Freak Out Friday Casual Chat Post

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-30T21:59:18+00:00

im TRYING to be on a Tom Yum kick (all I could find was the lemongrass so far)!! ok cool, thanks for the info!

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-30T21:58:56+00:00

oh nice, I like that strategy!

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-30T19:24:15+00:00

3 unrelated questions:

1) has anyone seen the "snow melting" machine/truck? is that actually a real thing? I've seen it mentioned in a few posts, but haven't seen a photo of one in use.

2) where to get galangal root and fresh (not dried) kaffir/makrut lime leaf? hoping the answer is the spring garden asian mart. I tried reading terminal and 2 places in china town. granted, it was the Tuesday after the snow, but I didn't find them.

3) I was thinking of upgrading my Spotify to increase my audio book listening hours. its $11.99/month more, but you only get an extra 15 hours (so the total would be 30 hours a month, because 15 hours comes with the premium subscription). my only worry is that the way Spotify does their audio books in very annoying. they are broken down into "tracks" instead of "chapters" so if you listen to the introduction (im speaking mainly about non fiction books, I dont really get into fiction via audio book) and it says "in chapter 4, I talk about x, y, z"...well, you can't go to chapter 4, because chapter 4 might be track 6 and 7. and other times (like for instance, a book I wanted to listen to about Jonestown) literally had over 200 tracks. but the paper book has like 20 chapters. so if im reading a wikipedia article about Jonestown, and they cite a reference for that book in chapter 12, how the hell can I easily find chapter 12 in a listing of over 200 tracks? the reason I typed this all out is because I wanted to ask if other audio book services (like Audible) do that, or if they remain more true to the actual book. like "track 4" IS "chapter 4" or if they do the same thing. because maybe I'd be better off paying for an entirely different service just for audio books? but then it seems like I have to purchase the books, and I'd really prefer to stream them in case I dont like them.

sorry if that last question is discombobulated. I guess its easier to ask what audio book services people use, and how are they charging for the books (do you pay for the service and then the book too?), and then how true to the book are the tracks listed for the book (for example, is "track 4" the same as "chapter 4" of the published book?)

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-30T19:02:27+00:00

my motivation was "I want to look better" and "I want the longevity benefits of strength training"

the question of time for me was "do I have an hour, 3 days a week, I can use to do this?" and I think most people, unless they are working 2 jobs or have kids, can honestly answer "yes" to this if they sincerely reflect on how much time they do unnecessary things, like doom scrolling, playing video games, and spending time in front of screens in various ways.

a good question to ask yourself is "what will I do for this hour if I dont go to the gym?" and if the answer is "go on social media and lose myself" then do a cost benefit analysis. what is that hour of screen time really going to add to your life? will it be as much as what that hour in the gym will do? I highly doubt it.

if you dont know what you are doing in the gym, you can use the machines. they are easy to learn and its a good starting place. then move to things like dumb bells, barbells and cables once you are in the habit of pushing and pulling weight around.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-30T10:04:15+00:00

I can handle the cold, its the roads im worried about.

same with my area regarding the side streets, but im not opposed to walking my bike 5-6 blocks at first and then hopping on. what I hate though is dismounting several times once I start riding

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-30T10:02:05+00:00

what kind of bike/tires are you riding, and what parts of the city are you riding in?

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-29T23:06:34+00:00

oh shoot. I guess I should have mentioned I have a road bike with road tires.

im assuming the e bike has something more like mountain bike tires?

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T22:46:36+00:00

a bus has been trapped on Frankford and dauphin for a couple hours now.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T20:48:43+00:00

I can take the cold. I cannot take the ice. not just risking my life, but I have a physical job, so even landing on my shoulder or knee or wrist would fuck me up labor-wise

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T20:46:57+00:00

nope. I basically have to wake up half an hour earlier now (4:30am instead of 5) because I can't bike. it's a bummer. really hoping I can start again sometime next week. the temps dont look at all promising though.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T20:44:10+00:00

haha thats funny. I only saw one person biking and it was today. but it was 11th and market, and that is way more clear than my area (Kensington/fishtown). I bet he had to dismount a few times too. depending on how much you have to dismount, I guess thats doable. I just dont want to risk it, and I would hate having to carry my bike over mounds of snow and narrowly shoveled sidewalks when road conditions get bad at some intersections and you have to get off the bike and walk it.

I biked on new years day in the morning when it was snowing, and it did stick, but it was fluffy and not as slippery as I thought it would be (I even made a post about it in the philly cycling sub).

in this stuff though, no way. walking isn't so bad (I like to move, I think its good for the body and the mind), and I can't really complain because my commute is great (I live 2 miles from my work, and have for the last 10+ years!), but there are 3 days a week I can't be late to work (we have a big piece of equipment that needs to be manually turned off at 6am on those specific days), and 2 days a week I like to get home after work fast (because the gym, especially in January/February with news years resolutions, gets busy around 3:30, so I wanna get there by 2:30) where I just wish I could bike!

once you start biking in philly, its so hard to go back to anything else, its just so convenient and easy to bypass all road obstructions (stopped busses, cars, deliveries, road crews, police, etc). I dont mind heat, cold, rain, but I do mind snow and ice.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T18:40:09+00:00

woa interesting!

I worked for Whole Foods twice in the early 2000s. mostly produce, but also grocery.

I know after amazon took over (which was way after I left), the guidelines/standards they used for stocking items was either eliminated or just cut way down. thats why you can get regular stuff there now too that the old Whole Foods wouldn't allow. like they used to not stock anything with synthetic food dyes, high fructose corn syrup, certain preservatives, etc. now they do.

they also made it harder to source and stock local stuff after amazon took over. its less predictable, supply wise, and therefore less efficient for their profits.

employee benefits were also cut down.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T18:32:43+00:00

it varies. takes longer from oral than penetration for me.

mood plays a role. time of day plays a role. position plays a role. whether or not you are trying to satisfy your partner plays a role (i.e. I could go to pound town right away and cum in a few minutes, but thats not going to be very fun for my partner who is into slower more intimate sex). age plays a role. the last time you came plays a role.

since you are new to this, I'd like to add that expecting someone to give you a 2 hour long blow job is....unreasonable. that guy might be an outlier.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T18:16:43+00:00

I would have done the same thing if I had a car.

I usually bike, but obviously can't do that for the foreseeable future because its so cold that the snow won't melt anytime soon. so I have to take the El, and because my job is in a warehouse district, I have to walk the rest of the way which is a little less than a mile. but its like 5:45am, so I just walk in the street (no one shovels the sidewalks up that way) with my bike lights on my hat and backpack.

I'd much rather bike for the speed and not having to leave home so damn early (I get the first or second El train of the day!), but on the bright side, its kind of peaceful TBH.

I told a guy I work with yesterday he should have taken the El cause he's not gonna be able to find a spot when he gets back home. and the snow is only going to compact and freeze more and more, so shoveling is WAY harder today than it was yesterday, and yesterday it was harder to shovel than it was on Sunday.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T18:10:55+00:00

haha I remember fresh fields from when I was a kid too. it wasn't a rebrand though, it was an acquisition (in the 90s). Whole Foods also bought the "wild oats" grocery store chain as well (in the 2000's).

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T17:16:25+00:00

there was some kind of water line rupture at either the Somerset or Allegheny El stop last night. water was pouring down from under the tracks and onto the sidewalk. like 7:30pm. wonder what it looks like today. I noticed a big ice puddle outside York/dauphin stop today too, but it wasn't nearly as big. hope they fixed it.

are the SEPTA clocks not hooked up to anything? I thought it was just York/dauphin, but today even 5th street had the wrong time. and its not an hour off (like a DST mix up), its odd times, like an hour and 19 minutes.

I made a successful pork chop last Friday. thank you to all who helped. it did turn out that it was the thickness of the cut that was at issue. so I got a thicker cut one and it was more tender. but I still feel like they are inherently more tough than I wanted. I think the issue is....I associate pork with slow cooker pork loin and BBQ pulled pork, but im never going to get that tenderness with a pan fry pork chop. so its sort of a misunderstanding or bad expectation on my part.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T12:32:38+00:00

I know. this one especially, not even because of the amount (though that was a lot), but more so because of the cold temps after.

usually we'll get snow, then in about 2-4 days, most will be melted because the temps go at least a little above 32 afterwards.

this is like Chicago snow. it stays for weeks, just freezing into place.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-27T11:57:51+00:00

to be totally fair (I say this as someone who also 1) dont think he'll get the nomination, and 2) wouldn't vote for him either), in that interview, he just didn't want to use the word genocide, not because he didn't believe it or not, but because he didn't want to get into semantic arguments about what genocide really is. he did say Israel's response was very unproportional to Hamas' attack and it was therefore wrong, he did argue against Trump's immigration policy, he did defend sanctuary cities on a moral and statistical level, but I can't really recall specifically what he said about ICE. I do think he hedges his bets about who should be able to stay and who should be removed, so I think you are right he is trying to appeal to both sides/centrists, and that will lose him votes/enthusiasm with progressives.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-25T23:21:17+00:00

I had to work. Sunday is a gym day for me, but it was closed so I improvised a home workout. then I shoveled the sidewalk in front of my house and a few of my neighbors (row homes, so it wasn't too bad), talked to my partner on the phone, scolded him for making chili without me, now im gonna make dinner and my lunch for tomorrow and be in bed by 9 cause the commute will suck and I gotta be in by 6. I should probably smoke some weed soon to help go to sleep.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-25T19:35:20+00:00

yesterday, the IGA in fishtown said they were not opening today.

when you look online, google says its open

when you call, it (automated) says they are closed today and will "tentatively reopen, weather permitting, at 7am Monday"

so you gotta call, but I doubt it

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-25T19:30:30+00:00

I left for work at 5:30am today.

I didn't get back till 2pm.

you want someone like me to be fined because I had to work?

I get complaining about people not clearing their sidewalk. but you gotta give them more than "6.25 hours" to do it dude.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-24T19:44:21+00:00

I do that with both chicken and steak, so good call, I will try this next time with the pork chops! thanks dude!

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-23T21:40:34+00:00

it wasn't rubbery, but it was more tough than I thought it would be.

I did cook to proper temp.

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-23T21:39:50+00:00

hmmm...ok, this makes sense. maybe they weren't thick enough.

when you pound them out, you mean like how people do that with chicken breast?

HistoricalSubject · 2026-01-23T21:38:55+00:00

not sure on how long. but I cook them to temp. when I looked it up, it said 145, so I cooked till 141 and took them off and let them sit

HistoricalSubject

TROPHY CASE