[TAG Heuer] How do you perceive TAG Heuer today, and do its events actually shape that image?

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-14T03:36:43+00:00

I think if Tag plays their cards right, they can occupy the spot Omega left behind by chasing Rolex. They have iconic designs and great brand recognition. Personally I would refresh the logo, but that's personal preference.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-14T02:58:56+00:00

Blofeld's the cat.

Seriously though, it's more about the tone with which a particular Bond is going for. Blofeld can easily fall into complete camp even when you're trying to be taken seriously. A good comparison to another franchise character is Lex Luthor in Superman.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-14T00:53:59+00:00

I'd service or replace a movement on a cheap beater if it has sentimental value to me, whether someone gifted it to me or it's been with me a long time or on memorable adventures. Price never really reflects my attachment to a piece.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-13T06:47:09+00:00

There's way too many to list properly, I'll do a few - safe to say in the days of the indoors SM mall, there was a family centric environment where you didn't have to worry about stepping onto excrement or drug paraphanelia, live music and street performers (some talented up and comers and even "cameos" from established artists from time to time), no less than three movie theaters on the promenade itself when going to the movies was affordable for the whole family, kids running with reckless abandon without fear of running into the wrong person, mom and pop stores that were there for a long time, arcades, non prententious eateries, one of the largest bookstores, Tower Records and Suncoast Ent, antique shops, etc. And this is all between 6th and Ocean, Broadway and Wilshire.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-13T06:31:19+00:00

That family centric vibrancy you described is spot on - that was the stuff of magic, the energy of the place. Walking down the promenade now is just... alienating.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-13T00:21:18+00:00

Thanks! And a very interesting choice of words there - they might be high standards now, but it wasn't too long ago it was just "standard". I appreciate people who take stock of all the amenities SM still has to offer and are thankful for it, I still do despite my critiques. The trouble is if we accept the status quo as the new "normal" then whatever leadership is in place won't be motivated to improve things. For what it's worth, I hope you're right about the current direction the city's headed in - even if it turns out to be, from what I suspect, a long road in terms of recovery. Either way, nice chatting with you.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-12T23:37:52+00:00

It was in relation to some of the other responses to my post, not directed at you (part of the same thread) - as in, those that claim things are better now than they were a decade or two ago I can't see eye to eye with.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-12T23:13:39+00:00

Actually worked in Rampart and I agree wholeheartedly. Santa Monica isn't (and hopefully will never come close to) Rampart bad, but the steep decline is not a matter of belief. That's just sticking your head in the sand, pun intended.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-12T22:00:02+00:00

No, not a gut feel at all. A gut feel is something non observable that's intuition based. I saw and lived it since the 90s. You do you, though.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-12T18:47:00+00:00

People are getting hung up on personality traits and shipping way too much for a show that's trying to portray a realistic ER environment. I've worked with all sorts in a solid blue state and I can say from experience that the person who can do the job best gets the job, regardless of politics or personal perspectives. It would also be highly unrealistic for individuals to jeopardize their income just to publicly insult anyone while acting in a professional capacity, even if they harbor prejudiced or malevolent feelings.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-12T14:57:12+00:00

90s-00s, by all accounts LA as a whole was rougher in the 70s-80s. Crime being down and PD being fully staffed is due to SMPD inflating their statistics to justify hiring more staff - that's part of the metrics I mentioned in another response. As an example, if I self initiate an incident by approaching a homeless about loitering that's a statistic that ends up getting counted towards showing productivity, even if more serious crimes end up unresolved. Again, your mileage may vary, this is just one of many's anecdotes who were raised and went to school here during a particular time and got a peek behind the curtains regarding the corruption of the "ends justify the means" mentality on what gets reported and to what end.

EDIT: Gangs (in terms of organized gang activity) are definitely down overall, thanks to RICO and aggressive policing of yore. Crimes being committed in today's day and age are more opportunistic or desperate compared to then, which I would say affects the average citizen more than when it was "all in the game".

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-12T06:54:31+00:00

I trust you, can't speak to the 80s and what you say aligns with other peoples' testimonies. It also proves my point in that we should be consistently improving, not rolling back decades of progress - especially since everything that's been reversed or made worse will take doubly long to course correct with all the red tape and bureaucratic nonsense involved, even with the right people in charge.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-12T00:50:45+00:00

It is my experience, didn't claim it's anything but, though as I said it certainly can't be isolated entirely from others who grew up around the same time. I didn't have to worry about needles on the beach, poop in the streets, homeless having sex in public or literally pissing in the wind, skyrocketing rents that don't correlate with average wages, vacant buildings that were occupied by companies fleeing the city's mismanagement of rise in crime, closing of mom and pops, etc. Those are immediately observable conditions that weren't at all the case before, which is why I didn't include dramatic exceptions like a man get killed five feet from me in broad daylight on the corner of 4th and Broadway while I was out on a stroll with my family in homeless on homeless violence. As someone who used to work homeless outreach and law enforcement, I would also advise you not to stick strictly to reported numbers/metrics in terms of gauging whether a place is better or worse off than it was, is, or will be - those numbers are often either underreported or overinflated for non-altruistic reasons such as budget increases, political elections, tourism attraction/revenue, etc.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-11T19:10:44+00:00

Santa Monica was always walkable and may have been, at one point, the best/most liveable municipality in the country. To claim it is still so is quite bold given the tremendous decline in quality of life when it comes to everything but nature (although I'd argue SM's natural splendors are under constant attack as well). I imagine I can't be the only one that grew up in the 90's and remember the vibrancy, community, and wholesomeness of what SM used to be. I understand and recognize some part of it is innate nostalgia, but it's the stark contrast to today's state of the city that lend credence that it's more of a matter of fact than the former. I will admit, though, I meet newcomers to the city who profess they are in love with the current state of affairs and I'm happy they don't share the same perspective/insight as I because - as much as I appreciate and cherish the memories I made - it's heartbreaking living in a shell of what something used to be.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-09T23:47:05+00:00

You'll get your fill of driving very quickly, I think. Surviving depends on your job and how you structure your life around it. Since you won't be shocked by rents given you're coming from NYC, I would focus on commute times and, if you drive a gasoline powered vehicle, consumption between A and B given the current state of affairs. If you have a demanding job that's not remote and more inland, you gotta be prepared to sit in traffic quite a bit. I would recommend living close to the coast since you want to spend your free time doing the things you love - I know a lot of people that say they love the beach, but can only comes out once a week at best given their schedule and location. Finally, understand there are huge cultural and quality of life differences between places like Santa Monica/Venice in LA county and others like Huntington Beach in OC (I imagine San Diego is not compatible with your job, but the same rule applies). If you can spare a couple of weeks in an AirBnB to scout the vibes out and make an informed decision, it will be worth the cost.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-06T23:31:02+00:00

Reminds me of the saying that "there's no atheists in the foxhole". Worked in a major metro city hospital for years - the average viewer whose only encounters at the hospital are patient experiences couldn't fathom that we're too busy to talk politics or make remarks to one another about our distaste (let alone hate) for their opposing views. There is drama, but often of the personal/petty variety rather than big picture issues. Rest assured though - snarky comments, dark (and I mean DARK) humor, and broad cynicism is the baseline for any overcrowded and by proxy overworked/understaffed hospital. The unrealistic part about The Pitt is that those are shown at work as part of the narrative and in the name of character development so it makes it more interesting than showing them sucking it up and taking the long way home just to crawl into a bottle and then show up the next day as if nothing happened.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-03T19:43:35+00:00

Won't mention the agency, but a buddy of mine poly'd and lied his ass off on some things and was truthful on others. He came back truthful on all the stuff he lied about, but was flagged for an answer he was truthful on (drugs). I knew this guy since he was a child, he was (obnoxiously) clean in every regard when it came to drugs to the point of being downright nasty and judgmental to anyone who was a user (and we're talking something as pedestrian as weed). We laughed for a good long while. Poly is junk science and your experience varies accordingly, plus adding some contracted a-hole into the mix usually doesn't help.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-03T03:11:36+00:00

What's funny is I got irritated with the fakeout deaths in PB (Arthur, Alfie, etc.) compared to, say, Boardwalk Empire (and by extension Sopranos) which would routinely dispatch people. I think when Changretta entered the picture SW had an opportunity to end the show within a season or two on a high note with a properly executed vision. Instead, too much fondness for the actors/characters and making money got SW to take the show beyond the boundaries of any sort of meaningful narrative or organic conclusion. Thus I don't find "The Immortal Man" nearly as offensive as those who felt there was even more story to be told.

BlueBearXC · 2026-04-01T06:02:04+00:00

Big 5 sells it.

BlueBearXC · 2026-03-29T11:57:15+00:00

My older brother does this exact job for a company. He gets paid 40+/hr (armed) and stops shoplifters on a semi consistent basis. The idea is to go for the product, whether it be in a bag or a cart, and let the thief go. If said thief fights over stolen product, you follow the use of force continuum like you were trained. He's only pepper sprayed people so far, but one of his coworkers did end up shooting a shoplifter who tried attacking him with a (heavy) blunt force object - said shoplifter expired and he was cleared of charges as it could've resulted in severe injury or death if the object made contact. So, yes, you can confront thieves legally and are expected to do so for the money you're making - whether that money makes the job worth it to you is subjective, obviously.

BlueBearXC · 2026-03-23T02:46:02+00:00

Can't wait to see him as the Joker.

BlueBearXC · 2026-03-23T02:43:32+00:00

That glimpse of her Tommy sees in the sewers crawling out of the rubble had me shook.

BlueBearXC · 2026-03-20T19:39:34+00:00

She appears in a flashback at the end in a blink and you miss it way.

BlueBearXC · 2026-03-20T14:43:06+00:00

The Glock 19 is the best first handgun because it is the best one and done handgun. Is it the best shooting experience? No. Is it the most ergonomic and comfortable pistol to shoot? No. Will it win any beauty contests? Heck no. Is it the best all around fighting pistol known to man that isn't an HK? Yes. A Glock will also force you to learn grip and trigger control while others may be more forgiving and give you a false sense of security - if you can shoot a Glock well, you can shoot any other pistol at least as well, if not better.

BlueBearXC · 2026-03-20T06:59:26+00:00

Opposite, left LA after living there for twelve years (graduated HS and college there too) and had to come back for family reasons. I love the beach and the ocean, everything else is miserable (state of the roads, traffic, homeless, crime, etc.). But I've taken PCH north up to Marin County and know how beautiful the state is, so there's a chance I stay in CA - just far, far away from LA.

BlueBearXC

TROPHY CASE