"Imported"

 "Imported" automatically has a veneer of gentility, unless you're talking about people. Well, enough intro.
How pretentious is "Balsamic" vinegar?
I can't find out, the advertising is too thick.
You'd think it came from certain hidden places in Italy where young peasant girls pick grapes...
I wondered.
I have a hankering for a salad with vinegar and maybe I'll dare to add mayonnaise, since my stomach does not discriminate between yogurt and mayo, it hates them both.

I'll continue this later, I was just wondering on the way to the toilet. 

Amazon (whole foods) pretentious

I'm not sure, after reading amazon, why "Blidz" is 0.99c.
You can't drink vinegar like wine, tho I suppose people do.
Having a .99 bottle to grace the dinner table, next to the bowl of plastic fruit and rock salt, might be nice.
It seems to me, labels are very important.
The rock salt stolen off the street might not pass muster.

Actually, I was only looking for mild, less harsh vinegar that doesn't start gas balloons in my stomach.

The "Hankering" is for romaine lettuce and shredded cheese, the store-brand.
You can't cook salad (can you?) so I'd wash it up real good.
Boil some squash to mash into it.

(link)

A pretentious site, with a hint of sarcasm. And it's paywalled anyway.
But I'll try to peek from a dusty-ass corner next to the mice.

TLDR (otg) Rice, or if Kroger doesn't sell, "White wine,"
(or if Kroger doesn't sell) 
Uh, "apple cider vinegar" but it's strong.

I choose "Rice" unless it's imported from peasant girls in rice fields carefully picking grains.....

Not sure why but it's around three times more money than white vinegar.
Ocrap, "Kroger" seasons their vinegar.
With what, Soy, Garlic and onion?
Geez

Vinegar with sweetener to make it more edible, ok.

Ya know, ...

uhm,

White vinegar with a teaspoon of sugar and a little water, might be better (don'tcha think?)

I mean, cuz you're buying mostly water anyway (96%)

Dinky bottles of White-Wine vinegar were on sale, 

for around the same as the rice-vinegar.

It's OK. I guess vinegar you don't use to clean or cook with should be more tasteful, but it isn't worth the cost, I think.

--------

The following day:

My stomach is angry, maybe my sour-cream choice as mayonnaise wasn't prudent, or maybe I'm so old *everything* pisses it off.
But I think it was the cream, and something about squashes (not too many).
There are quite a few people who'd rather have fun in hell than be bored to tears in Heaven; endless Tour guides (Rick Steve etc) going on about the bricks and the corinthian columns.

Why does everybody go on about columns? Doric, Ionic.

Now tell us about screw pumps, inclined planes and the Cotton Gin.

Anyway my suffering is tolerable, and the salad was worth it.
Praise his Unholiness.

Oh! Nearly forgot: A note to myself, I came super-close to buying a 

"Butternut Squash" which looks like a deflated sports ball.

It's too big, a guy would need to cut it up.
Does it take superlong to cook?
Squash is squash, they are slightly flavorless but otherwise OK.

Peel? Chop? (Fucket)

Now I gotta go find a recipe or, never speak of them again (buy the soup instead.)

pre-scandal

 There's a lull in the news, for people who cannot sleep.
And anyway, news on Google's front page is slightly opinionated one way or another.
Someone is pissed at Biden for reforming the supreme court; another pokes fun at Trump.
They've turned some guy not running for VP into a political statement. But only in the headline.

Some lady asks "where were you" when Biden Chose to not run; but only in the headline.
What's way more interesting is this propaganda-room photo.
Now we know the Pool bridge code (whatever that is, ???) and a phone number to call, for a good time.

Unfortunately for me, the picture is so huge you won't see all the details and some are blurry.
Is that a rubber duck stuck on a rafter?

Click the pic for the Bridge code (on the bottom)
And the rubber duck (on the top)

"ProHD" Tv's no one watches are seriously expensive; I don't know why.
But they're flush, well-heeled, Bespoken.

---------------------------------

The headline reads, rice is being recalled.
But reading further, one single company got a bag broken into by rats, and those happy rats took a dump on the rice.
The picture of some generic-type rice is not encouraging; Are they showing us really crappy rice or does ALL rice look like this?

Oozing Kernel smut / Rat Poo (whatever)

---

Occasionally people see me window-shopping and mistakenly believe I'm about to make a purchase.
It's usually just a train of thought.
If I shortened the train into a bus,

I'd say there are two classes of SSD, the ones for a little over $100 and the ones costing over $1000. This disappointed my thoughts about buying a very fast but very reliable 256GB drive.
Yes, if I had $1000.

The filter is on my mind, see previous entry. Yes, I want a filter, no, I am not sure I'll buy one (they're overpriced)

filters and stuff

 WAY way too broad a subject for typing slowly. So this will look incomplete, fragmented, pointless.

The filter wears protection (not shown) and is virginal
cream-colored where it counts on the inside.
The outside is a nice, neat dust-free brown.
It could have gone on longer but the sheath covering it was disgusting.

1. A commercial for an air filter shows the gross crap it picks up.
Fine, whatever, but all filters pick up stuff.
It's when you clean the thing that you run into trouble.

1(a) Honeywell, the company making my fan, ditched the Huge filter idea and decided to make smaller filters stacked one on top of the other.
This is wrapped in a single charcoal filter.
So regretfully, I won't be buying from Honeywell soon. They charge way too much for the fan, (it's only a fan, for gosh sake) 
and there are third party vendors for the Biggie (humongous) single filter.
This makes them cheaper than Honeywell by a lot.
But are they "HEPA"?
Let's never speak of them again, you might as well be pushing EVOO or sea salt.

The curse of filters is, eventually (I don't know when,) I'll buy an expensive filter and the Fan will die.
Will I replace the fan to accommodate the expensive filters, which is way too much money, or will I start being interested in the TV commercial?
Odd, air filters are like fads that come and go.
They added a filter onto the AC-system, big and ugly and custom made, in the hospital, for each room. 
So germs live there happily, concentrated from the last disease-ridden patient....
Me and my fan, we're happy and not sick, until maybe I clean the thing (has it been two years already?
Amazon doesn't lie)

Big ticket items end up as entries in this blog. 
But I had the filter way way before filters became stylish, around 2006 or so.
It's only recently I resurrected it from my unused crap and started using it, and even more recently (two years) I started worrying about the filters.
The fan is due to die soon. Do I replace the filters or go for whatever the commercial is pushing?
Hmm.

I don't know the model on TV they were pushing.
The actor had to be paid, the special-effects department had to fill the filter full of lint, and every time they show the commercial, they pay a hefty fee,
so this generic version is prolly comparable, 10-times more than I'd really want to spend:

https://www.achooallergy.com/blog/learning/the-great-air-cleaner-scam/

(TLDR: Don't buy Ozone air cleaners (IDK)

more notes

 

Tantulus the half-God, and other stuff I don't want to go into, is a train of thought.
For pissing off the Gods he was punished by being Tantalized, forever.

In "Tartarus", the deep dark hot place of the Earth.

I need a picture of "Tantalizing," here.
Food that gives hellish punishment (AKA "Burrito") vs Butt (for looking at briefly, and only in books or magazines)

"Tantalizing" butt gave lots fewer results.

Tantalizing is in the eye of the beholder.

 It (the butt) is supposed to imply health and fitness, not lust, (my vocabulary lacks) ...

A stock photo of a beautiful older woman
entices people to click on the ad, whatever it is.

No Tantalizing food

Wikipedia goes on (and on,) and the concrete example (for me) isn't there.

So I made one up: A maid? 
The incredibly rich might have expensive (tantalizing) appliances that get used by servants.
Those servants might be tantalizing to 

(wait, this started out being about "Tartarus.")
OK, Tartarus is the Place. Hot dark, volcanic (steamy.)
Tantalus is the name of someone.

(right?)

It's prolly coincidental (maybe) that preachers wanting to get good jobs, study Greek. 
Surely the subject of Tartarus comes up in their studies.

Formless-void, uh, "Hell," all that. 

I would not presume to even consider that creationism comes mostly from Greek Mythology. But vague thoughts can be had aplenty on Quora (10 second research-result.)
Also Reddit

(link)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh

I can't remember right this second the story Captain Picard had to learn to understand a guy who only spoke in stories.
The biggie plot seemed to say that we (us) incorporate stories into our daily lives.

Anyway, TLDR'ing,
Noah=Gilgamesh=Darmok=Enkidu, with poetic license on my part (so, not literally)

Gilgamesh+Enkidu at Uruk is super-old and they have written records.
Cool.

(Reddit)

"Whatever you believe or can conceive of,
someone else believed it first, wrote tons about it, has more professional sites backing them, tons of money" comes into play here.
If I think a thought, I can find tons of references.

So nevermind.

(Link)
They are aware, they just say it's way different.
Yeah, OK. whatever.

I totally glossed.
Chicken/egg

Some guy says, 1400BC, then they changed the crap out of it, until 400BC
(I'm parroting)

But is "some guy" correct?

When was the bulk of Greek Mythology written? https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/air/greek-myths#:~:text=The%20Greek%20stories%20of%20gods,Greek%20poets%20Homer%20and%20Hesiod. Wait, so now they want to push that Genesis was written way before Greeks thought it up.
Interesting.

If the oldest book in the Bible is 750BC, How in Hades does Genesis pre-date it?

250BC vs 1400BC

It behooves biblical scholars pushing the literal scripture to the max, that the date of 1400BC be bombasted, but in fact it was modified for reasons unknown to me until 250BC.

Imagine all that political correctness lovingly folded in.

Forget WHY it was modified, I can totally guess.
But what was the original like before the Sanhedrin and King James got a hold of it??

Dyed-in-wool conservatives have abandoned Wikipedia long-long ago, so this excerpt is prolly heretical and not to be believed.
OTOH it explains tons.

The number "3" in the above picture refers to A really rambling-type guy who says that Genesis was composed by at least two people, one of them being priest-like.
https://books.google.com/books?id=FQjTDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA12#v=onepage&q&f=false

The detail you have to pore over to see, is, 500BC (I think)

I don't think bringing "Star Wars," the 70's movie, into this would help, would it?
A Superstar of a storyteller tells a story (let's say,) and forever afterwards, stories are written and rewritten on the theme of Star Wars.

Well, I tried.

(Link)

(link)

Paraclete

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B089XPN85Z

A discussion could be started about "State Religion" and how they begin.

Books and poems become Law.

But You'd need a much better blogger.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/07/05/10-facts-about-religion-and-government-in-the-united-states/

Anyway in that discussion (a small part) would be the historical "Divine Right of Kings," The official Church of a country,
And the Supreme Court

Which myths and stories get pushed today (right now?)

 I seriously need to modify my definition of "Top Stories"
Cat-Ladies vs Vance

I think they meant that some meat is undercooked, at least according to another article on the same subject.
Not that athletes crave more raw meat. But you be the judge.

Apparently I erased a question about texts being sent that claim to have a package for me.
A much better article exists now, https://www.wired.com/story/usps-scam-text-smishing-triad/, not that you asked. But it's a front page article, somewhere.

notes on a theme

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism

And stuff I need to read more about, religious persecution in the U.S. around the 17th-18th centuries (1600-1700's)

Salem Witch trials (well, way more than that, but it's where I'd start)

And maybe a paragraph or two about how expensive most globes are.
I want one.
But do I want the *appearance* of one, the theme of a large globe, or an actual globe I could study?
A tiny scrawl I mumble to myself, "MAGA" when? How? Don't get your feet up, this is no rant.
Pre-sixties?
Post WWII?
If I were in school or preparing for a debate, I'd be made fun of for relying on one single link, Wikipedia.
And back in (o, say, 1924) I'm sure there were tons of stuff decrying the quote-unquote "yellow peril".

Being lazy and having my own blog has its perks. Read the links, don't read them, whatever.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Chinese_sentiment_in_the_United_States#:~:text=Anti%2DChinese%20sentiment%20led%20to,Asian%20Exclusion%20Act%20of%201924.

I'm editing in the Voting rights act of 1965 as amended by the US supreme court.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965 with special attention to 2021-2023. (I don't know much more than that, and I just read it)

Yesterday the free-movie channel decided to show Christmas movies. 
There are only a very few christmas movies I like (two or three?) and they showed one of my favorites.
Life sucked in that movie, sucked real bad....(lol) and I'm not entirely sure it has much meaning anymore, in between sad puppy, wounded veterans and shriners commercials.

"It would be pointless to tell you about them" my game says.

Speechmakers weave fantastical scenarios that never were or will be true, and if that's what you want,
a stirring speechmaker,
pick any sunday broadcast,
any commercial asking for money,
any politician promising the moon....

Any people suing the shit out of people trying harder than hell to forgive debt, enforcing Scrooge-like phrases ("are there no workhouses?")  just to be contrarian...

(link)

Reading comments anywhere at any time, ever, at all, won't convince the opposing side to concede. Spewing hate to reinforce their cause, more like.
But the above opinion was no comment, it's a full-fledged article and My only opinion is, it wasn't specific enough.
Why GOP and the

Heritage foundation

(Because I can't link to a PDF and would not want to anyway)

et al. are against Student-debt-forgiveness.

Pick a year, life sucked.

Questions

 Most of this is supposed to be about "Baldur's Gate 3" but I get sleepy and forget the questions.

And let me just edit-in, Romance is still very random, but my most favorite character by far is,

Human, Sorcerer Wizard-Evocation. (the note is mostly for me, to replace a filthy scrap of paper telling me what to choose)

They get "Chain-Lightning" which is usually (not always) the best spell in the game.
They've tweaked it so it's picky on what you can aim at, and if you cast chain-lightning next to a puddle, you'll be electrocuted.
Big sloppy fireballs are nice too, and "Flame strike" from Shadowheart is necessary sometimes, but other than that, "Chain"-yada rocks.

OK "Shar" the Goddess has a test for applicants.
Several times during that test her voice is heard.
If this were anywhere but a game, it would be a pre-recorded voice or is the Goddess supposed to hang around giving sermons to every slap-happy pissant?

Dame Aylin, the prisoner, says to her assassin,
"You were already lost, little warrior" because ALL Selunites go through the same ritual.

They're abandoned at a mall in a bad neighborhood and need to get a ride home.
THIS time, like the game says, it had gone awry.
I still don't know why her dad is a wolf; Player can't do that. (Player was turned into a wolf briefly but it wasn't by choice and it never happened again?)
Other characters can transform into bears.
But digressing aside, does the lady in tattered clothes have a sermon prepared for each neophyte killer?

The game is mostly about the climax of the romance scene for me, and everything else is an anticlimactic chore (after the scene.)
Kill yada whoever, blah.
But it's still very random, like the roll of the dice. It happens, it does not happen, who knows why. Shadowheart is about to be unclean again to a "warlock Fiend"
So I'll guess she likes bad boys.

This one worked.
Would it work twice?
I'm getting superstitious...
the "LariLauncher" should be running too
Because (this is too long for a caption)
The game can optionally censor itself, it's a choice,
and something might be triggering that choice.

If/When it's missing, I end the game and start over.

I might still start over after this successful playthrough, since I already know the ending 

(A party no one shows up to)

I played one or two romance fails and then This character finally succeeded.
Why?? I've got endless reasons that might have nothing to do with the outcome.
One day I'd like to experiment with a particular scene ("dead Zevlor")
to see if Shadowheart totally ignores his corpse and (starts the romance.)
Is my charisma too high?
Is my hair all right?
Did I cater to her moods just enough?

WTF does she WANT?!! (sorry, ptsd moment)
"Wemod" says the game has been modified.
And it's true, stuff is very slightly different.
One of the Biggiest combat Scenes takes place in Moonlight Towers, the Condo to the south of the graveyard.
In the past, with enough "dexterity", Player could mop the f'ing floor but now,
Jaheira, a nosy old lady and her band of munchkins, insists on getting involved first.
This triggers a massive battle with player just standing there trying to look nonchalant. I need to study up on defensive spells....Was this one of the changes, or did that particular change happen years ago?
Anyway, Romance ensued for Player today.
She cannot wear armor nor use any shield.
I really feel bad for her but I'll adapt.

Can I also mention that I ignore most of the advice about strengths and weaknesses, because if you want to go first in a fight, Initiative (which is heavily influenced by "dexterity") is of paramount importance to me.

1d4+Dex, the literati say.
If you've managed to cheat your way into a situation with many enemies, and those enemies stand there frozen waiting for you to kill them, it's because of Dexterity.
On the other hand, being last in a crowd-fight usually means you die or get cursed heavily.
But No one else mentions this (no one recently) so I have to wonder why.

 myrkul bhaal bane (Merkel Ball and Bane, Atty's at law)

Dead Three | Forgotten Realms Wiki | Fandom
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com › wiki › Dead_Three

---

Aside from the obvious, what will Kamala Harris be dissed heavily for?
Will she make mistakes in speeches, will they dredge up something about the toxic environment (She's supposed to be hard to work for)?

Will they demand money from her (It's a story today)?

People get paid TONS to diss whoever. They'll keep coming up with mindless crap you'll swallow like fish.

*I* think she should push womanhood and blackness to the max, like all the old songs say.
"Sisters are doing it for themselves" and "W O M A N" etc.
Crap for crap. 

Who the hell is "George Soros" and how will the GOP work him into all this?

There was a long-forgotten story about how Trump wanted to toilet train NBC and their owner Comcast.
So subservient lip service against anyone else could be forgiven, considering the death threats they must get.
It's lots safer to quote analysts against Kamala.

Some generic Evil guy you've never heard of will suddenly take center stage.
(Eveil Link)

"Axis of Evil" cast-members might have a few choice phrases.
I suppose I could write a diss book of my own, but that job is taken, by every loudmouth on X.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/international/harris-not-a-team-player-biden-doubts-kamalas-ability-to-defeat-trump-report/videoshow/111950931.cms

Top news of Goofies front page quoted the Times of India which quoted Axios.

https://www.axios.com/2024/07/22/biden-kamala-harris-election-chances

Cry havoc, let loose the ton of bullshit

F'n Fire the aides