Teacher's Pet wrote: Tue Feb 10, 2026 9:33 am Today I was contemplating the Hall & Oates album 'H20' during my commute, as one does, and it occurred to me for the first time that the album's title is a play on the initial letters of their surnames. It's truly amazing how masterworks of art can continue to reveal their endless layers of meaning even decades after we first encounter them.

Ha! One of my fave records as a middle-grade kid. You have had me wondering if Hall was already slyly implying under the radar that he was doing twice the work of Oates.

A lot of white guys wearing shorts today.

rsmurphy wrote: Sun Feb 15, 2026 5:04 pm A lot of white guys wearing shorts today.

That must mean it’s like 50 degrees up there. That still counts as jacket weather for us South by Southwestern whiteys.

I got sick out of the blue yesterday. Hadn’t thrown up like that in years. It’s working its way through my system and will hopefully be done soon.

My main squeeze has a concert coming up. - Prelude in D Major by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Violin Sonata (movements 2–4) by Leos Janacek. I enjoy listening to her practice from the other side of the house. The cats can’t decide if they like it or not. Their ears go forward and back, forward and back.

Greetings from Abu Dhabi; my last day here before returning home.

Was in Dubai yesterday and went up the Burj Khalifa. The amount of money being poured into this place… I’m out of my mind with conflicting thoughts. Should I be impressed with what humanity can accomplish, or appalled that this is what we’re spending money on and not things that help the planet and the weakest among us? And what the hell am I doing here?

That is just one of the examples that there is sooooo much wealth and prosperity in the world to feed us all times ten if we wanted to...

Lu Zwei wrote: Thu Feb 19, 2026 9:31 am That is just one of the examples that there is sooooo much wealth and prosperity in the world to feed us all times ten if we wanted to...

Yep, 100% correct.

And I’m shortly going to be on a 14-hour flight home. How much money are people spending to do that, and what resources is the airline using to do that?

Fuck.

I’m going to switch to whisky.

jfv wrote: Thu Feb 19, 2026 9:42 am And I’m shortly going to be on a 14-hour flight home. How much money are people spending to do that, and what resources is the airline using to do that?

Have a safe flight home! Try not to run into a building or something!

Lu Zwei wrote: Thu Feb 19, 2026 10:18 am Have a safe flight home! Try not to run into a building or something!

Dude. That's the new "you can't say 'bomb' on a plane"

Anyway, I appreciate the sentiment. I keep getting notifications about possible weather disruptions.

jfv wrote: Thu Feb 19, 2026 10:43 am

Lu Zwei wrote: Thu Feb 19, 2026 10:18 am Have a safe flight home! Try not to run into a building or something!

Dude. That's the new "you can't say 'bomb' on a plane"

Anyway, I appreciate the sentiment. I keep getting notifications about possible weather disruptions.

I am sorry my man, but we Balkan dudes have no filter.

One time, in Frankfurt, when I landed I had a too big of a perfume bottle in my carryover. The dude at the counter said "what is this, you can't have this!" I said "cmon man, does this look like acid or a bomb!?"

It did not end well for me for the next hour and a half.

Lu Zwei wrote: Thu Feb 19, 2026 10:50 am One time, in Frankfurt, when I landed I had a too big of a perfume bottle in my carryover.

FYI they sell Krasnaya Moskva in convenient travel sizes.