Why Didn't This Happen?

I was reading a thread on Datalounge earlier about why the metric system was never adopted in the United States. I remember being in grade school in the 1970s and being told that we would convert to the metric system soon. Alas, it never happened. Why not? For a variety of reasons: it's too "foreign" for Americans, we're too lazy to learn an entirely different measurement system, it's unnecessary at this point. I read somewhere that the US and one other country (that I can't remember) are the only ones who still don't use the metric system. Wow. Actually, metric measurements are used on labeling in the US for items like soda pop and included (usually in parentheses) on other goods like lotion bottles, milk containers, etc. 

Aside from the metrics push in the 1970s, I recall a push to make Europe and Asia into one continent: Eurasia. What happened to that? Nothing, apparently. I can't even imagine now European and Asian countries agreeing to align as one continent but, back in the 70s, this was a thing. It was a different time...

Post-Thanksgiving Greetings

I can't believe the Thanksgiving weekend is almost over. One more day and then back to the grind. It has been nice having a few days off from my day job. I few weeks ago, I had a dental procedure to pull a cracked tooth, so I've been eating my meals on one side of my mouth and, unfortunately, have to continue doing this until I get a bridge put in. The first week following the procedure was painful. My gums were killing me. Thankfully, the pain subsided and I was feeling much better about a week later. This is what happens when you get old and your body starts falling apart. 

I hope everyone had/is having a good holiday weekend. We could all use a nice break from the noise these days and a few days of rest and relaxation (if possible). 

Since today has been filled with falling snow here in the Chicago area, I've stayed indoors. I went out yesterday for provisions so I didn't have to bother leaving home in the bad weather. It's a good weekend to stay in and read, write, and watch TV (all of which I've been doing). 

As we inch towards the end of 2025, I can't say I'll be missing it, but I'm also not exactly looking forward to 2026. Will it be more of the same? Another year of chaos, anxiousness, and dread? God, I hope not, but I fear it will be. 

The Fall of the Slop Bowl

My sister sends me a lot of articles to read (because she's a former librarian) and lately she's sent me a number of articles about the rise and fall of the slop bowl. What's a slop bowl, you might ask? Bowls of food all slopped together and sold at various fast/casual restaurants. For example, a bowl at Chipotle or a bowl at Sweetgreen.

I was a huge fan of the slop bowl at Chipotle for a long time. I would get a chicken bowl and a lemonade weekly when I worked in New York. There was a Chipotle in the lobby of the building I worked in and the lunch lines would be long. I knew down to the penny what my order would cost (because I got the same thing every time). I loved my slop bowl! Then I fell out of love with it when Chipotle had problems with people getting sick from their food and cleanliness and food prep issues arose. But I went back to Chiptole after these turbulent times and back to the slop bowl. However, the return visit wasn't the same. Even when I moved to Chicago and went out for lunch (during the BC, before Covid times), I didn't visit Chipotle as much as I did during my NY years. The food just didn't hit me the same way. 

As I moved on from Chipotle, I fully embraced a new slop bowl: Sweetgreen. A Sweetgreen location opened in the city where I live and I was a frequent visitor to get myself a hearty harvest bowl. But soon, the longing wore off for that too. Maybe if I wasn't working from home now, I'd be more inclined to venture out for lunch, but why bother when I have food in the fridge that I paid a lot of money for. I can make my own slop bowl, if I want. Why go out and pay nearly $20 for one? As someone on Reddit said when commenting on a story about the fall of the slop bowl, "We got slop at the house!"

Apparently, the desire for slop bowls has fallen greatly. The Gen Z kids don't want them or can't afford them. Traffic is down at places like Chipotle and Sweetgreen. Some of this surely can be blamed on people not going into offices and going out for lunch. Some folks, like myself, never returned to the office after Covid or only returned on a hybrid basis and that huge group of lunch time eaters caused a huge decline in the earnings for many restaurants. 

Maybe, also, the slop bowl just isn't as appealing as it used to be. Calling something you eat a "slop bowl" is a huge turnoff too, but is it wrong? Sadly, it isn't!

Dirty ICE

Yesterday, around noon (Central time), I heard a lot of commotion as I was about to take my lunch break from my day job. The commotion was a lot of car horns and whistles. By the time I got myself together and headed outside to see what was going on, the commotion was over, but I later found out it was caused by ICE agents in my hometown right on the same block where I live! My city is turning into a police state. What is going on in my country? People are being pulled off the street by ICE goons, shoved into unmarked SUVs, and taken to unknown locations with no due process. This is insane. 

While I was on vacation a week ago, I had a conversation with a woman at the time share office (an office that has Fox News running 24/7). The woman knew I lived in Illinois and asked me why our governor didn't want to accept Donny T's offer of military "help" with crime in Chicago. I tried to tell this woman that people (American citizens and non-citizens alike) are being pulled off the streets in Chicago and ignored when they try to prove they're citizens and locked up. That's not the kind of "help" that's needed here. The woman told me she didn't believe that was happening and why would she when she exists on a daily diet of Fox News? People like this lady truly live in a bubble and they're not interested in finding out what's really going on in the world. They prefer to have their "news" spoon-fed to them courtesy of Fox. It's sad, but true.

Despite all of this, I refuse to be afraid to live my life. It's hard, but I can't let this crazed administration cower me into submission. 

Back from the Beach

I took this week off to relax at the beach and really enjoyed doing nothing during that time other than reading, sleeping, eating, and watching TV. I also went down to the beach and watched the sunset. (I couldn't get out of bed eary enough to see any sunrises during the week.) I enjoy my time at the beach in Gulf Shores, AL. It's very calming and soothing this time of year. I can't imagine what it's like in the height of summer, but in October/November when I usually visit, it's great: no crowds and very chill. I flew back to Chicago yesterday and I was glad to be back home too (albeit with a head cold). I hope I don't have Covid. I should probably take a test. (I really don't think it's Covid. When I had Covid, I felt like I had Covid!) Anyway, this was my last vacation for the year and it's back to the grind on Monday. I wish I could say I got some writing done while I was away but, alas, that didn't happen. Oh well. Tomorrow's another day!

I Love Music

I've been listening to CDs from my vast collection while I work my day job and I put on Sarah McLachlan's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy earlier today. I used to play this CD all the time. Sarah's songs are often sad, but she has such a beautiful voice that I can overlook the sadness. One of my favorite songs on the CD is "Elsewhere." Sarah's voice is so powerful when she sings, "I believe this is heaven to no one else but me." Hearbreaking and so beautiful. I remember someone I used to work with said attending a Sarah McLachlan concert was great and low-key because her music lulled everyone to sleep. I wasn't sure if she meant that as a compliment or an insult to the singer. Maybe both. Whatever. Sarah's great and she's a singer who can really sing, unlike a lot of artists out today who put on a good show, but can't really carry a tune. Speaking of not great singers, I recently saw a clip of a highly popular artist (whose name will not be mentioned here) doing a song with the great Stevie Nicks. This "artist" sounded so bad whenever she opened her mouth to "sing" and even Stevie looked like she wanted to run from the stage to get away from this woman's warbling. Terrible. Stevie deserves to share the stage with artists who can bring it as hard as she does, not some pop star who sounds awful live and is probably auto-tuned to death in the studio and in concert.

Another really good singer is Kelly Clarkson. I watched a clip of her singing Whitney Houston's song "I'm Your Baby Tonight" on her show and she was really great. I'm not even a fan of that particular song (because they played it too much when it was out), but I enjoyed Kelly's version of it. You can see it on YouTube (because that's where I watched it). Kelly Clarkson is the best performer to come out of the American Idol show. She's very talented and she's another singer who can really sing.

In other music news, I was surprised and saddened to hear that R&B singer D'Angelo died from cancer at age 51. He was so talented and really made some great songs. His song "Lady" is a particular favorite of mine. Why do we always lose the good ones? He's another singer who could really sing. He had a lot of personal struggles in his life, but he made some excellent music while he was around. RIP, D'Angelo.

New Month...Old Problems

Welcome, October! With each day that passes, I'm just grateful to be alive and not out my mind. And, with a new month, we have a government shutdown. Whatever. Shut it down. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't when you're dealing with Donny T. and his minions. You either cave and give them what they want or don't cave and they take what they want anyway. Donny and Friends control the House, the Senate, and the Executive Branch. If they can't pass legislation on their own with that much power, then they can kick rocks. I really hate to see the government shut down because I depend on government services like other folks (the TSA, etc.). But this current government is so ridiculous and hostile that it's not even worth trying to work with them. 

Speaking of work, I had a rough day myself with an annoying coworker who seems to think that his projects should be pushed to the head of the line before anyone else's. I had to try and set him straight about having reasonable expectations. I'm working with a very reduced workforce and I'm doing the best I can with what I have. That means I have to prioritize my work. This guy didn't want to hear it. I had to loop his manager in also, but they're such cronies that he probably just ignored the whole thing. My manager also was looped in but he's largely useless when stuff like this comes up also. I'm grateful to have a job, but working with annoying people is annoying. I need a vacation!