Reminiscing

[CouchCoach]

I was a college professor for seven years as a side hustle.

Two things I learned through the years I would pass along to my students...

1. Life passes you by when you hit 30. Mostly because of all the responsibility you have.

2. Life is fragile. It doesn't take much for you to die. Considering there's six million ways to die.....you do the math.

I would have liked to have been a student of yours if that's all the math you taught.

But I gotta feelin' you started each class with "Now listen up all you MFers".

 

[CouchCoach]

Chicken Express tastes the same as it always has and it's great!

The guy that owned the franchise in the market where I last worked said Chicken Express is like Chick-Fil-A and will send mystery shoppers in and if they're not up to standard, they get fined and can end up losing their license. There are other chains that do that as well. I know Panda Express does it. Chipotle should have, how many times can they make the same mistake? "Yes, give me a burrito and hold the Listeria".

 

[Melonfeud]

Yep they built a Dunkin Doughnuts and soon after they lost there drive to even chase me . That was until I moved up to the 500 3cyl 2 stroke Kawasaki H1 . Then it was like a scene from Dukes of Hazzard . Music taste changed a bit also Stones , Aerosmith, AC/DC and uncle Ted fueled my need for speed .

LoL,,that Kaw 3 cylinder claimed blazing speed,,,I remember when that import was unveiled,,, well,I'd have to reminiscence the most on MOMMA'S COOKING,,, & probably wedging that matchbook up under the 8-track cartridge to keep Ted& the Amboy dukes from dragging,,,, also back to when the whole world just wasn't so damn small like it is today,ya know?,,, sure ,I feel I've definitely benefited thru interactions with my 'fellows' in this internet age BUT I was pretty content and still in quest of certain knowledge before it blew into town to begin with,,,also that whole "worlds policeman" shtick has absolutely grown dull& rusty.

 

[Melonfeud]

Good advice and I am quite a bit older that you are and have some regrets but none more than my inability to live in the now. I was an "if only" person. "If only" I had this or that and that evolved into "if only" I had known what I had then.

I was all about getting up the rungs of the ladder and not stopping when I reached one to look around, I was looking up instead. Eyes fixed on the prize only to realize once I had it, it wasn't that great.

Someone I just recently met asked me "have you enjoyed your life"? I had to think about that a moment as that's a very deep question. I replied "no, I haven't. I look back on what I should have enjoyed while I was on my way to enjoying. I was making a movie when I should have been stopping to take in the stills".

Well, brother! If a person would hold close & into account, the number of war dead,who never got the opportunity to even genuflect upon that very question, your response could very easily be different.

 

[Melonfeud]

Man,that's another THING RIGHT THERE!,,,Hooking up& bedding new women just ain't all that electric & illustrious as it used to be( that's probably all on me,Too! as anymore ,I'm always thinking about my escape & evade plan once conversation turns up certain words)

 

[Melonfeud]

I'd bet a years pay that (other than someone here deliberately repeating these words) I'll never again read or hear the words, "I was a college professor as a side hustle."

that is pretty cool,dude!
Ol' @GimmeTheBall! come to find out ,had (at one time) played a hand or two at that table game,,,also.

 

[Melonfeud]

Indeed, I hope so because that has has been proclaimed a disease with both falling into the addiction category. Video games became categorized as much several years back.

My son with children, and thank God the other hasn't procreated that I know of, uses these Kindles for Kids as occupiers as parents used to use TV. I noticed that after an hour or so on one, both seemed moody and I pointed this out. Usually, that would be a mistake for a grandparent but they began to observe closer and agreed and began to set the timer and which games seemed to have this effect. Both my grandsons are very active and love to play outside so a dangerous habit has been averted because with certain people video games can be a disconnect to real life.

But man, I miss the Atari, ColecoVision, Odyssey, Intellivison, Nintendo and 64 game systems. I could actually use the controllers and jot sticks on those and the games were made for technologically challenged people like me. These controllers now are not made for my hands. I tried playing a Switch game with my son and got hand cramps.

I do believe my reflexes are not what they used to be, Doc hit me on the knee with that little hammer and my knee jerked 3 days later. The woman in the checkout line in front of me was not pleased.

I fondly recollect the heap of fun I could extract from a dead squirrel or live snake around my older sisters,,,,,,man, when I was between about 11-13 years old I didn't know if my real name was 'queer' or 'dildoe',,,

 

[CouchCoach]

Man,that's another THING RIGHT THERE!,,,Hooking up& bedding new women just ain't all that electric & illustrious as it used to be( that's probably all on me,Too! as anymore ,I'm always thinking about my escape & evade plan once conversation turns up certain words)

That comes under the heading of 'looking beyond". Is this pleasure really worth it? What's on the other side of it?

I don't know exactly when it happened but I reached that stage. I do it with anything that will take an investment of time. I was offered a free ticket to Cowboys game on 3 separate occasions from people I knew from when we had season tickets. I weighed the time and inconvenience against the pleasure and declined. The hassle around it isn't worth it to me. I know some will think that is crazy but I much prefer to watch a game at home, not wait in line to pee, eat my own food and drink my own libations and if I get bored, I am not locked into anything. Not to mention the hours in traffic to and from the event.

I first noticed this when I would agree to do something and as the event got closer, the less I wanted to go. I don't know if that's an aging thing, a being alone thing or if that's just me. But I use that "look beyond" a lot more than I used to and that becomes my filter for any time investment. Crazy part of that is I am retired and alone, my time is my own but I am more protective of it than ever before. I just wonder if it's the waning of a lust for life?

 

[Runwildboys]

That comes under the heading of 'looking beyond". Is this pleasure really worth it? What's on the other side of it?

I don't know exactly when it happened but I reached that stage. I do it with anything that will take an investment of time. I was offered a free ticket to Cowboys game on 3 separate occasions from people I knew from when we had season tickets. I weighed the time and inconvenience against the pleasure and declined. The hassle around it isn't worth it to me. I know some will think that is crazy but I much prefer to watch a game at home, not wait in line to pee, eat my own food and drink my own libations and if I get bored, I am not locked into anything. Not to mention the hours in traffic to and from the event.

I first noticed this when I would agree to do something and as the event got closer, the less I wanted to go. I don't know if that's an aging thing, a being alone thing or if that's just me. But I use that "look beyond" a lot more than I used to and that becomes my filter for any time investment. Crazy part of that is I am retired and alone, my time is my own but I am more protective of it than ever before. I just wonder if it's the waning of a lust for life?

I'm the same way, especially when it comes to concerts. I like to have control of the volume, and as you mentioned, have a toilet conveniently located and accessible.

Also, I hate crowds, traffic, and most people.

 

[Melonfeud]

That comes under the heading of 'looking beyond". Is this pleasure really worth it? What's on the other side of it?

I don't know exactly when it happened but I reached that stage. I do it with anything that will take an investment of time. I was offered a free ticket to Cowboys game on 3 separate occasions from people I knew from when we had season tickets. I weighed the time and inconvenience against the pleasure and declined. The hassle around it isn't worth it to me. I know some will think that is crazy but I much prefer to watch a game at home, not wait in line to pee, eat my own food and drink my own libations and if I get bored, I am not locked into anything. Not to mention the hours in traffic to and from the event.

I first noticed this when I would agree to do something and as the event got closer, the less I wanted to go. I don't know if that's an aging thing, a being alone thing or if that's just me. But I use that "look beyond" a lot more than I used to and that becomes my filter for any time investment. Crazy part of that is I am retired and alone, my time is my own but I am more protective of it than ever before. I just wonder if it's the waning of a lust for life?

Great "Genuflection" couchie -coach! & I definitely can relate with what& where your coming from,,, but friend!,,, I've got to ask you this (1) one somewhat personal question?,,, All of yer' ol' boys really seem to hold you in this somewhat kinda' rarified level of profound prose& insightful expressive writing capabilities,,,,,, could you possibly direct me to those " sealed for safety's sake" volumes,and just where are they located at,,,?

 

[CouchCoach]

I'm the same way, especially when it comes to concerts. I like to have control of the volume, and as you mentioned, have a toilet conveniently located and accessible.

Also, I hate crowds, traffic, and most people.

I had to give up concerts, tinnitus. The last one I went to with my older son just about did me in. Too much headphone time in my misguided youth.

Right with you on that crowds and traffic; however, I changed about the people. I used to be like that and my wife was the opposite, she was beyond friendly and lived by Will Rogers motto "a stranger is just a friend you ain't met yet". I have tried to be more like that moving to a new place and not knowing anyone. One thing I started doing that is not natural for me, smiling first. The response is exactly what my wife always said it was, contagious. My sign, as she liked to say. reads "open for business" instead of "closed". And I tell ya, Runny, the best thing I ever did about people was not expecting too much from them. I get pretty down on myself and was projecting that onto them. Not waiting for the faults but looking for them

Serious is my natural look. Hell, I am not mad but people have always asked me if I am or why do I always look so serious. I cannot tell you the number of people who have told me the look I present is nothing like what I really am. In a crowd, you would not pick me out as the guy that puts goofy stuff up here as I do.

 

[CouchCoach]

Great "Genuflection" couchie -coach! & I definitely can relate with what& where your coming from,,, but friend!,,, I've got to ask you this (1) one somewhat personal question?,,, All of yer' ol' boys really seem to hold you in this somewhat kinda' rarified level of profound prose& insightful expressive writing capabilities,,,,,, could you possibly direct me to those " sealed for safety's sake" volumes,and just where are they located at,,,?

Naaaaaah, they just like my goofiness and I am pretty upfront with my faults and life's lessons I am still trying to learn. I am older than most here but not wiser. Mistakes are a great teacher and repeated mistakes demand attention. And I have a great teacher.

Any insight I may have is from ignored advice and don't know about the writing part but I am expressive.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

What do you miss in your past? Reminiscing isn't about being unhappy about today but what about things in your past that bring a smile. Doesn't mean you want the same today but you do have an appreciation for what was.

I got to thinking about this today as I was interacting here as the radio was playing. It's a AAA station out of Austin and not a very good one but it did bring to mind the magic time of radio.

It is the early 60's and I am a teenager and the British Invasion is just about to launch. American rock & roll rules the AM airwaves, because FM's not a reality yet, along with Motown and soul music and an assortment of instrumentals and one hit wonders. But radio as I know it is about to change because the Brits are coming.

This was the magic time of radio with so much new music and the variety and how it all fit together was amazing. It was almost sensory overload with so much variety and so well produced. And the radio actually had personalities.

The next move is the one that changed my life and opened up a whole new world of buying albums. Ya see, albums didn't sell well back then, it was a 45 RPM world and mainly a lot of short songs. The Beatles epic Sgt. Peppers changed everything and began to turn fans into album buyers and record companies began to pay a lot more attention the B sides. And rock was born on the FM dial.

Album Rock was born in San Francisco on KSAN and was the first shot across the bow of record labels from radio. Stations that adopted this format were no longer slaves to the singles controlled by the labels. And no one noticed this more than the artists within that genre, They began to look at the entire album as the project, not the lead single and the 70's were the greatest movement in rock music in history and that changed the industry and the beneficiaries were the listeners. Program Directors and consultants were going 2-4 cuts deep on a album right out of the chute.

I am not complaining about radio today, as I spent 25 years in that industry, but it has changed from an art that brought business to a business attempting to create art and I am so glad that I was around for the 60's-70's music and that best friend that never slept and was always ready when I was, radio.

Me lad, this rates as one of the best of broad topics I have read.
So much to ponder here about, in this case, radio, and how it was unckle Jim's lunchtime companion at the cotton gin to how it became a teen's ear attachment with transistor radios, then became the tool (I say this with fondness) for the British invasion, then radio entered album rock (its zenith) then became bland prepackaged and now pretty much dead artistically.
Lad of the airwaves, please consider doing a YouTube video of its evolution.
Me mum and me would love that as we drink our tea and recline in side by side Lazy Y Boys.
Well done, lout.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

But those three food giants you mentioned are keeping the salt mining industry alive.

As far as Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC go{Not McDonalds though}they are all now owned by Yum Food Inc. Which would explain all of them going downhill bigtime. Those used to be very good, not anymore. http://www.yum.com/
Harland Sanders, Glen Bell and Dan and Frank Carney are all probably turning in their graves.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

that is pretty cool,dude!
Ol' @GimmeTheBall! come to find out ,had (at one time) played a hand or two at that table game,,,also.

Never a professor but did lecture extensively over the years. I guess you could call that a side hustle, though the honorariums were meager. But that dark-eyed gal at TSU made it worthwhile....

 

[Runwildboys]

I had to give up concerts, tinnitus. The last one I went to with my older son just about did me in. Too much headphone time in my misguided youth.

Right with you on that crowds and traffic; however, I changed about the people. I used to be like that and my wife was the opposite, she was beyond friendly and lived by Will Rogers motto "a stranger is just a friend you ain't met yet". I have tried to be more like that moving to a new place and not knowing anyone. One thing I started doing that is not natural for me, smiling first. The response is exactly what my wife always said it was, contagious. My sign, as she liked to say. reads "open for business" instead of "closed". And I tell ya, Runny, the best thing I ever did about people was not expecting too much from them. I get pretty down on myself and was projecting that onto them. Not waiting for the faults but looking for them

Serious is my natural look. Hell, I am not mad but people have always asked me if I am or why do I always look so serious. I cannot tell you the number of people who have told me the look I present is nothing like what I really am. In a crowd, you would not pick me out as the guy that puts goofy stuff up here as I do.

I try to like people, but the problem is, I expect them to mean what they say and say what they mean. I just don't see any reason to be any other way. But the more people I meet, the more I realize that most people just say whatever they think will make them look best.

 

[CouchCoach]

I try to like people, but the problem is, I expect them to mean what they say and say what they mean. I just don't see any reason to be any other way. But the more people I meet, the more I realize that most people just say whatever they think will make them look best.

Look no further than the celebrities these people worship. How in the hell do the Kardashians matter about anything yet they hog the celebrity news constantly?

I will tell you any woman that I would avoid, one that watches The View. Holy celibacy, those women on that show and in the audience are frightening. I hope that is all typical TV for the show demonstration but what a bunch of people in need of a life. If I know someone watches daytime TV, I refuse to be left alone in a room with them.

And you are right, people are just too overly concerned with trying to impress other people. And I think that's the reason why so many are depressed, they can't live up to it. They no longer look through their own eyes when looking in the mirror.

"You don't like me? Tell me who you want me to be". Chameleons get so screwed up they don't even like themselves and their strongest need is to belong.

 

[nobody]

There's no such thing as a good chain pizza place. Good pizza is made by pizza chefs, not 18 year old kids, just looking for a little paycheck.

Still, there should be some minimum quality standard even from pizza chain places. When you don't have time to go a place with a good chef, you should be able to order at least edible pizza.

 

[nobody]

Indeed, I hope so because that has has been proclaimed a disease with both falling into the addiction category. Video games became categorized as much several years back.

My son with children, and thank God the other hasn't procreated that I know of, uses these Kindles for Kids as occupiers as parents used to use TV. I noticed that after an hour or so on one, both seemed moody and I pointed this out. Usually, that would be a mistake for a grandparent but they began to observe closer and agreed and began to set the timer and which games seemed to have this effect. Both my grandsons are very active and love to play outside so a dangerous habit has been averted because with certain people video games can be a disconnect to real life.

But man, I miss the Atari, ColecoVision, Odyssey, Intellivison, Nintendo and 64 game systems. I could actually use the controllers and jot sticks on those and the games were made for technologically challenged people like me. These controllers now are not made for my hands. I tried playing a Switch game with my son and got hand cramps.

I do believe my reflexes are not what they used to be, Doc hit me on the knee with that little hammer and my knee jerked 3 days later. The woman in the checkout line in front of me was not pleased.

I know what you mean. I noticed my reflexes and game awareness starting to slow when I play with my kids. It's disconcerting because I was always a gamer in the past. Aging itself doesn't bother me, but actually noticing things like that does sometimes.

My son's grades dipped below where they should have been last semester, so we grounded him from technology. Suddenly he was outside all of the time having a blast. It was eye opening.

 

[nobody]

The guy that owned the franchise in the market where I last worked said Chicken Express is like Chick-Fil-A and will send mystery shoppers in and if they're not up to standard, they get fined and can end up losing their license. There are other chains that do that as well. I know Panda Express does it. Chipotle should have, how many times can they make the same mistake? "Yes, give me a burrito and hold the Listeria".

Good. I wish all chains did that. I know Sonic used to. I don't know if they still do but the quality seems unchanged except portion sizes.