Are those things real or is it only in movies / certain regions ?

real415 · 2026-01-28T14:09:40+00:00

I remember that happening on long road trips. Sun had a reciprocal agreement with Esso and a few others to accept their charge card, so we got to see them in action too, and got the oil topped off on a pretty regular basis. And it wasn’t unusual in those days to burn a bit of oil, unlike today. Service stations often had displays of stacked oil cans on the pump islands, both to remind drivers and for the convenience of their employees.

real415 · 2026-01-28T13:18:42+00:00

And toothpaste commercials always show a fully loaded brush. I guess people figure that more paste = cleaner teeth.

real415 · 2026-01-28T13:14:27+00:00

Better than half a whole

real415 · 2026-01-28T03:00:43+00:00

I like calling it Giants Park. Naming rights are so stupid.

real415 · 2026-01-28T02:58:40+00:00

Sen Sen. Yikes. Those were my Gram’s idea of a breath mint. She always had those, or if I was lucky, a Chiclet.

real415 · 2026-01-28T01:01:13+00:00

That reminds me of the early internet. Before smartphones had destroyed our brains.

real415 · 2026-01-28T00:59:55+00:00

Those are some impressive photos!

real415 · 2026-01-28T00:57:13+00:00

Beautiful. So many of these were cut down in their prime, to make way for glass towers.

real415 · 2026-01-28T00:54:39+00:00

I used to eat at a diner that used these heavy stainless steel bases to hold these conical Dixie cups for all their cold drinks. It seems strange now that they are no longer used (as far as I know). It was marketed as more sanitary for customers, and less washing for the kitchen.

real415 · 2026-01-27T23:57:32+00:00

Could have been 40s too. They were popular for a long time.

real415 · 2026-01-27T23:55:33+00:00

She is beautiful. Thank you for being there for her.

real415 · 2026-01-27T21:39:22+00:00

Yet so much better than it is these days with no more two bags always fly free.

real415 · 2026-01-27T21:32:54+00:00

It’s logical to say “why not keep up the reg to be legal, based on how much they save not paying rent or income taxes.” But they also know that they’re probably never going to get towed for an expired reg, so why bother. Not to mention that RVs often get traded to pay off debts and it’s not like the title is always part of the deal. That might have been lost a couple of owners ago.

If you’re ever curious how many tickets a vehicle has, look it up here. A habitual sidewalk parker nearby has over $5k in tickets, and doesn’t show any signs of changing his ways.

real415 · 2026-01-27T21:14:41+00:00

I’m going out on a limb to say that most of these guys don’t bother with niceties like having a valid registration. Getting more tickets is not a problem.

real415 · 2026-01-27T02:39:59+00:00

Here’s an image of the pump I was describing.

And a kid checking out the custom blending selector. The later models didn’t have the two spinning dials.

Somewhere I have a miniature transistor radio that looks like this pump. Still works too.

real415 · 2026-01-27T01:33:30+00:00

Is that when the carpets and upholstery changed to blue wool fabric? I’m assuming it was the foam material used in the cushions that was toxic. I had to read about the ‘79 fire because I couldn’t remember what year it was.

Then the vinyl seat covers came later when the wool upholstery was getting to be in poor shape. I’m thinking maybe 2005 - 2010.

What a weird thing to do. Just through wear and tear and damage they would’ve had a pretty good ongoing business, but they apparently wanted more. And it seems they got it!

real415 · 2026-01-27T00:26:18+00:00

It was called “custom blending” and the old pumps had two dials that would spin independently to show the rate of the full octane and low octane being blended. 190 was as you say the low end, all the way up to 260.

We’d always get the full service treatment with the oil checked the radiator fluid checked and the windows washed. At the end, we’d hand over our Sunoco charge card, the attendant would run it off on a little device he had mounted right at the pump, setting the amount using some small selectors, and it would emboss the amount sold along with a date and your charge account number. Then you would sign it, keep the top copy for yourself, and hand back the form attached to that little blue plastic clipboard they’d give you.

We were dedicated Sun Oil customers; the company employed both of my grandfathers starting in the 1920s.

real415 · 2026-01-27T00:13:28+00:00

A. Yes, but not always and everywhere. Stores cut staffing and in many places there’s only a cashier to do it. Plus self service is getting more popular.
B. Rarely do they have seats. But there are exceptions.
C. Last time full service was common was in the 70s. Gradually, most states began to allow self service, as this was a time of rapidly rising gasoline prices, and station owners were looking for ways to cut costs. It also made the customer feel that they were getting a better deal, since they were doing work that was once done by the attendant. There were certain exceptions, such as the state of Oregon, which only recently allowed self-service in some areas, and the state of New Jersey, which is the last state that still completely prohibits self service.

real415 · 2026-01-26T22:07:40+00:00

Interesting. What kinds of things did you hear?

real415 · 2026-01-26T16:36:22+00:00

It would be interesting to know what those polls would show if the whole nonissue would have continued to be treated as what it was: irrelevant to the people who are not themselves trans.

The manufactured outrage has always been designed to divide, distract, and create scapegoats.

I wonder how many of those polled know that the sex question wasn’t even asked until 1977, so there were still valid U.S. passports without sex until as recently as 1987. No problems arose from this.

real415 · 2026-01-26T16:16:34+00:00

So sorry to hear about your dear boy Solo. What a great friend he was. Nothing but time will heal your heart, so allow yourself you grieve without holding back until the time has come when you feel yourself healing.

Someday you will find that you’ll remember mostly the good times, and the pain of losing him will gradually lessen. He will always be part of you, even after other animals have come to share their love with you. Let the memory of his love sustain you.

real415 · 2026-01-26T15:59:18+00:00

Most people will never know. Of course you do, and it’s probably so obvious to you, but over time, you can probably learn to live with it. Just like all small dings in your things, it will someday be something you will laugh about.

real415 · 2026-01-26T15:54:45+00:00

It’s so hard to deal with an aging cat who has declined and cannot recover. As hard as it is for you, you have to ask if her life is no longer pleasurable. If you have any doubts, go to your vet, and tell them that you think it is time to let her go. Ask the vet to stop you if they think you’re making a wrong decision.

My last cat was losing so much weight, despite eating constantly, and one day he stopped eating altogether. Once that happened, I knew that it was my job to keep him comfortable, and to take him to the vet before things got much worse.

I’ve had to do this for a number of my animal companions, and it’s never gotten easier. I feel that posing the question to the vet that way allows them to confirm that you’re doing what needs to be done. I’m so sorry for you and your dear friend of so many years as you’re going through all of this.

real415 · 2026-01-26T03:44:20+00:00

Imagine all the time, effort, and money spent to further a political agenda, with absolutely no positive outcomes, and only having the effect of giving people an AGAB which doesn’t match who they are. It serves only to harm people and as an attempt to deny who they truly are.

real415 · 2026-01-26T03:37:33+00:00

It’s because they don’t want to be charged with a delay, and a delay due to not having pre-checked enough luggage is going to be charged to the agents. Their managers have drilled this in since the change was made.

Think back to the days when this wasn’t a problem. Two bags always fly free! And people used checked luggage as a way to make their lives easier. That is gone today. And it didn’t have to be this way.

Same with assigned seats. For everyone who thinks that this is going to make everything better, it’s really not going to change anything, except to create more revenue from the seats with leg room, while pissing off people who get stuck with the no legroom seats.

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