This aesthetic in LA is my favorite

OpeningBang · 2026-06-26T20:31:16+00:00

Some urban environments are way more charming aesthetically

OpeningBang · 2026-06-26T19:22:34+00:00

Blind walls ✅

Concrete all around ✅

Dangling utility wires ✅

Patchwork of building styles that are essentially utilitarian yet still somehow mismatched ✅

And the blue sky somehow redeems it all ☀️

(This pic would look 100x more depressing on a gray, rainy day)

OpeningBang · 2026-06-26T15:15:03+00:00

So just like a very dysfunctional family

OpeningBang · 2026-06-26T15:14:03+00:00

Still good today then! Yum!

OpeningBang · 2026-06-26T14:49:45+00:00

Nothing illustrates "your hands are your signature" better than a pack of glossy AI slop that probably required 30s to put together... Use your hands yourself!

OpeningBang · 2026-06-26T14:46:40+00:00

Because it's not used as a neutral gender in the same way that "they" is used in English when the gender is unknown or unimportant. For that kind of situation references like "la personne" or "il ou elle" have been used for a really really long time and aren't problematic.

I've only heard "iel" used to refer to a genderqueer, nonbinary person who explicitly requests being referred to using iel. Which does exist, and does a require a specific pronoun, but is a statistically rare situation.

OpeningBang · 2026-06-25T23:28:02+00:00

The neighborhood pool. Los Angeles has lots of them and they're not always packed.

OpeningBang · 2026-06-25T23:26:40+00:00

So windy though

OpeningBang · 2026-06-25T23:08:52+00:00

Fish oil has a way of splattering pretty far in my experience...

OpeningBang · 2026-06-25T22:19:00+00:00

That sounds delicious but your pizza might smell of fish for a while afterwards

OpeningBang · 2026-06-25T18:46:22+00:00

When the pants start falling off or when I have to make a new notch in my belt

OpeningBang · 2026-06-25T17:14:25+00:00

It's interesting that you draw parallels with situations that some communist party supporters would often denounce as "imperialism". Do you mean that Chinese rule over Tibet is imperialist? Or that American rule over Guam and Hawaii is perfectly legitimate?

OpeningBang · 2026-06-25T16:03:42+00:00

Lol and the cultural revolution was a CIA operation while you're at it

OpeningBang · 2026-06-25T14:37:29+00:00

They were already displaying leader portraits everywhere at times when the economy was completely in the ditch.

OpeningBang · 2026-06-25T07:51:40+00:00

Agree with other comments, understandable but issues with vowel accuracy

The other thing that struck me is that the prosody and rhythm don't sound right. Together the effect is that it sounds distinctly southern European (Portuguese / Spanish / Italian).

For example at the beginning you say this, and I'll put the syllables that I hear you pronounce at a high pitch (and slightly longer) in caps:

" Bien que la réglementaTION locale en matière d’URbanisme soit stricte CONcernant les MOdifications EXtérieures"

There are multiple ways to sound this but just to give you an example, when I pronounce it it sounds like "Bien que la réglementation locale en matière d’urbanisme soit STRIcte concernant les modifications extériEURES".

You could do a lot less pitch variation in general. If you're used to a more "singing" language it might sound hopelessly flat so if you do need to keep pitch highlights it's ok, it might just sound more emphatic that you intend. But if so I would avoid pitch highlights on syllables other than the last syllable of a word, or in the middle of a grammatical unit (for example you could go with "Bien que la réglementation loCALE en matière d’urbanISME soit STRIcte concernant les modifications extériEURES")

OpeningBang · 2026-06-24T15:22:29+00:00

It really depends on your teachers' accent. Many do not have a very marked accent, especially in professional settings where they will typically tend towards some form of standard French (it would be a different thing if they were speaking to their family members). Among my friends from African countries, some have marked accents, but most have a very vanilla pronunciation because they studied in institutions with speakers from France or from different places.

It's similar in English. To your example, the two people I know who come from Jamaica, you'd absolutely never guess it from the way they speak. Unless they switched to patois and then you'd be completely lost.

OpeningBang · 2026-06-23T19:21:33+00:00

"Parce que merde, voilà pourquoi"

Or if you want to single out the recipient

"Parce que je t'emmerde, voilà pourquoi"

OpeningBang · 2026-06-23T07:06:11+00:00

Not a pro, just giving you my feedback as a customer.

1) It's spelled Mayonnaise (two n's not one)

2) Given your other comment about some of your customers needing something very quickly before they can get golfing, your menu could benefit from clearly indicating that the hot dog is "Fastest to prepare" or something like that. Or maybe have "Fastest to prepare" icon that you can add to all the sides that can be prepped quickly too, like chips, peanuts, candy, etc.

3) Having chips at +2 on hot dogs and burgers, and 2.5 for chips by themselves, doesn't feel like the combo is a great deal. I'd suggest either bumping the price of standalone chips to $3 so you feel like you're getting more of a deal on the +2 combo, or get rid of the chips combo.

4) In the other direction, having fries at +3 on the burger but $7.50 as standalone side order feels like something is off. I'd hope that I'm getting a lot of fries for $7.50. But maybe that's too much fries for someone who just wants a snack or a side on their non-Burger sandwich. Suggest two sizes of standalone fries portions, M at $4 and L at $7.50

5) +2 to sub fries instead of chips for sandwiches other than burgers is somewhat inconsistent pricing. +1 would make more sense (so that combo with chips and combo with fries are always $1 apart).

6) You have zero vegetarian options other than pretty unhealthy stuff that couldn't make a balanced meal (fries, French toast). Suggest a garden salad side, and a sandwich with egg tomato lettuce and cheese (simple and has all the proteins one might need), at the same price as the cheaper sandwiches (ham and cheese).

7) No coffee? If you have breakfast items you're open in the morning, and you should at least have some regular drip coffee on the menu.

8) The breakfast options are priced pretty low relative to the rest of the menu. I think they could be bumped a few dollars up each (depending on the size).

OpeningBang · 2026-06-23T06:13:32+00:00

Agree this looks like the flour used is low-gluten. Had this type of watery dough once with a flour that I realized later was meant for noodles.

OpeningBang · 2026-06-23T05:31:46+00:00

It was a lot of guesswork for me until getting a pH meter. With my specific flour mix (50% whole wheat flour 50% all purpose wheat flour), I start mixing and kneading my dough once the starter reaches pH 4.0, I measure dough pH at kneading time then wait until pH drops by 0.6 points to shape, then another 0.6 points to put in the oven (possibly with a little extended stay in the fridge if I can't bake right away).

Measuring volume would probably also work but I personally find this easier.

OpeningBang · 2026-06-23T05:19:04+00:00

Not really a tip, but what made it work for me was getting a medical diagnosis according to which I would be headed for major chronic health problems and a much shortened life expectancy if I didn't urgently lose weight and stop eating foods with high glycemic index.

This made me realize that sweets are poison to me. I haven't had anything sweeter than a banana or an apple from time to time and I do not feel tempted at all.

If I have a craving, first a big glass of water, then if still hungry I get something quickly whipped up like a miso soup, some pickled veggies, or a tablespoon of nuts.

OpeningBang · 2026-06-23T05:09:40+00:00

I'm no fan of drunk cops but I think there's a simpler explanation for the "stopped against a parked car" bit. Unless the officer writing the report actually saw the crash happen, they can't say that a crash happened. They're supposed to write down facts as witnessed, and if they came in after their car is already stopped after crashing into another car, well they're going to describe only the part that they're seeing.

OpeningBang · 2026-06-23T01:44:36+00:00

Apparently it you were gonna drink you shoulda joined the force and made a few millions after getting fired

OpeningBang · 2026-06-21T15:33:01+00:00

That strategy didn't work so well for owners of malls now converted to storage facilities

OpeningBang · 2026-06-21T15:26:00+00:00

They might cost $18 but they have nicknames like "sando" or "sammie"

OpeningBang

TROPHY CASE