issues, or even just American history that he didn't like? He posted these professors pictures and contact information on his website and turned his supporters loose on them flooding them with death threats, sending barrages of e-mail and phone calls to universities to get these professors fired, some of them even having to uproot their lives and move.  Doesn't sound very in the spirit of "just keep talking" does it?  Imagine having 100,000 people e-mail your boss saying you need to be fired in the worst terms possible. That's not very freedom of speechy of him.

He spread Covid misinformation too, something which conservatives have been 100% wrong about on every angle of the subject for over 5 years now. 

His entire operation was grift. Getting people angry in order to extract money from them. Heck, his memorial service yesterday was selling Merch! His wife set up a gofundme even though they've been bringing in millions for years. 

So, while you feel you may have some alignment on his views, I would highly encourage you to find out what he was really about and the positions he took specifically to build the very walls he was claiming to want to pull down.  But feel free to post a position he had that you agree with and I'll take a wack at it. 

 

[trinacriabob]

I am not the biggest fan and follower of politics.  I sort of woke up in 2016.  However, I did find one short video with Kirk saying, 'If I'm getting on a plane and the pilot is Black, I hope he's had the proper training.'  That's all I needed to hear.  

That might be something an insult comic would have had in their skit in 2005.  That is not at all suitable for a political spokesperson and a world away from anything Christian ... and certainly not a person that should fill up a stadium in Arizona to be mourned.

[oldshurst442]

47 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

 

I think you need to look deeper at this. He made his money, millions of it, by talking, so he has a natural desire to keep the conversation going. He was also incredibly disingenuous about it. It's all well and good to say we shouldn't build walls, but he was responsible for building or reinforcing most of them. 

This tweet is just rage bait designed to get the right wing angry at the gays, many of whom serve in the military.  May is Military Appreciation month. So not only is he spreading bigotry, he's also spreading misinformation.... and he did that All. The. Time.  When he got shot, he was in the process of trying to blame mass shootings on trans people. I frequently see people say that he was taken out of context, but when you go look up the entire context, what he's saying is even worse. You know what dead guy you don't have to ever explain context about? Mr. Rogers. 

Did you know he also kept a public list of professors who taught on subjects like feminism, LGBT issues, or even just American history that he didn't like? He posted these professors pictures and contact information on his website and turned his supporters loose on them flooding them with death threats, sending barrages of e-mail and phone calls to universities to get these professors fired, some of them even having to uproot their lives and move.  Doesn't sound very in the spirit of "just keep talking" does it?  Imagine having 100,000 people e-mail your boss saying you need to be fired in the worst terms possible. That's not very freedom of speechy of him.

He spread Covid misinformation too, something which conservatives have been 100% wrong about on every angle of the subject for over 5 years now. 

His entire operation was grift. Getting people angry in order to extract money from them. Heck, his memorial service yesterday was selling Merch! His wife set up a gofundme even though they've been bringing in millions for years. 

So, while you feel you may have some alignment on his views, I would highly encourage you to find out what he was really about and the positions he took specifically to build the very walls he was claiming to want to pull down.  But feel free to post a position he had that you agree with and I'll take a wack at it. 

 

 

Ive posted enough videos where Charlie speaks since the day he got shot...    Its snippets here and there but it really shows the piece of shyte he really was.  Its up to enlightened people to actually listen for themselves.  Not my snippets and not on somebody else's youtube channel. Charlie left quite a social media presence.  And if one wants to learn to actual phoquing truth to how toxic he really was, its ALL there.   If not...PHOQUE CHARLIE AND AND PHOQUE THE THE DEAF EARS ASSHATS THAT WILL NOT AND REFUSE TO ACTUALLY SEE THE REALITY!!!  

The latest shyte coming out from that shytty family is his shytty phoquing widow spewing hatred...  

I honestly do not know how a SANE person could NOT see the bullshyte and the hate???!!! 

Its up to enlightened people to search her up and what she said RIGHT AFTER he got shot and the bullshyte at his wake this past Sunday. 

Charlie was NOT a politician.  He never held ANY public office and he was NEVER elected by the people for ANY public office job.

He was at best an influencer on social media.  He got money from far right money people to go to university campuses to preach far right extremist thoughts. He debated students. But HE...HE didnt really debate. He spewed lies CONFIDENTLY and pushed his agenda through intimidation tactics speaking over and loudly over the debaters that contradicted him.  

He was NOT an advocate to debate. To reason. To free speech and he definitely was not for both sides to sit down and talk.   Only a phoquing fool sees that of Charlie!!!  

By this time next year, Charlie will have been forgotten just like Gingrich and Limbaugh before him... And the ignorant hatefull phoques will latch unto another blowhard far right asshat

Edited 18 hours ago by oldshurst442

[Drew Dowdell]

34 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

By this time next year, Charlie will have been forgotten just like Gingrich and Limbaugh before him... And the ignorant hatefull phoques will latch unto another blowhard far right asshat

This was the first school shooting Republicans cared about. There was another school shooting within minutes and it barely made the news .

[oldshurst442]

2 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

This was the first school shooting Republicans cared about. There was another school shooting within minutes and it barely made the news .

I know, right???!!! 

I mentioned it during my 'tirade' of Charlie posts I made when the day of or the next day it happened. 

Anyway, I dont want to talk about Charlie anymore as he does not deserve ANY amount of time we talk about him. Let time move on from him.

PS: Life just got THAT much better with him off this planet.  

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

 

I have ALWAYS said to take back your country.

Fight for your country. 

BEFORE it becomes too late. Before it becomes violent. Gun violent...  Take a listen to this lady. THIS is what we ALL need to do. 

 

[ccap41]

14 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

So, while you feel you may have some alignment on his views, I would highly encourage you to find out what he was really about and the positions he took specifically to build the very walls he was claiming to want to pull down.  But feel free to post a position he had that you agree with and I'll take a wack at it.

I honestly just don't really care. I'm not about to convince you of anything nor do I feel like I should try. It's simply okay that we don't all align on everything.

I didn't know who he was prior to his murder. The internet was just spammed with everything Kirk, so of course I saw videos and a majority of them was him saying we need to keep talking(along with the conversation at hand). 

13 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

I am not the biggest fan and follower of politics.  I sort of woke up in 2016.  However, I did find one short video with Kirk saying, 'If I'm getting on a plane and the pilot is Black, I hope he's had the proper training.'  That's all I needed to hear.

That's what happens when you only hear a part of the quote or conversation.

[trinacriabob]

3 hours ago, ccap41 said:

That's what happens when you only hear a part of the quote or conversation.

It's all over the place ... it's more MAWA than MAGA, as in Make America White Again. 

I can do a sampling ... that usually works well.  Look at John Edwards (D), the expensive haircut and some good ole boy speak told me he was smarmy, and he was.

[ccap41]

2 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

It's all over the place ... it's more MAWA than MAGA, as in Make America White Again. 

No, it wasn't. It was about putting the best candidate in place rather than somebody just because of their skin color. 

i certainly don't want some white person to get a job just because they're white. The best qualified person should get the job. 

[trinacriabob]

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

No, it wasn't. It was about putting the best candidate in place rather than somebody just because of their skin color. 

i certainly don't want some white person to get a job just because they're white. The best qualified person should get the job. 

That's not what I meant - his white picket fence rhetoric isn't necessarily about candidates, but just about what the highest collective tier of "shoulds" in society are.  He said he liked LDS folks and how they align with what he thinks.  They spell it out fairly clearly that eternal blessings in the afterlife are achieved by having children through a temple sealed marriage and that's just another one of those "shoulds." That, too, is not for everyone and also judgmental.  Kirk's delivery had a great deal of snideness in it.  I went back and checked out 5 to 10 vids.  

I'm not a liberal, but I know what's right.  And, comparatively speaking, we should all kiss the ground if elected Republicans in office were more like Liz Cheney and Kinzinger who have been sidelined.  They'd get my vote.

[ccap41]

10 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

That's not what I meant - his white picket fence rhetoric isn't necessarily about candidates, but just about what the highest collective tier of "shoulds" in society are. 

I guess i didn't take it that way, but I could see how one would. I understand your point here. 

 

11 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Liz Cheney and Kinzinger who have been sidelined.  They'd get my vote.

Are they independents? If so, they'd have my vote, too. 

[Drew Dowdell]

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

That's what happens when you only hear a part of the quote or conversation.

 

43 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

No, it wasn't. It was about putting the best candidate in place rather than somebody just because of their skin color. 

i certainly don't want some white person to get a job just because they're white. The best qualified person should get the job. 

No. He had a gross misunderstanding, intentional or not, of what DEI is. The rest of that quote does not improve the context. He said he specifically questioned the pilot's competence because of skin color. Just like he questioned Justice Jackson's abilities to be a supreme court justice. 

Direct quote: 

"If we would have said three weeks ago […] that Joy Reid and Michelle Obama and Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson were affirmative-action picks, we would have been called racist. But now they're coming out and they're saying it for us! They're coming out and they're saying, "I'm only here because of affirmative action."

Yeah, we know. You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person's slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.

Kirk then played a clip of Jackson Lee speaking in Congress, saying she had been admitted to educational institutions on affirmative action. Kirk then went on to make his point again:

"We know. We know. It's very obvious to us you are not smart enough to be able to get it on your own. "I could not make it on my own, so I needed to take opportunities from someone more deserving."

That's not how Affirmative Action worked. It didn't take spots away from those more deserving, it took slots away from the mediocre old-white-boys club who only would have gotten in because they're a legacy. 

A black pilot is a pilot because he completed all the required training, not because of some quota. DEI DOESN'T HAVE QUOTAS. DEI is just about making sure that anyone qualified is able to apply and potentially win the position regardless of gender, sex, race, religion, sexuality, etc.  So to wonder if United/Delta/American put a black pilot in the driver seat just because he was black and they needed to meet a quota is just plain racist. There's a pilot shortage anyway, so anyone who is white and qualified is going to be able to find a job if they want one.

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I honestly just don't really care. I'm not about to convince you of anything nor do I feel like I should try. It's simply okay that we don't all align on everything.

No. That's a cop-out "Well I don't agree with everything Mussolini did, but at least he made the trains run on time."  Don't say you agree with some of the things a nazi says without being able to very strongly qualify it.  He was a bigot against race, sexuality, gender, women, and more.  So unless its "Well I agree with him that the sky is blue", you're probably better off just not agreeing with him on anything.

[ccap41]

58 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

No. That's a cop-out

There's no point in trying to convince you of anything. You have you opinion. That's good. I'm okay with that.