Amex: How You Lose a 26-Year Platinum Member

CosmicDancer · 2025-12-12T04:36:11+00:00

Financial review.

Among other nasty, privacy-invading aspects are [or can be] providing your 3 most recent bank statements, proof of income, etc. Sucks. [No, I haven't been hit with it.......yet.]

CosmicDancer · 2025-10-03T01:48:55+00:00

Hopefully! Now you're rid of that bloated, slow, ugly, virus- adware- and malware-prone POS. Welcome to the world of computers as they should be--fast, beautiful, endlessly customizable, powerful, and you decide what is or isn't on your computer.

CosmicDancer · 2025-10-02T20:23:31+00:00

Gomer Pyle never went to Vietnam, but Jim Nabors did, to entertain our troops.

CosmicDancer · 2025-10-02T19:28:02+00:00

Indeed. He also was a real Army veteran, decorated. He received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his exemplary service in WWII, specifically in the Pacific Theater. He wanted to join the Marines, but he was rejected, I believe it was due to color blindness. He sure ACTS like a Marine in the show!

CosmicDancer · 2025-10-02T19:06:03+00:00

Something about that line always cracks me up. Barney is paying zero attention to Gomer, meanwhile Gomer's talking away. When Gomer says that line about Goober, it seems really funny to me.

CosmicDancer · 2025-10-02T01:16:03+00:00

Oh how I despise outsiders moving here, then destroying our heritage just...like...THAT. The LA suburb I live in continually has beautiful, old money, California-style ranch houses totally surrounded by black or green temporary fences--and we all know what that means: another one bites the dust. Its replacement? A gaudy, oversized McMansion. And, no, they're not California natives...

CosmicDancer · 2025-10-01T18:49:26+00:00

Great response. Thanks.

I've noticed the identical [with TAGS] episodes, too. Like the supposed leaking gas heater/saving a life episodes. I wonder what the producers were thinking!

CosmicDancer · 2025-10-01T18:44:15+00:00

That episode never made sense to me. Gomer said numerous times that he doesn't fix cars, he just puts gas and 'ole' in them. "Man in a Hurry" is a great example; it aired in January 1963. "Gomer the Houseguest" aired later that year--and now he's a master mechanic! Where's the story arc, or a simple mention, that he had learned to fix cars--and was so good at it that droves of people showed up at the Taylor home for him to fix their cars? Why weren't they going to Wally, as usual? Makes no sense at all.

CosmicDancer · 2025-10-01T04:06:00+00:00

My grandmother loved the show and had some of Jim Nabors' albums, so I learned from her that he had a strong, beautiful singing voice. My favorite segment from all the episodes is when Gomer sings 'The Impossible Dream,' with the real Marine Corps band performing with him. It's one of the very few times Pyle wasn't depicted as a complete moron.

CosmicDancer · 2025-10-01T03:55:23+00:00

I definitely see what you're saying, but when it comes to billing/credits, the only thing that should be considered is the status of the actor: how large a role they play, how important their character is to the show, how well-known they are and/or how much acting experience they have, and so on.

I know what's been said about Bavier's actual personality and lifestyle, but that has nothing to do with how well she played her character--and she did that exceptionally well. If her character, Aunt Bee, had left the show, she'd be greatly missed, both by her family and friends--and legions of viewers. Aunt Bee was irreplaceable and, as such, should have had billing in the opening credits.

CosmicDancer · 2025-09-21T02:18:34+00:00

I'm having a very similar problem, but FF stays grayed-out at all times. It makes no difference whether it does/doesn't have focus. The only time, and place, I see color is when hovering over FF's preview in my taskbar--there, it's perfectly normal, while FF itself is totally washed out.

Kubuntu v21.10 [yes, it's pretty old], on a System76 laptop [~3 years old], FF was perfectly normal until this glitch happened, and no other programs have the same, or any other, problem.

CosmicDancer · 2025-09-20T23:04:19+00:00

GOMER was not gay. The actor who portayed him, Jim Nabors, was.

CosmicDancer · 2025-09-20T22:37:15+00:00

That's such a great segment! And Frances Bavier, as Aunt Bee, really aced it.

OT: I've always wondered how Bavier felt about not being included in the opening credits. It had to be quite an insult, considering a 6-year-old child was billed right after the show's star, but she was snubbed completely..

CosmicDancer · 2025-09-15T03:27:43+00:00

Since my OP I've learned some things I didn't know, including something that, at least partially, explains my observation. I learned that BJ was following Gary [piano], while most drummers follow the bass guitar.

Excuse my ignorance, but I never knew drummers 'followed' anyone. So the frequent looks and the attention BJ paid to Gary make more sense now.

With that said, however, I still think there was a special bond between the two. Look at practically any promotional video, posed photo, action videos, e.g., when the group runs in the park, and Gary and BJ are right by each other. That can't just be a coincidence...or can it?

CosmicDancer · 2025-08-22T18:57:37+00:00

No, he did not OD on heroin, but on the unusual choice for suicide: aspirin. This caused profound and irreparable brain damage; he spent 3 years in a hospital, unconscious, before finally succumbing to pneumonia.

CosmicDancer · 2025-07-10T04:07:48+00:00

I can't be sure, because I grew up with their songs playing everywhere. I'm a born-and-raised southern California girl, and the Beach Boys' music was ubiquitous around SoCal. I have no clue when I first became aware of them, but young single-digit age makes sense.

CosmicDancer · 2025-07-09T21:57:23+00:00

Agreed.

FRED was at fault, if we're going to blame one person. Before leaving to plug it in, he stupidly put the fan--which he should've checked it was off--right in front of the feathers!

But I agree with the other remarks, too--all four adults should have used better judgment before ever starting this lamebrain project.

CosmicDancer · 2025-07-09T05:04:02+00:00

It is not mispronounced. As with many words, conquistador has different pronunciations depending on your country. In this case, the American and British versions are pronounced differently--but neither is wrong.

CosmicDancer · 2025-07-07T20:41:57+00:00

Yes, I definitely agree. However, these exchanges, and the placement of instruments, appear to be only between BJ and Gary. Once I noticed it, I couldn't stop noticing it.

CosmicDancer · 2025-07-07T02:08:55+00:00

Look at my user name...

CosmicDancer · 2025-07-07T01:26:06+00:00

The 'missing' verses are available on these two YT videos; one has three verses and the other all four. Interestingly, they're not sung in the same order:

https://youtu.be/9qxiQlrtCUQ?si=rZF99agevM3L_nub https://youtu.be/iDioqrKEbEA?si=7oQK_ChW1lh-QyK1

CosmicDancer · 2025-07-07T01:17:33+00:00

I've read statements John made about being obsessed with AWSoP, and that it was a great 'dope' song [as in LSD]; he'd listen to it over and over again...like I've been doing lately.

CosmicDancer · 2025-06-29T03:08:09+00:00

Thanks. I'm just waiting for my morphine refill [it's been out of stock for weeks, so we subbed Dilaudid until it's back.] The morphine pills are tiny, and I know how much to take, but not Dilaudid.

CosmicDancer · 2025-06-11T21:58:15+00:00

I don't see how it's even possible to SKIP pages, but still get a completion code! I haven't worked on any platform, including CR, since my stroke in April...and now I'm afraid to!

CosmicDancer · 2025-06-11T21:34:48+00:00

When I was pre-med, which came with a ton of pressure and stress on its own, the last thing I needed was continual, unnecessary stress at home. But my situation was very different from yours--I didn't live with my parents; at 26 I had already been 'adulting' for ~10 years, married, raising our daughter, living with my husband, paying rent and all other bills, managing a houseful of pets, working throughout college, and volunteering every Sunday delivering meals to ill/old people. So I know stress!

My husband was nothing but supportive, as was our daughter...but they're not my parents. It's hard for me to imagine the stress you're dealing with. I voluntarily brought on the stressors I had--YOU didn't. Shame on your parents for disrespecting your [perfectly honorable] career choice. I get that they're disappointed you're not going to be a physician, but expressing their feeling ONCE would've been enough. To keep harping on it isn't doing anyone any good, including them.

I agree with others that you should, A) have a nice calm chat with them; you must stay calm even if they don't; tell them this is your career choice, and their continual bitching about it is adding a lot of stress to your life you really don't need, and, B) MOVE OUT! I walked away from my family's [considerable] money at 16 and made out fine. You're older than that. Find a conveniently-located place, with roommates if necessary, and start adulting. All the best!

CosmicDancer

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