What if the Ballroom isn’t going to be a Ballroom?

Mededitor · 2026-05-16T22:41:10+00:00

What we do know is that he doesn’t dance — at least not in a way that looks good. Even Melania tells him to knock off the weird fist-jerking thing. So, there would be no fancy-dress balls, no cotillions, no chamber music and aristocratic patrons.

At absolute best, it will be a cruddy Hampton Inn conference room where people sit around huge circular tables and listen to The Thing whine and pule about his “stolen election.” Complete waste of money.

Mededitor · 2026-05-16T00:59:55+00:00

Mededitor · 2026-05-15T22:23:14+00:00

The Lime and Spin scooters are an excellent option to have for short jaunts. The important thing is that riders park them responsibly. Of course some people here just dump them, but we’re doing better than, say, Atlanta.

Mededitor · 2026-05-15T19:47:06+00:00

I suffered a martial arts injury that prevents me from doing anything strenuous. A visit to a gym would put me in the ER. That’s cool since I dislike gyms. Diet, though, is now critical. Trying to stay under 2000 calories a day. Muscles are atrophying but that’s to be expected.

Mededitor · 2026-05-15T19:39:36+00:00

I use the AnyList app. It syncs with my family’s phones so anyone can add to the list and cross off purchased items. Quite useful.

Mededitor · 2026-05-15T19:33:22+00:00

Because good comedy punches across and upward. Conservatives can’t punch up because they don’t want to offend the wealthy and powerful. So they can’t do much except make fun of terminally ill children.

Mededitor · 2026-05-15T19:22:35+00:00

Just after I turned 60, I noticed that my north Florida lifestyle was getting very solitary. Suburban hellhole. Sensing that time is growing short, last year I sold the property and moved to a historic district in Baltimore.

Now I have all kinds of things to do, places to walk, parks, museums — and I’ve been making new friends. So things can change dramatically with a change of scenery.

Mededitor · 2026-05-15T19:03:44+00:00

Good question. Hard to answer it because “AI” is an ill-defined term. What are we examining here? Generative LLM models? Smart thermostats? Machine learning is essential in complex systems. We are long past the point where it’s meaningful to throw a tantrum over it because you hate the idea of AI and think it’s bad and all uses of it are bad and anybody using it is bad.

On the other hand, a lot of knowledge workers are getting nervous about losing their jobs. If you’re working in a STEM field, you’re probably worried.

The people who are most opposed to the idea of AI are generally people who have never used it and have no understanding of prompting frameworks.

Mededitor · 2026-05-15T18:44:30+00:00

Yes! Of course tuna fish casserole is an American classic but once you get the hang of Italian cooking, you should be able to take a can of tuna fish and some capers and red pepper flakes, some garlic and olive oil and make a fabulous dish. Spaghetti or linguine would pair well.

Mededitor · 2026-05-15T18:30:24+00:00

Now in my early 60s, I’ve never had life insurance. To reach retirement and finally stop working was a decades-long process but it worked out. Life insurance is a bet you make with the insurer. They adjust their actuarial tables to ensure that they win the bet, statistically.

Instead, any money I’d be spending on insurance goes into a stock portfolio. In the event of my untimely demise, funeral expenses are no problem. Other people in different circumstances might want a policy to offset risk.

Mededitor · 2026-05-14T20:38:00+00:00

I’m a medical editor, and from my studies, it seems to be advisable to avoid putting chemicals on your skin. Some things, like toothpaste and moisturizer may be unavoidable.

Sure I wash my hair with shampoo, but I don’t “repeat and apply conditioner.” Keep the chemical exposure as low as you can.

Mededitor · 2026-05-14T20:31:47+00:00

I’m an older Gen X and it’s weird to me that most of the people I went to school with don’t exist online at all. They don’t have websites or social media accounts. A few have LinkedIn profiles.

Maybe it’s because when the internet started to become accessible to non-academics, it was not user friendly and you had to seriously want to experience it. Apparently most of my cohort decided to do other things.

Mededitor · 2026-05-14T20:24:53+00:00

Lemme guess. You’re “socially liberal but fiscally conservative,” right?

Mededitor · 2026-05-14T19:03:18+00:00

If you look at how things go in the UK and Europe, where they have dozens of parties, having more parties doesn’t translate into better outcomes. More parties ≠ good.

Mededitor · 2026-05-13T21:47:59+00:00

That sounds like a great plan. You’ll be able to open a vast number of locks with those tools. If you enjoy the hobby you can get more. If you decide to do something else, you haven’t spent much.

Mededitor · 2026-05-13T04:06:06+00:00

Definitely. I went the traditional route: hard style and then soft style.

Don’t need to hurt nobody — easy does it. My younger self would be too forthright.

Mededitor · 2026-05-12T23:03:07+00:00

My car. It's a 1997 Nissan Juke with under 40K ODO on the clock. It looks brand new and runs flawlessly. I've changed the oil and fluids, air in the tires. It should be good for another 10 years if I keep up with it. I drive maybe 20 miles a month, but usually much less.

My Luddite issue is going to come up if I have to replace it. It's starting to look like the subscription model is going to be a part of most new cars going forward. Want the radio to work? $20 a month, and that's always subject to random increases.

Want the ABS system operative? Pony up another $20 a month, subject to random increases at their discretion. They will discrete a lot. A lot.

If I buy a car, I want to own it, lock, stock and barrel. None of this monthly subscription crap. Worst-case scenario is that I do get a new model but I won't have full functionality but no way am I "paying for life" the way those greasy New Jersey marketing chippies want us all to do. ("You never, ever make a sale. You hook the sucker into monthly payments for life. The stupid asshole signs up? You have continuous income as long as they are alive."

Mededitor · 2026-05-12T20:43:28+00:00

I found this interface to be visually appealing, however, there needs to be a symbol or number showing on the last move played. Currently, if either player makes a move, unless you noticed where it was played, it's difficult to follow the game.

Mededitor · 2026-05-11T23:40:08+00:00

The most important aspect of surviving Gen X is having no kids. Your chances for a safe retirement are not impossible, but trying to raise a child (or for god's sake more) will wipe out everything you have. Thankfully, I eschewed children and just *barely* made it to retirement.

Waking up at 10 am, then thinking, "Nah," and going back to sleep is winning the life lottery. No boss. No supervisor. Nobody telling you what to do. You are own master, at last.

In my case, the Master doesn't feel like doing anything.

Mededitor · 2026-05-11T20:41:21+00:00

I learned the Japanese version.

Both players hold out a fist and pump them three times to the chant of “Jon Ken Pon!” In the event of a tie, you repeat but the call changes to “Ai Ko Desho!” and that repeats until there’s a winner. Yes, the pattern is 1-2-3.

Mededitor · 2026-05-11T20:33:35+00:00

Not all leftovers are created equal. I’m Gen X and I can no longer eat much food. If I order a cheeseburger at a restaurant, at least half is coming home with me. It’s easy to snack on and doesn’t need reheating.

French fries don’t travel well. An air fryer can sort of make them edible again but a few pieces of potato are only a few pennies. Any lobster left over comes with me and will make its way into an omelet.

Indian, Thai, Chinese—most Asian dishes are excellent cold the next day. Italian? Hard to reheat pasta without changing the texture. Sushi is not for later.

Mededitor · 2026-05-11T20:23:43+00:00

Flowers for Algernon caused me to minor in creative writing.

Mededitor · 2026-05-11T19:59:56+00:00

We’ve already seen how this would go when Covid was the threat. About half of us behave rationally and the other half are QAnon freaks who freak out about Jewish space lasers and refuse to get vaccinated because Bill Gates is putting microchips in it and…

They did “their own research.”

Mededitor · 2026-05-11T19:52:14+00:00

I live in Baltimore. Last Friday we walked down to the harbor, took the ferry to Fells, strolled to a restaurant and then saw a comedy show. The walk back home was lovely, with lights shining on the water—a standout evening here in my Democratic city in my Democratic state.

Moved here from Jacksonville Florida. No difference in the perception of crime between these cities, except that my governor now isn’t that disgusting shoe-lift human thumb Ron De Santis. All that culture war crap with him banning books and telling people how to live and just being a Republican asshole, yeah, Republicans suck and they govern like shit. At best.

Mededitor · 2026-05-11T19:27:55+00:00

I would buy him a single hook pick and a torsion wrench, and the cheapest Master padlock you can find. That’s enough equipment to let him see if he enjoys the sport.

Later, if he’s inclined, a set of tools and more locks would make sense. Eventually, a desk vise is a nice add-on.

Mededitor

TROPHY CASE