Fast forward 20 years and see where each one is...

5 years 6 feet under

Eh, wasn't really intending to start a discussion on parenting philosophies. Not particularly interested in telling other folks how to raise their kids. We have our opinions about the role of technology in early childhood and that's that.

I was more wondering if I was crazy for just dumping all this equipment. 5 years ago, this stuff was really important to me -- we watched a lot of TV and movies, and I really enjoyed having a nice TV, some big speakers and a high quality sub, etc. Now I just don't see the value in spending my time and money on that stuff. I'd rather not have our living spaces filled up with all of it.

[It's not like I'm eschewing technology...I work in IT and we have plenty of electronics around the house. Just not seeing the role of a big, complicated A/V system in my life anymore.]

nothing wrong with it at all. for real

unplug

I think your response to me is perfect.

I would unplug plug if I was single again with no family. I like the outdoors and doing nonelectronic things. However, over the years, I've gradually gotten more plugged in and love being able to do things like stream from phone to pc to car to outdoor speakers, open and close my garage from anywhere, spy on my house while I'm away, entertain for holidays etc. I completely changed my mentality on it over the years, but my god my life was so stress free when I didn't feel obligated to stay connected and upgraded to the next big electronic.



...and I like to tell other parents how to parent just to watch them squirm.

Why?

becuz kitteh !

Every night before going to bed, he would brush his teeth and make a preemptive attempt to void his bladder. He then walked into his closet, got on his knees in front of the shoe rack, and prayed to a god whose unlikely existence he likened to an ongoing quantum event.

In his mind, the act of kneeling mattered not at all to this supposed god. He could just as well pray standing naked on his head with his ass serving as a fleshy vase for a bouquet of flowers. The penitential pose was only useful as a demonstration of his humility in the face of the infinite (although when things were going his way, it was more of a feigned humility.)

The prayers themselves mostly consisted of thanking his sub-atomic almighty verb for assembling an infrastructure that allowed for life to exist. This included, in no particular order, the various laws of physics, gravity, organic chemistry and thermodynamics. And, since it was his belief that sentient life was created by an insentient universe in order for the insentient universe to be admired, he made an effort in his prayers to tell the insentience “nice work” or “way to go.”

Finally, he would close with a plea for this nameless everything to look after the less fortunate. “Please god, despite the clear evidence that it's not in your nature to care, bring love and happiness to all the souls who suffer.”

Then, his heart filled with grace, he would climb into bed and sleep peacefully until he dreamed he was standing in his closet and peeing on his shoes – god's clever way of telling him that he had to wake up and go to the bathroom.

You can't be looking in my windows from way out there.

I have signed up to participate in an FDA sponsored clinical trial. The official name is: Complex Aortic Aneurysm Repair Using Physician Modified Endografts and Custom Made Devices (CARPE-CMD) Otherwise known as "seize the aneurysm". First stage operation is December 12. Second stage depends on when my customized stent is available.

The drive up to Massachusetts is a solid 5.5 hours. I've decided I really don't like driving that much anymore.


Edit: my new cardiologist is really cute. The highly qualified nurses (both ACNP) are not too hard on the eyes, either. I suppose this places me firmly in the "dirty old man" category.

I'd rather be a dirty old man than a dead old man.

Good luck on the clinical trial.

That's essentially where I used to live, on a piece of property like that in Big Sur wedged between the Los Padres National Forest and the Ventana Wilderness Area. Power came from a generator when I bothered to start it, internet came from space when I bothered to use it, and "TV" came in the form of random DVDs I would buy/borrow from people. Occasionally I would listen to the radio just to make sure I wasn't completely disconnected from reality, but one of the only stations that came in reliably was NPR and its not always my cup of tea. I will say that living that far out in the woods does have some pretty profound effects on your mental processes and your perception of society, and kinda reality in general. It's not a place I could see a large cross section of people being able to flourish in.

Good times, I miss it much. 36°20'37.07"N 121°48'19.72"W if you are interested.

This may sound stupid, but...

"Bounce" is still a thing in the US, right?
I mean, you guys don't just toss your laundry in the dryer without a piece of dryer sheet, do you?

They make and sell dryers over here but no one has ever heard of dryer sheets. I even called the manufacturer and talked to design engineers.
Nothing. All I'm getting is static.

It is. There are several different major brands (Bounce, Snuggle, Downy, Meyers, Arm & Hammer, etc), and also "generic" private-label brands as well.


I do. And I have recently been informed that this makes me uncivilized.

It's still a thing. I have a box sitting on top of my dryer. I personally quit using it about 10 years ago but I think Ms Mobius still tosses a sheet in now and then.

At least you use dryers, unlike the Brits and the Kiwis. I swear, if it wasn't actively raining they were hanging laundry. If it was actively raining they'd hang it in the garage. The neighbors in New Zealand thought I was lazy as fuck because I actually used the dryer in our house instead of hanging laundry. But was this dryer what anybody in 'Murika would call a dryer? No ... it had no vent. It had a cartridge for the removed water. After every load you had to empty the cartridge into the sink. It's like cutting a hole and adding a vent (to a house that, while it appeared modern, was completely uninsulated) was simply too much work. This thing struggled with a single set of sheets. A load of towels? Forget it, just hang them in the garage.

Now, every time I load up 3 sets of sheets in the washer, and then load those 3 sets of sheets into the dryer, with full confidence they will be as dry as the Sahara if I wish them to be when the cycle ends, I think fuck yeah.

Bounce!

I use Bounce(or similar generic sheets) in my Miata for winter storage - 1 in the glovebox, 1 in the trunk, 1 on top of the airbox and 1 on top of the windshield washer reservoir. Seems that rodents are repelled by the smell of outdoor-fresh stuff(?!). Me too I guess, since we never use it on our clothes.

I'm sure they just bounce you around from CS rep to CS rep.

I don't bother anymore. It makes your towels non-absorbent and leaves slimy gunk on your clothes. Plus it's just more chemicals in your life.

Better solution is to just not dry your clothes for quite so long. Leave some moisture in them to help dissipate the static charge.

I generally don't have a problem with static unless I'm washing a giant synthetic fabric blanket and even then it is a non-issue once I've folded it.

And humidify your house so it's not so dry also.