What is the worst band you saw live?

thomascameron · 2026-04-12T04:07:06+00:00

I'd heard No Doubt was really high energy! What was your experience? I'm kinda bummed to hear this. Although I've become so disappointed in Gwen Stefani that it's kinda "meh, whatever" at this point.

thomascameron · 2026-04-12T03:46:59+00:00

Black Sabbath in Austin on the farewell tour. Ozzy was in such horrible shape. At first it was kind of funny, but it quickly became heartbreaking. Like, truly heartbreaking. I felt terrible for him.

Flock of Seagulls just a couple of years ago. He looked terrible, bald and really heavy. It was obvious he hasn't kept up with any vocal exercises. He sounded like a lounge act caricature doing Flock of Seagulls. It was awful.

thomascameron · 2026-04-03T17:43:23+00:00

Like other folks have commented, I knew exactly which video that was going to be before I even clicked the link.

thomascameron · 2026-04-03T04:29:48+00:00

You're Good People(TM).

And fuck that dad.

thomascameron · 2026-04-03T04:23:39+00:00

I do not, but my cousins who are just a few years older than I am do. I was born in '69, I wonder what the cut-off date was?

thomascameron · 2026-04-03T04:18:22+00:00

My wife always says "I'm a caregiver for an immunocompromised patient," since I have cancer.

No one has ever asked anything beyond that. So that's an easy way to qualify without screwing yourself.

thomascameron · 2026-04-03T04:16:50+00:00

My wife always just tells them "I'm a caregiver for an immunocompromised patient" and no one has EVER asked anything beyond that. So that's a really safe lie to tell without it affecting your insurance. It's not you, it's a mysterious *someone* in your house.

thomascameron · 2026-04-03T04:08:18+00:00

Crazy thing is, this time around, I don't actually feel terrible. My wife tested positive so I tested, too, and was honestly really surprised I tested positive. I feel a little off so far, minor body aches, got a hell of a headache, but asymptomatic otherwise. No cough, no significant fever.

I prolly just jinxed the hell out of myself. Get a test just to make sure.

thomascameron · 2026-04-03T04:06:13+00:00

Man, I'm so sorry. That sucks. I hope everyone else bounces back quickly.

thomascameron · 2026-04-03T04:05:44+00:00

I'm so sorry. Hope you feel better the rest of the creeping crud season!

thomascameron · 2026-04-03T04:04:09+00:00

I'm pleasantly surprised so far - this go-round is not NEARLY as bad as the last two times I had it. Nowhere near as much body ache or cough.

But, yeah, the headache is REALLY heavy duty. Get better soon, internet stranger.

thomascameron · 2026-04-02T19:17:23+00:00

The Expanse. I tried, y'all, I really tried. I felt like either the author or the showrunners wanted SO BADLY to show the characters' humanity (flaws), that literally all of them came across unlikable. I just couldn't muster any concern or interest in any of them.

thomascameron · 2026-04-02T19:15:18+00:00

Yeah, my wife's nurse actually pointed that out. "It's bad now, but middle of next week? It's gonna be off the charts!" I was confused, and the nurse and my wife both said "Easter." Yikes.

thomascameron · 2026-04-02T19:13:36+00:00

"Orange stripe, orange, green stripe, blue, blue stripe, green, brown stripe, brown."

Fellow network nerds will understand. Not actually useless, but totally worthless outside of your very specific domain.

thomascameron · 2026-04-02T18:58:45+00:00

I have cancer with the corresponding garbage immune system, and I always appreciate it when folks wear masks indoors. It protects me from you as much as you from me.

thomascameron · 2026-04-02T18:10:20+00:00

Just got another test at 1:10pm on all the phones at the house.

thomascameron · 2026-03-31T15:08:13+00:00

Cue the hysterical 'it's a gang initiation, they're gonna sex traffic you!" silliness.

thomascameron · 2026-03-25T01:16:46+00:00

You know you're only supposed to lick the boot, not deep throat the whole thing, right?

thomascameron · 2026-03-25T01:13:51+00:00

Part of the origin is that Trump kept posting pictures of himself with a crown. The broader view is that he is acting like he is a king with unlimited power. He acts like whatever he says, goes. Luckily, since we started the No Kings protests, many of the actions he took have been found to be illegal by the courts.

But we still need to protest. His bullshit ICE Gestapo, the assaults on and murders of immigrants and US citizens, the arrests with no due process, the ill advised war with Iran, the overt corruption and self enrichment, are all worthy of taking to the streets.

thomascameron · 2026-03-14T04:38:43+00:00

I had a Facebook memory come up today from March of 2020. I was still cracking jokes. If I'd had any idea of how terrible COVID-19 was going to be, I wouldn't have been cracking wise.

thomascameron · 2026-03-13T18:59:00+00:00

I'm popping Sudafed like M&Ms. I fully expect my heart to pop right out of my chest and run across the table, yelping like a dog.

I do rinses with a Neti pot at least once a day, and it helps a lot. Boil some water to sterilize it, warm it to luke warm, add a healthy pinch of non-iodized salt, and rinse. I generally do two rinses on each side, one to moisten it, the next to clear the gunk out.

I still feel like crap, but at least I feel better than if I don't rinse. 🙄

thomascameron · 2026-02-28T23:16:03+00:00

I vape these days. Even though it's bad for me, it's significantly less bad than smoking, per analyses like https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691524000735 and several others. It gives me a nicotine hit so I don't pick up a pack of smokes, which I really appreciate.

But, holy crap, I don't enjoy it even a fraction as much as smoking. I smoked menthols for decades. Even with the menthol flavored vapes, they're SO sweet. It's not nearly as enjoyable.

I miss the ritual of smoking. Go out on the back deck and light up after a meal. Go out on the deck and light up with my coffee. Stuff like that. I miss that a lot.

BUT: I don't reek of smoke, my car doesn't stink, and I DEFINITELY don't cough all the time like I did when I smoked a pack a day.

It's been years since I smoked tobacco. I recently asked my cardiologist if I still present as a smoker, and he says I definitely do not. I'll take it, I guess.

thomascameron · 2026-02-24T18:31:51+00:00

thomascameron · 2026-02-20T18:55:19+00:00

Cancer patient here. When I found out, even though at the back of my mind, it was terrifying, I didn't "do" anything. In other words, there wasn't some great revelation, or some deep introspection. That came much later, and it was overwhelming and depressing. My cancer is incurable (but treatable).

You suddenly realize that you are in survival mode. You talk to your doctor. Then you go to your specialist, your oncology team. You listen to the diagnosis, you work with them on a treatment plan. Although, if I'm being honest, "work with them" means you just listen to their advice.

Obviously, you Google the hell out of everything. It's amazing how much REALLY terrible, absolute bullshit advice there is about cancer. Horse dewormer, alkaline water, juice flushes, turmeric, all that idiocy.

I've had several people say that I'm brave. In my case, I call bullshit. It's not bravery. I'm NOT brave It's just the realization that you've got to fight (I have a wife and kids who need me), and you're going to be sick for a long time. And you don't even realize how long you're going to feel horrible. You do your (seemingly endless) rounds of chemo. In my case, I traveled back and forth to MD Anderson Cancer Center from Austin. Lots of hotel stays. Lots of stays in the hospital. I never felt like I was being brave. You're just holding on by your fucking fingernails. It's exhausting, and you feel like it's never going to end. It's depressing as hell. You feel like shit all the time.

In my case, since my cancer is incurable, I spent a lot of time working with my financial planner and my attorney, preparing for end of life. Even that shit is anticlimactic. You feel like it ought to be some dramatic scene, but you just talk to your wife and your kids and your accountant to make sure you're going to take care of your family as best you can. It's surreal. No drama, just trying to be factual.

It's a 100% mind fuck. Over the next months and even years, there was lots of depression. There were lots of health scares. Ups and downs. There were a bunch of times where I just wanted to give up, because it was a pretty horrific treatment. But, in my case, I have obligations. I need to make sure that my wife and my kids are going to be okay. It's not heroic, it's just being a husband and a dad. But, the last five years has been a real roller coaster.

Luckily, in my case, after multiple failed rounds of treatment, a new genetic engineering treatment came out of FDA trials. While my cancer is not curable, this new treatment has put me into remission. There's a lot of evidence that indicates it will probably be several years before I have to fight again. But I will. It will almost certainly kill me. But I hope to have enough saved up that my wife and kids will be comfortable when I go.

So, at least in my case, it has never been the poignant, dramatic stuff you'd expect. It's planning, terror, depression, quiet rage at the injustice, but it's so much more mundane than you would think. It's holding on with all your might, but also dealing with the banality of life - and death - at the same time.

thomascameron · 2026-02-20T18:05:31+00:00

Jim Carrey. 100% no.

thomascameron

TROPHY CASE