I just...

[infinite monkey]

Originally Posted by fargon

I just learned that my best friend in high school died today after a long illness. We lost touch after I graduated and he moved to San Diego. He very recently reconnected with his family after nearly 40 years. I don't know what to say.

Oh hell, there's nothing you can say that will suffice. Nobody can, even the best talkers. It just hurts, and you have to let it hurt. No consolation, I know. Hugs to you. Keep talking to us.

[glatt]

40 years is a long time to not see someone. Do you feel nothing hearing this news, but feel like you are supposed to? Or are you surprised at your emotions for someone hasn't been part of your life for decades?

[limey]

So sorry, Fargon. X


Sent by thought transference

[fargon]

I was surprised at the emotions that I felt. When I joined the Coast Guard we drifted apart, I saw him briefly in '82 for about 15 minutes he said he would call me, he never did. I tried to call him a couple of days later but his number was disconnected. I would hear from his siblings from time to time, and he was always doing well. Then 2 years ago I heard that he was in the hospital but it was nothing to be concerned about. I asked for his contact information, but never got it. He and his partner did not want to be disturbed. I obeyed their wishes.

[BigV]

I just...

love this stuff



and I just...

got tired of fucking around.

[Griff]

It is the best. Most mornings it is on my eggs. Must keep my eyes open for the absurdly large container.

[DanaC]

I cannot imagine getting through any sauce bottle ofthat size lol.

[Sundae]

I used to have three bottles of Tabasco when I lived with the 'rents.
Standard, Jalapeño and Habanero. It would have been four if I'd seen Chipotle!
Heat and vinegar, love it.

I'd miss the classic shape of the bottle though.
In my topsy turvy world I SEE it every morning, as somehow a full bottle has washed up on the tide of detritus of my chest of drawers. But I never actually use it, as breakfast is like Michigan now.

[monster]

Originally Posted by Sundae

breakfast is like Michigan now.

Mitten-shaped and fucking cold?

[Scopulus Argentarius]

Originally Posted by Sundae

I used to have three bottles of Tabasco when I lived with the 'rents.
Standard, Jalapeño and Habanero. It would have been four if I'd seen Chipotle!
Heat and vinegar, love it.

I'd miss the classic shape of the bottle though.
In my topsy turvy world I SEE it every morning, as somehow a full bottle has washed up on the tide of detritus of my chest of drawers. But I never actually use it, as breakfast is like Michigan now.

Why the abstinance?

Tobasco is the firey stuff of the gods! A few drops will render some very divine heat. The summers in Avery Island, its source, are just as hot as the sauce.


Ironically, On several occasions I've been within a few miles of the location, but have not yet taken the tour. No recent travels have extended into the environs of New Iberia.

[Carruthers]

I just took my Dad to the Health Centre for his B12 injection.

A hundred yards down the road:

Dad: I've forgotten to put my hearing aid in.

Me (sotto voce): Well, I'll just talk to myself then.

Dad: Chuckles.

Which only goes to prove that he isn't deaf, he just listens when he wants to.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Carruthers

I just took my Dad to the Health Centre for his B12 injection.

A hundred yards down the road:

Dad: I've forgotten to put my hearing aid in.

Me (sotto voce): Well, I'll just talk to myself then.

Dad: Chuckles.

Which only goes to prove that he isn't deaf, he just listens when he wants to.

No no, when in a conversational exchange, with minimum background noise, he's directing his concentration on the expected reply. Like the hearing test in a quiet booth, you're expecting and straining to hear a tone. But something said out of the blue, especially with background din, is usually several words into the statement before he realizes it's directed at him and by then the gist of the statement is lost. Hence the, "what?" So it's selective but it's not his conscious selection.
The TV must be high because watching is not pleasurable if we have to concentrate so hard we're straining. Plus TV dialog varies greatly in volume, and saying, "What", to the TV is useless.

I know from whence I speak.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

The TV must be high because watching is not pleasurable if we have to concentrate so hard we're straining. Plus TV dialog varies greatly in volume, and saying, "What", to the TV is useless. I know from whence I speak.

If it was just a case of the TV being at a uniformly high volume I could take the appropriate counter measures, ie ear plugs. Unfortunately there are a number of complicating factors.

(1). Dad will sit close to the TV with his hearing aids turned up to maximum and the sound turned down to a level where I cannot comfortably hear it.

(2). Dad will run down the batteries of his hearing aids because he has been running them at full throttle. See (1) above. Upshot: I am deafened by TV.

(3) As pointed out TV dialogue volume varies markedly especially during some of the news programmes. Dad will make constant adjustments to the sound so he can comfortably hear it.
Determining 'comfortable' in this context may be complicated by (1) and (2) above.

(4) If a particular reporter or performer that does not feature on his popularity list makes an appearance, the mute button is pressed in short order. No one else (me) has any say in the matter.

(5) Loud music accompanying any documentary also gets the 'mute button' treatment. If there's dialogue going on at the same time, well that's just too bad. It won't hurt if we (I) miss it.

(6) Use of the mute button does not take into account the fact that the underlying volume might well have increased substantially by the time the mute is 'unpressed'.
Particularly jarring when his batteries are about to expire. See (2) above.

(7) The perfect storm is when his hearing aid batteries are low, the TV volume is set high, and he unmutes when the transmitted sound is at its maximum, just at the time when I happen to be walking past the TV.

In comparison, Krakatoa's explosion in 1883 sounds like a lamb sneezing 200 yards away.

[BigV]

HAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAA!

(I hope he heard *that*!)

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by BigV

HAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAA!

(I hope he heard *that*!)

I'll go and ask him. Trouble is, I shall have to get him to turn down the sound on the TV first.