bolido_sentimental
No bio...
User ID: 205
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
I've often felt that a significant part of the defeat of the Big 3 was just mind-share. I daily a Buick from the 2010s, and it has met my needs in every way. I've never had to put it in the shop beyond tires, fluid changes etc. It's a great car in general. But by the 2010s, the battle was already lost - there was no car that Americans could put out that would displace Toyota and Honda in the minds of the American public.
On Reddit, if cars are mentioned in any thread, you will never see a recommendation other than Toyota or Honda. It is 100% lockstep. Even if you could get 90% of the reliability from an old Ford Taurus at 50% of the cost, the hive mind has decided. I do get that - I've ridden in a Pontiac Le Mans. I've driven a Plymouth Volare. They fucked up for decades. But I hated it when the Big 3 bailed out of the sedan space, just because there are far fewer options now; and by the end, the cars were quite good.
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
He's still active on Reddit under the same name, if you want to reach him.
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
Near the end of the second-best-known Richard Yates novel, The Easter Parade. Yates is a very fluid, readable writer and I think he improved in this respect after Revolutionary Road.
Comments:
- People familiar with TRP would recognize so many things in this novel. If you read this, think about concepts like "holding frame," "alpha widows" etc. It's fascinating.
- Some of the scenes with the mother evoke a positively Ballardian horror.
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
Can confirm. For a while I worked in a factory making dish detergent. 12-hour shifts, on your feet the whole time, doing repetitive tasks, never seeing the sun.
On the other hand, I got really trim working there; and I had a lot of time to think, which I did like. But yeah, life would stretch out awfully long if you had to spend it there.
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
Rivethead is a phenomenal book by the way. I've never seen a clearer picture of what life was like for an American factory worker before full globalization.
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
Can someone explain to me: engagement rings, wedding rings, and wedding bands?
In the normal course of events, how many total rings are involved? Which ones are meant to have big gems on them, and which ones aren't?
Are there some sort of trends in what they're made of, what gems are common to use, etc.? (I've only ever heard of diamond, but I really don't know.)
I guess following on from that: is it really a common action to do the one-knee, surprise, "Will you marry me?" thing? Would you or did you do this? If you are the recipient of a wedding proposal, how would you want that to happen?
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
I remember those days.
I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, but I imagine it's not easy to have to ban someone you've worked with for so long. Frankly I had long hoped for this to happen, but it's still not without pathos. I didn't talk to him much, but I've been reading HlynkaCG comments for like a quarter of my life at this point.
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
This was the right choice, given what he was doing to discussions. It's been years since he was a genuine contributor, rather than a drive-by "you're wrong but I won't explain why" poster.
He was much better back in the Reddit days.
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
I think a major motivation there is that, for people who have kids, there is a portion of the trans activists who will directly try to influence your kids in their direction; if you are unlucky, your kid could suffer serious consequences. It's one of the aspects of the culture war that has the potential for the most direct, severe personal impact, even if the absolute odds may not be that high. I would be against it even if it were a rightist point.
By contrast, nobody's trying to secretly circumcise the kids. (Or if they are, they're doing an incredible job keeping it secret.)
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
My dentist doesn't do any of that stuff, man. I just get cleanings and get occasional cavities filled. I have a 10+ year old crown that he could easily say, "Oh wow, yeah, that's beyond it's useful life" and I'd go with it. But instead he says, "It's still looking good, we'll check on it again next time." I don't think I've ever been there longer than one hour.
It doesn't have to be like that. Try a new dentist. Ask people you know to refer a good one.
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
Yeah, me and my girlfriend are in our early 30s. We like to go to Big Lots and buy various snacks, and then watch weird DVDs from the thrift store. This weekend we went to the local nature preserve and looked at turtles. I think we have as much fun as anyone does.
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
Happy birthday, Steff. Here's to ten more.
bolido_sentimental
8mo ago
Rick Shiels will tell you all about it, in an enjoyable Mancunian accent.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKnkfgDBi62mkWMNmNipPUUep6vcj8nYm
bolido_sentimental
9mo ago
I sometimes wonder if we've fallen below a critical mass of insightful commenters. If nothing else, the CWRs certainly have just a lower quantity of comments - threads from 2022 usually exceeded 2500.
As a lurker who mainly reads the Motte during breaks at work, I am not helping in any way.
bolido_sentimental
9mo ago
secret contraband chamber
I've often daydreamed about creating some kind of master list of what would need to go in here. I've never seen anyone's personal list, but I would really like to.
bolido_sentimental
9mo ago
just had two bottles of wine for pain relief
speaking as someone who gets punched in the face for a living
Log out, Tyson, you need to get ready for your fight with Usyk.
bolido_sentimental
9mo ago
I am happy to be able to report that the sequels to Magician are also pretty good! You can never really rely on that in fantasy...
bolido_sentimental
9mo ago
This event really made me realize how much time I spend lurking on the Motte. I should do something else with my time.
bolido_sentimental
10mo ago
I've wanted to be a father for a very long time. I could imagine my kids, but for a very long time I couldn't picture the woman who would want to have mine. After I bought a house, I couldn't find a local woman who wanted my children.
How did you eventually resolve this?
bolido_sentimental
10mo ago
Somewhat. I guess it's sort of like... I sense that you're not meant to binge-read poetry like it were a Rex Stout novel, or Wikipedia tabs, or something.
bolido_sentimental
10mo ago
What is the right way to consume poetry?
I would like to achieve a greater understanding of poetry and the canon of great poets; and I have many books of those in my house. But I'm not really clear on how people read poems, I guess. Like, with a novel, I sit down and read for as long as I feel like. Maybe a whole hour in a row or whatever. With poetry, the length is not on the same scale, and you're not typically following a plot or a narrative or anything. Poetry enjoyers, any insight you can provide would be appreciated.
bolido_sentimental
10mo ago
I actually did make this decision about five years ago, and chose to move to Cincinnati. Lovely old architecture everywhere, baseball, strong drinking culture, great museums. Cool German heritage and related huge Oktoberfests. Temperate four-season climate and the winters are not really severe. Everything is cheap, and yet it's not a big dumpster fire like other places where that's true. I love it here.
If I had it to do over, I might make the same choice. Other places I've been to and would consider are:
Wheeling, WV Owensboro, KY Pittsburgh, PA
I suppose if nothing else, I've found the region that I like best. (And I'm not from this part of the country.) I have lived in other, bigger cities and had a less good time in general.
bolido_sentimental
10mo ago
I actually find Garnett the most readable. You will find many recommendations for Pevear and Volokhonsky, and perhaps it's more accurate, but the experience of reading Garnett is more enjoyable.
I will have to research that. I know Chrysler was at the end, but I'd be surprised with regards to Ford. They sold many millions of sedans in the 90s and 2000s.
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