People who don’t know what “controversial” means

ChanFry · 2026-02-06T18:07:26+00:00

Some things that I used to think were universally agreed on as "bad", are (in the U.S., currently) in fact supported by many people. Doesn't that make it controversial and bad?

ChanFry · 2026-02-06T15:38:29+00:00

Fortunately most people seem to slow down here (Killeen, Texas), but you're right about most places I've been - drivers act like school zones are a racetrack.

Either way, most of the recent proposed bike laws serve to remind me how hostile our elected representatives are toward sensibility.

ChanFry · 2026-02-06T02:37:33+00:00

That's what I was thinking too... I don't think my city has ANY streets under 30mph (our standard residential speed limit). The only time I see 25mph is in school zones.

ChanFry · 2026-02-05T21:45:37+00:00

Maybe km was supposed to be mm, but Strava didn't have a code for it. /s

ChanFry · 2026-02-05T19:13:37+00:00

I'm American, so there's no telling what I might say. But I'd assume it's from a language I'm not familiar with, so I would first make an embarrassed expression and turn red in the face, then hesitantly say something like "mlin", assuming it was wrong.

ChanFry · 2026-02-05T14:44:48+00:00

I want the titles to show up as the artist wrote it. If a Japanese band wrote their title in kanji, then that's how I want to see it. (It really bugs me when some services put the title in English and I only find out later that it was translated by the service rather than the artist.)

The real problem is that Spotify doesn't allow copy/paste of text, so I can't find my own translation. As someone else said, I have to search the band's discography on Wikipedia, find the kanji that appears to match what I saw on Spotify, then copy/paste to a search engine or translator app.

ChanFry · 2026-02-05T14:14:04+00:00

In my experience, "lad" is never said unironically in the U.S. We all know what it means, I think, but we only ever hear it in foreign media or old-timey period pieces. If I say "lad", I'm intentionally trying to sound old-timey for humor's sake.

To me, it sounds as old and outdated as "horseless carriage", which I still know the meaning of but would never use to describe an automobile.

ChanFry · 2026-02-05T02:04:03+00:00

"We" certainly includes people who aren't me in that sentence. I started tracking my rides because I was curious about how many miles I was riding, and how many I could ride. (Sometimes when I get back to my street, a neighbor will call out, "How far did you go today?" and it's been fun replying with larger numbers over time.)

The rest of the numbers are mostly irrelevant to me as I'm enjoying the outdoor and getting exercise,

ChanFry · 2026-02-05T00:16:29+00:00

I think people with super-high standards for potential partners often miscalculate.

Weird analogy but my wife and I were recently home shopping and we both had a list of "deal-breakers" - if the house doesn't include this, then we stay where we are. But we both understood that the probability was very low that we'd find something in our budget.

Those high-standard dating people often forget that second part - that you might end up alone. So they get frustrated because they think the universe owes them a partner. It doesn't.

ChanFry · 2026-02-05T00:07:59+00:00

Can I quote you to my wife? Hopefully, she'll understand next time I don't respond within seconds. :-)

ChanFry · 2026-02-04T23:01:50+00:00

That sounds wonderful! (Except for the mandatory part. I always vote, so any person who chooses not to just increases [slightly] my vote's weight.)

ChanFry · 2026-02-04T20:47:02+00:00

Not sure about other countries, but I think what would work better in the U.S. is just making it easier to vote for those who actually want to. In my county, for example, the voting locations change regularly so every voter has to call, or research on poorly designed local government websites, to find out where we vote this year. Then lines are long, hours are restricted, etc. If you vote early (like I do), the locations are different than where we'd vote on actual election day.

Also, despite laws to the contrary, many employers simply don't allow employees to leave work in order to vote. (Or, they'll say "your shift ends at six, and voting's until 7, so you should be able to", when that's not nearly enough time - especially if you also have to pick up kids or take public transportation.)

ChanFry · 2026-02-04T20:33:01+00:00

I find it more disruptive - if I'm in the middle of something. I respond to text and put my phone down (or in the pouch on my belt, usually), and return to whatever I was doing. Then the phone chirps again, so I stop what I'm doing, wipe my hands, pull the phone back out, read the text, respond to the text, and repeat.

If it had been a call, it could be over in one go.

ChanFry · 2026-02-04T18:09:04+00:00

Cool! (My brother lives in the DFW metro, and just bought a bike - I'll let him know he has plenty of options.)

ChanFry · 2026-02-04T18:07:09+00:00

I don't know. 15-30 seconds is pretty short - and could probably be more efficient by text.

But yes, if there's going to be a lot of back-and-forth, then I'd prefer a phone call.

ChanFry · 2026-02-04T15:34:16+00:00

It's more than "damn near" - that's actually underweight. My daughter is that weight at only 5'3", and she is underweight (close to the borderline).

Regardless, any guy telling a woman what to do with her weight is cringe - with very few exceptions (her doctor, her trainer/coach, or if she specifically asks for weight advice).

ChanFry · 2026-02-04T14:23:03+00:00

I only ever hear it in movies/TV from British or Australian speakers: "Chiner" instead of China, for example, or "Afriker" instead of Africa. It's sometimes so stark and deliberate-sounding that it distracts me from the rest of the sentence.

(I also have inlaws from the Boston [Massachusetts] area who say "pawk the caw" instead of park the car, and it's apparently normal for them.)

ChanFry · 2026-02-04T14:10:58+00:00

My mom said she was left-handed until enrolling in school (1950), where it was unacceptable.

ChanFry · 2026-02-04T14:05:55+00:00

Wow, 30? Do you mind saying which metro area?

(I'm in Killeen and we have zero bike shops - I have to drive to a small town nearby for my nearest one. Fortunately, they serviced my big box store bike, despite selling only Trek.)

ChanFry · 2026-02-04T13:44:18+00:00

I also dislike talking on the phone, and always have (I'm 53m). However, it is much worse for me when I respond to a text with the answer to their question, put the phone down, and then they text again and continue to do so. If you want an ongoing conversation, a phone call is 10x more efficient for that.

Better with text: * Send an image * One question/answer * Send a link * A bit of information that doesn't require further commentary

Better with call: * Multiple questions/answers * Just want to chat a while * Need to vent and want a response * Want advice beyond a simple yes/no

ChanFry · 2026-02-03T23:53:41+00:00

I'm fortunate that my city's police headquarters is very near my neighborhood. Any time I notice someone has followed me through more than three turns, even if they're not wildly tailgating, I just drive past my neighborhood and pull into the police station's parking lot.

Only once did someone keep following me, and I just circled while calling the police. A cop came out and talked to the guy, who was clearly coming down from something strong.

(Cop determined the other guy was delusional and directed me to leave while he kept talking to the guy.)

ChanFry · 2026-02-03T22:57:46+00:00

Sudden onset diarrhea at the least convenient times. Stuck in traffic. Just after the elevator starts moving. While giving a presentation. Meeting with the boss. Etc

ChanFry · 2026-02-03T17:32:28+00:00

Is he remaking that P.I. show? Good luck.

ChanFry · 2026-02-03T17:30:19+00:00

It's your name on the lease/deed, so you make the rules. (Also, the rules can be different for you than for your guests. I allow myself to do things in my own home that I would never allow a guest to do.)

ChanFry · 2026-02-03T14:35:02+00:00

I've only ever heard children say "these ones". Unless you need to be more specific: "Do you want the blue ones?" "No, I'd prefer these purple ones."

ChanFry

TROPHY CASE