I Want To Be Underwhelmed (the new INTERACTIVE version - for the modern, more sociable gay of the 2020s)

Love the photo, OP. When I was a kid, "picture phones" were the epitome of what life in the coming "Jetsons" era would be like. Now we have them, essentially, and, well, who cares?

[quote]When I was a kid, "picture phones" were the epitome of what life in the coming "Jetsons" era would be like.

I had a book called "The World Of Tomorrow" full of that stuff. It all looked so exciting!

The world of tomorrow...

"The World of Tomorrow" is also the title of a wonderful 1984 documentary about the 1939-40 New York World's Fair.

I'd like to see that, R5.

I was given that book by a school friend on the occasion of my sixth birthday party in 1969. I examined intensely for several years. FIFTY years ago! Can't believe it.

FUN FACT: The last thread lasted almost three weeks.

I looked for "The World of Tomorrow" on YouTube, R6, but couldn't find it. You can find newsreels and other footage from the 1939 fair there, some of which are also called "The World of Tomorrow," because that was the theme of the 1939 fair.

The theme of t he 1964-65 New York World's Fair was "Peace Through Understanding," which was not nearly as exciting a concept.

How interesting, R8.

I remember my father bringing back a book of postcards from the 1964-65 New York World's Fair - to England. They hung around for years the way those sorts of things do.

I would love to have gone.

Also, Expo 67 looks like a gas.

Continuing with my soup explorations, I made a "French Country Soup" which is really just a vegetable soup.

NOT a great success. I don't really like smooth soup. I prefer them chunky.

Also the recipe had no onions. I think a vegetable soup needs an onion, personally or it's too bland.

It's funny how wrong a lot of the prognosticators got the future. For example, completely missed laptops, tablets etc. And the Video Phone - pretty much every laptop, mobile phone, tablet has a camera and net connectivity so there's that too.

And the demise of the Bell System - that was because they were subsidizing local service with long distance revenue. And the long distance revenue was declining because the level of automation in the Bell System was increasing over time. It culminated in the all digital time division long distance switching fabric. That brought the cost per minute of use into fractions of a cent to the point where no there's no such thing as long distance charges on cell phones, and even google voice.

But the changes in just my lifetime - from rotary dial phones on electro-mechanical exchanges to computers that can do full voice, video, among many other things. Plus the rise of the above stated mobile/cell phones. It's fascinating. Plus there are the changes brought forth in medicine due to embracing technology. If you look right now gene editing, 3d organ printing, etc. We're finally getting to the point where surgery won't just excise tissue but replace the tissue too.

Even motor vehicles are far different than they were 30 years ago - anti-lock is standard, and now we're seeing features from autonomous research trickling into luxury cars and even plain old production vehicles. That and electric cars. I recently read that by 2023, just 5 years from now internal combustion engines will start to decline and electric cars will take the fore. It's amazing.

The cities of the future all looked so clean and white - but they're much dirtier and more congested than they were 50 years ago.

R12 - I read your post. Your whole post.

You were OVERWHELMED, R14.

sorRty f15

cqn NOT tupw whilr lyint doqn

R11 I agree, I think nearly all soups need onion.

Especially French onion soup.

I'm looking forward to the fashions of the future.

Actually, I prefer the future fashions as predicted at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Presenting the World of Tomorrow!

[quote][R11] I agree, I think nearly all soups need onion.

Glad to get your validation, R17.

As I've said in earlier threads, I'm new to soups.

Also, this recipe I made today had no cream or alternatives in the recipe. I added a spoonful of cream later and tasted it and it was an improvement. A bad recipe all round.

I find German to be so guttural.

I remember they actually sold video phones here in London at the phone stores, in the 90s...but of course you had to call someone else who had one, but no one else had them.

I remember one of the discussion points of "picture phones" many years ago was whether one would have the option of turning off the video feature when taking a call, in case one had just stepped out of the shower or had some other reason for not wanting to be seen. People were actually worried about that. I remember an aunt of mine saying she wouldn't want one if it didn't have an off switch.

I totally remember that too, R24.

All that, r12, while our souls go to perdition.

I remember with call waiting wishing I could turn it off when I felt like it. This was before voicemail.

[quote] I prefer them chunky.

Your soups or your men?

Goddammit -- where the fuck is the jetpack I was promised?

Actually, it would be funny if we could all see each other when we post. Maybe that will happen one day. The DL of the future.

I was going to mention jetpacks also, R29. Using personal jetpacks in place of cars was discussed nearly as much as picture phones when I was young.

I'm about to brave the cold to do my weekend grocery shopping, and I have no idea what I want to cook. It's a little whelming.

Not r32. I braved the cold too and went and bought lasagna bolognese (the kind to be thrown in the oven, store brand, very nice), spaetzle, chicken, potatoes, italian ham, a variety of cheeses, bread and then I was exhausted and went home and now I'm lying on the couch. It's a good thing I made and froze two kinds of sauces yesterday ready to be microwaved because there's no way I would have found the courage to prepare them this week end.

And I'm dreading monday ALREADY.

My life is empty.

[quote]My life is empty.

yet your fridge and freezer are full.

I can't even imagine how glamorous and modern life will be for my children in 2019!

I agree, Betty...

Not to mention how wonderful and uncomplicated the Sex will be ...

when we have the Pill and we all get past our inhibitions

I know how you feel, R33. I just came back from shopping and, after putting everything away, require a lie-down. I picked up a small fresh turkey breast that I'll roast tomorrow, if I have the strength, because I have theater tickets for this evening that I regret buying, but I can't bring myself not to use them after spending the money.

Smoking makes you look so chic and glamorous, Betty and Joan!

R33 and R37, I know how you feel...

We should all cradle a mug together

London.

I wish I could invite you over to my place. I'm having a "Square Pie" and some of the Ina Garten Corn Chowder I made and froze a few weeks ago.

Then I'm watching "Time To Leave". Some French film I read about.

I was meant to go out but I turned off my phone and had a long very deep sleep and then I couldn't face it. I don't mind at all.

I just made cauliflower soup. I don't really like cauliflower. But I like cauliflower enough when it's pureed in a soup. which, in this instance, is my own homemade chicken stock. I also added ground ginger, ground caraway seeds, ground coriander and garlic to my cauliflower soup.

^ Lots of grinding.

Anyway, next soup for me to make is cauliflower soup.

Can you imagine Kim Kardashian using a jet pak? She would melt that fat plastic ass right off.

r40 What the heck is Square Pie?

It's a pie and it's square, R44.

Is that just a regular meat pie r40? In Australia a meat pie is generally what we think of when we say “pie”. Most are round but some places have the square version. They’re all savoury. Beef, beef and onion, beef and mushroom, chicken and leek etc. The best ones are made in-house at any local bakery. A lot of people eat them with tomato sauce.

r47 Whereas most Americans would immediately think of a dessert pie.

The one I had this evening, R47, was a vegetable pie. I had it with baked beans. It wasn't very nice.

We have an Australian pie place near me in London, but it looks kinda low grade so I've never been tempted.

The French film I'm watching is awful. He's 31 and dying. Some sort of tumor. I hate it.

The fuck is this scattershot underwhelmed thread?

Do you know it, R47?

Never heard of it r51. It doesn’t look great.

I've got a jumbuck causing a ruckus in my trousers as I write.

Beat it into submission r53. You don’t want to get to overwhelmed.

^^^too

I just baked a batch of cookies for my Senior Center's bake sale next week. Gotta do one more tomorrow.

Cleaned out my fridge AND replaced the plain old baking soda box with the "premium" box that has side vents, which was about 30 cents more. I feel like Mrs. Astor.

I’m hungry, but I’ve blown my calorie count for the day so no more food for me today. I miss the days when I could eat whatever I wanted.

[quote]I’m hungry, but I’ve blown my calorie count for the day so no more food for me today

What time of day did you write this?

I've had a head cold for the past week. It's starting to go away, and I'm less congested today, but I'm at that stage where I can't taste anything. Having a nice dinner on Sunday is something I look forward to all week. So today is pretty much pointless for me.

Around 8pm r59. I don’t usually eat again after dinner but I only had a small dinner last night and was starving an hour and half later.

Happy to find you all here!

I've been away, as my mom got her ancestry.com results back but she can't figure out how to use the website so I logged in to her account remotely to help her and I was completely whelmed for a week with all the salacious details. At one point, I cleared my cookies due to the crappy ancestry.com site, which of logged me out of DL, and I didn't bother to log back in until today!

London.

I had the last of my sausage bean soup with sour cream for supper. Followed by Mandarin Orange Segments with hot custard.

I really have hardly had tinned fruit since I was a child, but I saw it somewhere and bought a tin for old time's sake. Not very good. I think all the goodness has gone by the time it's in the can. (Do Americans say can or tin?)

[quote]Happy to find you all here!

Happy to see you too, but I think the FAB 5 have been reduced to 3.

[quote]I've been away, as my mom got her ancestry.com results back but she can't figure out how to use the website so I logged in to her account remotely to help her and I was completely whelmed for a week with all the salacious details.

Any big surprises?

I had to guide my mother through the whole spitting in the tube and sending it off process step by step - or she would never have got her act together. We used ancestry.com first, but it showed my brother having a totally different father to me, so my brother tried 23&me and we're full brothers again.

The results keep changing every time I check back though. Suddenly I'm part French and German and my Swedish ancestry has more or less completely disappeared, also I'm sometimes 0.1% African, but that disappears and reappears...and they're sure my cousin on my father's side is related to me through my mother.

Welcome back PML. I think there are at least 4 of us. There were two aussies but I think the other one isn’t around anymore.

[quote] There were two aussies but I think the other one isn’t around anymore.

Yes, this was confusing.

[quote](Do Americans say can or tin?)

Americans say can, R63, but I find tin charming because I'm a bit of an Anglophile.

My head cold has improved. I have taste again. That is, I can taste food again.

R65 that’s really interesting. My boyfriends parents are absolutely certain that ancestry.com is entirely legit. They have travelled back to Ireland to “get in touch with our roots” based entirely on their DNA results. I’ve tried to tell them I’ve read these things are a bit hit and miss but they won’t hear of it. No harm I guess, they’re definitely Anglo Saxon either way. They’ve travelled to Britain twice because of it, which gave them something to do in retirement.

I finally got around to replacing my moldy shower curtain.

Hi r70, are you Australian too? It’s the “long time reader, first time poster” that makes me suspicious.

I think I got the “long time reader” thing from some talk radio show or possibly Frasier, wasn’t aware it was big in Aussie parlance. Although I should have said mouldy curtain as we typically use the Brit spelling in Canada.

I posted in the last thread but I guess I didn't notice that it was gone; not that I would have had the energy to find out.

I'm ate an apple and now I'm gearing up to take the core back downstairs. Wish me luck.

[R9]: I went to Expo ‘67 with my parents when I was 18. It was neat. I was up early all three days, and just walked all over the place, going to as many pavilions as I could.

I remember having Chicken Kiev in the restaurant in the Soviet pavilion, while a lady in an evening dress sang “Midnight in Moscow” in Russian. I even saw the latest Godard film at the Expo film festival. Many of the pavilions used film presentations in all kinds of ways. I still have the Official Guidebook, which I got stamped in each pavilion I saw.

I can go on and on about it, but I dont want to be too whelming.

R72 it’s used in radio over here too, in particular one especially popular evening radio show I listen to on the way home from work. I assumed the expression was used overseas as well, but didn’t know if you were making reference to that radio show since you posted while it was on.

Anyway I’d love to go Canada one day. It seems like a beautiful place to live.

I got an email from a second cousin whose aunt was my grandmother's niece. He says he has pics of my grandmother and her sister, and that he visited them in New Jersey, presumably when I was young enough to have lived at home (same town as grandma). But I've never even heard of this person, let alone met him.

Could this be a scam? He contacted me on what looks like official 23andme.com website "stationery."

I wrote him back this morning, but didn't hear back from him again.

Please INTERACT.

I may be one of the FAB 5. I was posting a lot in the previous thread, but somehow haven't seen this one much.

I heartily support the concept of INTERACTING. Who was that queen wanting to ban us [italic]for talking to each other on an internet message board[/italic] ?

I don’t know enough about 23andme to know whether it could be a scam r76. Does he want to meet? Or just send you pictures of your grandmother? My bfs parents interact with long lost distant cousins on ancestry all the time, they swap information. So far there’s been no scam.

Thanks, r78.

I haven't heard back from him yet. Maybe he only does email on weekdays. I know from using eBay that lots of people take the weekend off. I last heard from him Friday afternoon.

[quote]Could this be a scam? He contacted me on what looks like official 23andme.com website "stationery."

Not if he appears on your list of blood relatives on the site.

Have the Fab 5 been reduced to the Fab 2?

There was a Fab 5?

^^Sorry, I meant Fab 4. I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed today.

[quote]I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed today.

Well you're not helping me any r83.

Great. Now I feel even worse.

There were five of us in the last thread who posted most frequently. We INTERACTED.

[quote]We INTERACTED.

Despite having been constantly threatened for doing so. We were rebels.

I’m still here on behalf of Australia. It’s a huge responsibility, but not overwhelming as you’d think.

[quote] Who was that queen wanting to ban us for talking to each other on an internet message board ?

Right - especially when someone wrote about some overwhelming problem, he'd shout at people for offering advice.

[quote]We INTERACTED.

I certainly hope you used protection.

[quote]Despite having been constantly threatened for doing so. We were rebels.

The movers and shakers of the new era.

[R31]: I knew a playwright in New York, who said he and a female writing partner had been working on a script for “The Front Runner” for Paul Newman, when Newman made one request. He asked them to make the boy runner into a girl. So they pulled iut of the project, and it never went any further.

Looks like Newman had some homosexual panic...

I keep losing my "orange eye" settings in the right hand column. When I went to bed, I had 15 or 20. Today, zero.

I have to go shopping this morning. It is 35 degrees out and pouring rain. It's supposed to go up to 45, but still.

Sorry for above post.

Meant it for the “Dancer from the Dance” thread.

[R95] here. Referring to my post in [R92].

You posted it there, didn't you, r96?

BAD Paul Newman.

[quote]I have to go shopping this morning. It is 35 degrees out and pouring rain

Pouring rain and 35 degrees here, too. Wait, is that you running down the sidewalk with shopping bags?

The rain isn’t coming until tonight where I am. So...I’m going try and I get my shopping done today.

I wish I could go shopping today, rain or no rain, instead of going to my tedious job.

I'm not able to go until noon. That's when my prescription will be ready.

Did you make it back safely, R101?

I'm home now, thank you, r102. I'm discovering my computer is having more problems than just Datalounge. My cookies aren't saving anything.

I think my solution would be to go lie down for a while, R103.

London.

Very American evening. Dinner at Five Guys. I love the soda machine. All that ice is such a novelty in London. Grape Fanta. Yum. Kept going back for more. The people who work in there are very sweet and smiley. My eyesight is so awful now I can't even read the number on my ticket...nice little guy said he'd take care of it for us.

Then we went to Wholefoods. Took my friend who'd never been! I bought a purple bowl. I think it's made of bamboo. I like it very much. I'm always buying bowls for some reason. Bowls and mugs.

We have this thing called iPlayer...attached to the satellite box. I've discovered this massive archive on there. I've been looking at old TV shows. All sorts of very obscure stuff from the 60s & 70s. Enjoying it very much...except there was one thing, a documentary about AIDS from 1983. It was a time when people didn't know how they got it. There were all these theories about poppers. Stuff like that. People who are old enough will remember this. It was all shot around the West Village, I lived there then, so I recognised a lot of the places. They went to The Riviera. I didn't watch it until the end. It was too awful.

[quote]except there was one thing, a documentary about AIDS from 1983. It was a time when people didn't know how they got it. There were all these theories about poppers. Stuff like that. People who are old enough will remember this. It was all shot around the West Village, I lived there then, so I recognised a lot of the places.

I was also living in Manhattan at that time (1978 to 1986), R105. It's one reason the movie "Longtime Companion" reverberates so strongly with me. My friends and I lived through all that, starting with "Have you heard about this rare cancer affecting gay men?"

[quote]I was also living in Manhattan at that time (1978 to 1986), [R105]. It's one reason the movie "Longtime Companion" reverberates so strongly with me. My friends and I lived through all that, starting with "Have you heard about this rare cancer affecting gay men?"

On the documentary they kept referring to it as "Gay Cancer".

I only saw Longtime Companion once, when it came out.

There was another "AIDS movie" made a few years earlier. I have the DVD somewhere. I haven't been able to face watching it.

I looked it up > you must have seen that too, R106.

I'm sorry about your eyesight, r105. I lived through that time, too, though in Washington, DC. I was in NY from '75-'78.

My town is a popsicle right now from the ice storm. Work was quiet so I blew it off to watch General Hospital.

I have seen "Parting Glances," R105. Excellent film.

[quote]My town is a popsicle right now from the ice storm. Work was quiet so I blew it off to watch General Hospital.

While enjoying some homemade soup, I hope, R109.

I have felt sluggish and low-blood-sugar the last few days, but I've been eating better than usual (home cooking). Is it possible to actually go into withdrawal from fast food and junk food?

I made lentils today, r111. You could call it soup. Definitely homemade. Soffrito and two large Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds.

When my neighborhood was built, all the houses had front porches. The front porches had railings. Now, everyone is tearing the railings off their porches. How come? What’s so bad about porch railings?

[quote]I'm sorry about your eyesight, [R105].

Thank you.

[quote]When my neighborhood was built, all the houses had front porches. The front porches had railings. Now, everyone is tearing the railings off their porches. How come? What’s so bad about porch railings?

I don't know. What a shame! As a non-American, I admire them greatly.

Now the porches look like this

[quote]Is it possible to actually go into withdrawal from fast food and junk food?

It might be possible, R112. If I were into conspiracy theories, I might suggest that fast food and junk food are drugged, to keep you coming back for more.

[quote]Is it possible to actually go into withdrawal from fast food and junk food?

I'm sure. If you eat that shit a lot, of course, you're going to miss it.

Re: tearing out the porch railings: I hate people who jump on every trendy bandwagon; that's all this is. Dipshits.

Instead of soup I made a casserole. Chicken and rice with a can of condensed chicken soup left over from some Christmas recipe I can’t remember. Very frau-ish.

OP’s picture phone looks so much cooler than an iPhone or laptop. And the picture looks sharper. I want that device.

I do enjoy a nice frau-ish casserole occasionally, R20. It takes me back to the comfort food of my childhood.

Isn't anyone preparing dinner?

Tomorrow I'm making my annual Valentine's Day dinner, which always involves lobster. Happy Hour will start off with Foolproof Fondue, recipe courtesy some TV guy (who I generally loathe), served with assorted crudites, and accompanied by Manhattans. Dinner will be a very simple dish: Roasted Lobster with Cream, with a side of Zippy Green Beans (we're a low-carb household so no CHO). A par-boiled lobster is split in two, drenched in cream and broiled in its shell for about 10 minutes until hot and bubbling. Of course glasses of bubbly (Korbel--I'm broke!) will be sipped throughout.

27 years and counting...

I'm overwhelmed, R124, and would appreciate an invitation. Although, it being a Valentine's Day dinner, that would certainly make me a third wheel. Congratulations on your 27 years, and counting.

Congratulations r124. That sounds lovely. I love lobster.

It’s not even midday here r123 so not preparing dinner. But I am wondering what to have tonight since the fridge is fairly bare.

R124 What is CHO?

It's the chemical composition of carbohydrates, r127: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen

How wonderful, r129. We should all just call it CHO.

Has anyone planned anything underwhelming for Valentine's Day?

What with all the yammering about it yesterday, I thought it WAS yesterday.

That's why I put that all-important word "tomorrow" in my post for your benefit, r132, so as not to cause confusion and overwhelm you.

R120 Can you give us any more details about the casserole? Any vegetables in it?

If it's truly a frau-ish dish, R134, it would have veggies, not vegetables.

I am eating a frozen pizza tonight for the first time since I was 10. It is from Aldi, and is highly recommended by an IG pizza maven whose opinion on real pizza I respect. Yet, I expect to be underwhelmed.

I have gone through life always expecting to be underwhelmed.

The frozen pizza is awful.

The oven is heating up...and soon the lobster will be crossing its infernal portal, smothered under clouds of cream.

[quote]The oven is heating up...and soon the lobster will be crossing its infernal portal, smothered under clouds of cream.

Such drama! It's almost overwhelming!

R134 the casserole was just rice, cream of chicken, water, milk, and chicken breasts. Of course no vegetables!

Dinner was take out Mexican from the local taqueria. I’m a cheap date.

Well, in keeping with this thread, I can honestly say that the lobster was ok, but hardly transporting. The cooked cream was nice but....I made Shrimp Curnonsky 15 years ago--it took four days---now there was a dish that was transcendent. This lobster...meh.

Did you overcook the lobster?

There was a car accident at the intersection close to my house. I heard the bang when I was just about to jump in the shower, it wasn’t very loud so I assumed neither car was going that fast and that it wasn’t that serious. However, while still in the shower, I could hear ambulances arriving so clearly I was wrong. By the time I got out and had a look up the street, someone was being loaded in the ambulance. I hope everyone involved is ok.

It's always upsetting to witness something like that. A reminder that life can turn in a moment.

London.

I drove out of London Wednesday and came back yesterday and it was pretty tiring.

I hate long distance driving now. It's so boring.

I'm eating Wine Gums and Smarties Mini Eggs. Sainsbury's Wine Gums are addictive. OMG. If you ever come to England DON'T buy them.

London (cont.)

I'm continuing watching the BBC archive programmes I downloaded from the iPlayer.

There's a trilogy of programmes made in 1967 about marriage. All in B&W. The third one was about divorce. So sad. There was this man whose wife had left him for another man, but he had to continue paying maintenance on the children who he only saw once a week on a Saturday afternoons. He had no money for himself. He'd just take them to the park for a few hours under the grim English skies. He was over-intense with them. They were very young and didn't know how to respond to him. Such a sad little man. One of those '60s people who still looked like 1945.

& the other people who appeared. It was really about money more than anything else. The ones who had money could deal with their problems so much better. The ones without money were trapped.

Fuck Crestor!

Fuck it!

I’ve been on simvastatin for years (Zocor) and was fine. My dr called In Dec & told me my numbers were a little high so she switched me to Crestor.

So I wasn’t expecting anything to go wrong since I’ve already takin statins without a problem.

I used to have terrible abdominal problems which went away after I had a colon resection. But lately I’ve been having terrible stomach pain and gas. It got worse & worse. Then diarrhea. Last night I almost called 911 because I was having chest pain. Felt like a fist-shaped muscle was spasming.

Today in the car, my husband was talking about how he should go back on Crestor and it hit me. Crestor!

So I looked up the side effects - stomach pain, nausea, flatulence (HORRIBLE smelling), muscle pain and chest pain. I’m done. I’ll go back on my zocor but this Crestor shit went right into the trash.

I've been taking Crestor for several years without any ill effects.

I was a statin rep for years r149, zocor is very good however if you’re GP isn’t getting the response he wants from you’re body with zocor or Crestor he has other options like Lipitor. I don’t know its side effects however as it was never a drug I sold. If he puts you back on zocor you could help lower your cholesterol even further with something like Metamucil or foods very in fibre.

I just watched Crazy Rich Asians. Underwhelming.

The perfect movie for this thread, then.

I liked it better than I thought I would. It's like a Depression comedy with a global spin. And the men were very pretty in face...

I was on generic Zocor (simvastatin) for a long time, but when Lipitor (atorvastatin) became available as a generic, my HMO switched pretty much everyone to that, since it was generally regarded as more effective with fewer side effects. I've never tried Crestor.

I went to a class yesterday about how to prepare your Advance Health Care Directive. Kind of depressing (and I'm not ill or anything) but it helped to make me realize how important it is to have one of them in effect. I'm going to start working on mine this weekend.

But it's a holiday weekend, R156! Shouldn't you be doing something a bit more fun? Underwhelming and low-key, of course, but fun.

It will give you piece of mind, getting your beneficiaries, power of attorney, disposition of estate and all your other ducks in a row, r156.

The reason my dr put me on Crestor is because my numbers went up slightly. I recently remembered that before I had my blood drawn, I was low on my simvastatin & was going to run out of it before my next dr appointment, so I took it every other night instead of every night.

That’s probably why

I’m going to let the Crestor get out of my system for a week, then start taking the simvastatin again.

r157 I'm retired -- every day is a holiday weekend.

I bought some vegetables today at the most depressing outdoor market in Europe, then I went to a supermarket which was much nicer. I bought a coriander plant, which I usually kill within a couple of days, so I think I’ll make carrot and coriander soup and a chicken curry.

I had big plans to clean the house today, but so far I have emptied the dishwasher, given up and laid down on my unmade bed pondering why I don’t have staff or at least a robot butler to deal with life’s drudgery.. I’ve now decided to get up and at least clean the bathroom and kitchen floor, then have marinated anchovies and a beer (which probably won’t go together at all).

[quote]I bought a coriander plant

Here in the colonies, we call that cilantro.

[quote]R157 I'm retired -- every day is a holiday weekend.

Actually, I'll be retiring soon myself. Looking forward to many holiday weekends.

London.

I'm having sausages and mashed potatoes for dinner.

Ever since I read The Great Gatsby and he said he'd have sausages and mashed potatoes for his lunches on Wall Street I've had a thing about it. In fact, it's the only thing I remember from the whole book.

[quote]In fact, it's the only thing I remember from the whole book.

I always found the final sentence pretty memorable.

I am underwhelmed by the fact that none of you bitches told me Matt Bomer, Alan Tudyk and Brendan Fraser are in the new Doom Patrol series. And it looks like Negative Man is gay.

R166 I would have told you, but I had no idea.

In Australia we call it coriander r162. I like it, but some people HATE it. There’s even a popular Facebook group that’s dedicated to the hatred of all things coriander.

In the US, "coriander" refers to the seed (whole or ground) of the same plant. The leafy version of the live plant is cilantro (although I've seen it referred to as "Chinese parsley" as well.)

R58: Ever since someone (Not me) got diagnosed with Type II Diabetes that has prompted me to do lots of food research. What I've found out is that sugar and carbs matter more than the calorie count.

For example - our diet went from a fairly sugary, carb filled load to one where meat, protein, fat, veggies and fruits are opted ahead of potatoes, rice, wheat. For sweetening agents we use Stevia/Erythritol - the only one I'll tolerate as all the other 'tols have in my opinion a nasty aftertaste.

And get this both of us have lost a lot of weight. 30+ pounds each at last reckoning. And here's the other thing, that same someone was diagnosed with hypertension. So they put him on 10mg Lisinopril. Well - now his average blood sugar is 93mg/dl and his blood pressure is 120/78. Mine is 120/80. He's off the Lisinopril and even stopped taking the Metformin.

So as I was saying, the calorie count really doesn't matter. It's what we're eating. Stay away from sugars by avoiding soft drinks, juices, etc. Eat all you want in the categories of protein, fat, veggie and fruit.

So many memorable passages in GATSBY:

"Her voice had the sound of money,"

"That's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."

“Can’t repeat the past?…Why of course you can!”

"You're worth the whole damn bunch put together."

Not to mention the imagery of gelt all throughout and the beautiful writing and the tragic story.....

London.

I have a Thyme plant on my windowsill. I just bought it this week. I'm using herbs more and more now I'm making so much soup.

I have a herb growing in a window box in my garden but I don't know what it is.

I'm a failure with mint for some reason.

But my rosemary is a success.

"I think rosemary is for remembrance, not for cooking."

R170 You’re right. That sort of diet is what keeps my relatives in Europe thin. Personally I don’t have a lot of sugar, I never have. I don’t touch sugary drinks, ever. I rarely eat fast food. My weakness is carbs, predominantly bread. I tend to eat a vegetables, eggs and lean meat. I don’t eat as much fruit as I should, but I try. I’ve just found since I started counting calories, I eat fewer carbs as they push the calories up. In the past I may have had an extra slice of toast because my thinking was “how bad could an extra slice be?” Well it turns out pretty bad. The calorie counting works for me, I’m in a lot better shape than a year ago. It’s not for everyone however.

"Pansies! Rosemary! Violence! My wedding bouquet!"

My parsley is in great shape, my chives which grew beautifully when I lived up north is struggling.

[quote]In Australia we call it coriander R162. I like it, but some people HATE it. There’s even a popular Facebook group that’s dedicated to the hatred of all things coriander.

I read an article recently that said there's a physiological reason why certain people have a strong aversion to coriander/cilantro. But I wasn't sufficiently whelmed by it to recall the details.

Sugar and carbs are definitely the enemy, but for years Americans were told that fat was what we needed to avoid. "Fat makes you fat!" is what Susan Powter of "Stop the Insanity" fame kept shrieking at her audiences. No, dear. You were dead wrong.

Oh, no - this is turning into calorie-queen central.

I don't think those low carb, gym queens look very nice personally. But they do.

Oh no gym for me r180, I’m not that healthy.

I made an outstanding chicken biryani yesterday but I really need to go on a diet.

For three or four months late last year I'd been going to the gym 4x/week for 90 minute workouts and lost nothing, even though I wasn't eating terribly (why would I after all that effort), lost nothing. But I can cut out carbs and the weight falls off, no exercise necessary. I just need to fully commit, mentally, to no carbs.

A woman I used to work with sent me an article from a peer-reviewed neurosurgical journal (she's a nurse) saying a doctor we both knew years ago did secret psychosurgery on Eva Peron in June of 1952 at the request of her husband Juan, the president of Argentina. The operation was allegedly to alleviate the pain of her uterine cancer but it was actually done to prevent a civil war in Argentina. After the operation, she simply stopped eating and died six weeks later. I would have been overwhelmed, but I suspect they did a lot of shit like this in the past, so I wasn't.

If they still do, it would be overwhelming.

This thread has everything, from soup to nuts! But especially soup.

R184 I like this thread (and the previous ones) because it touches on every minutiae of life; weather, soup recipes, coriander vs cilantro, statins, the pros and cons of counting calories, tv shows, movies, books, the musings and daily routines of a handful of people in different countries.

I made (or rather, TRIED to make) gnudi today--again. You know, similar to gnocchi but made with ricotta instead of potatoes. This was my third attempt (using different recipes) but the results were the same: the damn things just disintegrate once they hit the water and I end up with a pot of slop (however tasty) instead of nuggets of cheesy goodness.

r186, do you roll the individual gnudi in flour before putting them in water. And don't clump them together, if you can help it. It may also help to refrigerate them between shaping them and the very minute you submerge them in boiling water.

London.

American pancakes for breakfast, as usual on Sundays. Came out very well. They're quite small and very thick. But they're very nice.

For lunch, I made Corn Chowder. Usually, I have steak on Sundays, if I'm on my own, but I was away part of this week and didn't buy one.

Until now I've followed various chowder recipes and failed. So I found a very basic recipe online and incorporated what I've learned from the other recipes. It came out very well. SUCCESS! Next time haddock chowder.

I've always been so nervous about soups, but I'm calming down now and learning I can add as I go along...and this is the trick.

Art films? Gnudis! That's all they are. Gnudis.

I'm going to buy some eggs so I can make waffles. Still thinking about how much ear wax I got out of my ears yesterday. I squirt warm water in my ears from a rubber bulb. Works like a charm.

I made blueberry pancakes this morning, using frozen wild Maine blueberries. I add the blueberries to the batter while they're still frozen to keep the batter from becoming too thin. They were delicious. Served with real maple syrup, of course.

I did ALL of those things, r 187, to no avail.

Alas, some things are not meant to be.

[quote] Served with real maple syrup, of course.

Of course, my dear.

Which brand, may I be so bold as to ask?

The syrup was from the Vermont Country Store and had its name on the label. Someone sent it to me for Christmas.

I made gnocchi a while ago from a New York Times recipe, and they turned out very well. Of course, starchy potato is naturally going to work better in pasta than ricotta.

London.

I bought these little charcoal bricks in Glastonbury. You light them and they sort of fizz and get very hot. I had some pinon resin which you put on top. The smell of the smoke is so nice. Very American. I close my eyes and I could be in the Wild West.

[quote] I braved the cold too and went and bought lasagna bolognese (the kind to be thrown in the oven, store brand, very nice), spaetzle, chicken, potatoes, italian ham, a variety of cheeses, bread

Fat whores rejoice!

[quote]American pancakes for breakfast, as usual on Sundays. Came out very well. They're quite small and very thick. But they're very nice.

We (used to?) call small pancakes "Silver Dollar Pancakes." I don't know if people have any idea what a silver dollar is anymore.

[quote] —I hid them from my husband, I was so ashamed....

I adore this comment! It reminds me of something a '60s housewife would say on a sitcom!

I love to cook. I'm good at it. But I have never made a batch of gnocchi I was pleased with. Nor have I had it out that I liked. I'm guessing I'd rather just eat pasta.

I hear you, r201. My batch of gnudi resembled the picture at r197.

Dear r202, it's not the end of the world. Try some ravioli.

Ok, everyone fly to Australia. I’ll have my Italian mother run a gnocchi making class. She’s never made gnudi (I suspect they’re from the South of Italy and my mother is northern) but one of her best friends is southern so she can run the gnudi class the following week.

R204, My family was also Northern Italian, from Genoa. Are you familiar with trofia? My mother made them, small hand-rolled pasta also made with potato (but not as much potato as in gnocchi) and served in a heavy cream pesto sauce. Not the lightest dish you'll ever eat, but I loved it.

I’m not familiar with trofia r205, they sound delicious though, but very different to anything my mother ever made. My family is from near Venice so perhaps that’s enough of a distance that the food from one region to another is very different. My mum never made pesto for example. Did you have polenta growing up?

Polenta was a staple at our house when I was growing up, R206. Or, as my mother called it, "corn meal mush." She was Irish, but learned how to cook Northern Italian specialties from her mother-in-law, including the most delicious ravioli I ever had, filled with a blend of spinach and ricotta.

Yes, a staple at ours too r207. We also tortellini more often than ravioli, but both were always meat filled.

I remember the first time my parents saw polenta on a menu at a cafe they were shocked. My mum held the menu up to my dads face “look Mario, look! They polenta on the menu! Now I’ve seen everything. And look how much they’re charging for a polenta and vegetable stack? It’s peasant food and they want $12 for it!” They laughed like drains.

[quote]the most delicious ravioli I ever had, filled with a blend of spinach and ricotta.

I used to make that all the time. Mine adds Parmigiano-Reggiano and freshly-grated nutmeg.

My mother added grated Romano to the ricotta and spinach. Sadly, I never learned how to make it, and it wasn't one of the recipes she ever wrote down. As she said, "I just throw everything together."

If you ever try, r210, be sure you let every last bit of liquid drain out of the ricotta. Put it in a strainer/sieve.

They’re the best cooks r210, the ones that cook with instinct and passion. No wonder it was delicious.

[quote]My family was also Northern Italian, from Genoa.

Mine too! Although they came to California very early (mid to late19th century) so most of the Italian-ness has dissipated.

[quote] secret psychosurgery

Poo Shoes is IN the building

This was a secret fatty thread all along.

Back to the original Underwhelmed thread

[quote]They’re the best cooks, the ones that cook with instinct and passion. No wonder it was delicious.

You're so right, R212.

[quote] This was a secret fatty thread all along.

BURP

It's that ghastly troll who arrives on nearly every thread to call people Poo Shoes who's the most annoying. He's clearly disturbed.

This is Poo Shoes.

Kinda looks like you to me r218.

You had to mention IT, r218? Please return your Fab Five badge.

Nah. A Fab Fiver would never have mentioned IT.

R214 mentioned it, attempting to suggest I was poo shoes. I’m not having it.

You posted the pic, r221. Now we're all "having it."

This thread is not what it was. It's now full of trolls and freaks.

The trolls and freaks need to go elsewhere and return this thread to the Fab Five.

I am a Fab Fiver. I did not post THAT pic.

No Fab Fiver would have.

I accidentally bought UNsalted butter.

Sometimes I like salted butter. But I usually buy unsalted.

What on earth for, R228? I don't mean to be rude but I think unsalted butter is like Caffeine Free Diet Coke.

I make my dogs' food in large batches at home in an instant pot. Today I made them chicken (mostly breasts but some bone-in thighs for extra flavor (I remove the bones before serving), baby golden potatoes, fresh carrot, and green beans. And half a stick of unsalted butter. I cannot get rid of it fast enough.

Senior dog is turning Sweet 16 this month. Ten pounds and scrappy as hell.

^Pml

When you use butter for cooking, and especially for baking, you're always told to use unsalted butter. I've always cooked everything from scratch. Unsalted is just what I'm used to. The only time I like using salted butter is with bread that isn't very salty. I don't run into that very often.

I love what you do for your dogs.

I buy unsalted butter because I can’t taste the difference between the salted and unsalted, so I buy the unsalted to pretend to myself that I’m healthy. Of course, both options are better than margarine, which is the devils work.

I had the oil in my car changed today.

I need to shop for car insurance. I was hit with a rate hike just because I live in California.

I just finished gathering my tax documents to give to the tax preparer. I'm relieved.

London.

Horrible rainy day. Went to Sainsbury's. Always end up buying too much. Bought some yeast. I want to try to make bread. Something I've never succeeded at. But as I'm on a roll with the soup I thought I'd give it a try. I need a thermometer for the yeast. I saw this on an Ina Garten show. I MUST succeed at this.

Went to a cafe for lunch. I thought I chose a Ham & Cheese sandwich, but when I bit into it, it was a tuna melt and not very nice.

London (cont.)

I also bought some unsalted butter because people on here were talking about it so much. Unsalted butter is much rarer in England than it is in The USA. A delicacy.

I’m having a colonoscopy. I guess that officially makes me middle aged. I’m starving. Nothing but water and black tea today.

The preparation day is the worst part of a colonoscopy, R238. I'm overdue for my next one but have been putting it off, which is so unlike me. Actually, it's exactly like me.

Unsalted butter is also called sweet butter in the U.S. I rather like it on toast and muffins, but I don't go out of my way to buy it.

I hoped I might tolerate greek yogurt better than other dairy foods, but no.

[quote]I also bought some unsalted butter because people on here were talking about it so much. Unsalted butter is much rarer in England than it is in The USA. A delicacy.

That surprises me. I figured it would be like the rest of Europe, where it's usually the default butter.

Salted butter keeps longer (although both keep well if frozen.) Many cooks prefer unsalted butter because it allows them to control the overall amount of salt in the recipe.

No, R239, the worst part is waking up and having the doctor say, "I'll call you with the findings when they get back to me with the pathology report."

And then he does.

The highlight of my weekend was the return of Julien Baptiste on BBC. And I’m American. Go figure.

Ooh, sorry to hear that, R243. That sounds overwhelming.

Not really, R245. The new drugs knock you out. And the new diet is peak underwhelming.

It's 10:51pm here in Texas. Lying in bed 'listening' to all this talk about butter makes me want toast. I'm the one who bought UNsalted by mistake so it's my own damn fault. Anyway, today I bought salted butter-- Kerrygold in a tub for discretionary use and four sticks of American butter for that Hazan Onion Butter Tomato sauce, and I'll also use some for dog food.

Anyway, I rarely eat breakfast, but I wish I were the type of person who had a fried egg with a lot of black pepper, one slice of toast with only butter (salted, obviously), black coffee and a cigarette, and then go kick some ass.

But I'm not that person. I drink coffee with sucralose and vanilla protein shake every day well into the afternoon, and I don't even allow myself to make toast ever, as I'd surely just stand in the kitchen eating half a loaf of bread smeared with everything imaginable, waiting for the crow to come so I could desperately fling the remainder of the loaf in my front yard before I could do more damage.

You've inspired me. I'm going to get a slice of toast right now.

I caved too. Just raided the kitchen for a roll and butter. It’s 12:30 AM.

I feel like we're members of an exclusive club.

I hope everyone’s enjoying their toast. I’m still at least 18 hours away from any real food. This colonoscopy business sucks. I don’t know how people in the third world do it. I’d kill for a slice of buttered toast with a smear of vegemite right now.

[quote]I caved too. Just raided the kitchen for a roll and butter. It’s 12:30 AM.

[quote]I feel like we're members of an exclusive club.—The Carb Club

Caved? Raided? Exclusive club?

A slice of bread is such a treat/big deal in Gayland, USA?

I don't own a toaster. Or I'd buy that loaf of bread. And make the whole thing into toast (which I would eat with UNsalted butter and raspberry preserves). Fuck the crows.

No ice cream machine, either.

Is the video phone in OP's photo real ?

[quote]four sticks of American butter for that Hazan Onion Butter Tomato sauce

I've been using unsalted butter to make that for decades. I add my own salt.

Actually, I make marinara more often now. NYT recipe. Or amatriciana. Lucinda Scala Quinn recipe (a little more complicated than the other two, but still very simple cooking.

I use a "good" Olive Oil for my Marinara Sauce.

Of course, r256.

Another snowstorm expected here tomorrow. The previous one, in January, happened on the weekend. This is happening in the middle of the week. I've always found being inconvenienced by the weather a little overwhelming.

I read that it's a good idea to puree the onion in butter (after cooking it in the butter tomato sauce) and use that onion butter on a hunk of bread that one then toasts in a skillet.

[quote]I've always found being inconvenienced by the weather a little overwhelming.

Then why on earth would you post about it here?

London.

I made a white bean soup (Ina Garten recipe) for lunch.

It wasn't very nice at all.

But if you think about it - why should Cannelli beans and onion taste nice?

I added a little cream (not in the recipe) - still horrid.

My ancient Shih-tzu is underwhelmed by the unsalted butter in her chicken and vegetables.

I cancelled my Wednesday dentist appointment yesterday and I just received a tut-tut email from my dentist (for now being overdue for a checkup). I found that inappropriate as it is still morning in Texas and that email would whelm anyone, but before noon?

I had to find a new dentist because my longtime dentist moved out the area. The new one seems okay, but his hygienist is insisting on my having something called "deep-scale cleaning," which takes more than one visit, sounds painful and costs a fortune. My longtime dentist, who had a very good reputation, never once mentioned "deep-scale cleaning." So I've been avoiding calls from the office trying to set up appointments for it.

You should tell them very firmly that you do not want their "deep scale cleaning" and/or find a new dental practice altogether.

They're always trying to pull this "you NEED to have the new XYZ done for 5x as much money" on the easily-whelmed. I suspect shadyness when they come on aggressively. Be very clear and get everything itemized with the prices of everything in writing with dentists like this.

R264 and to add, if you have dental insurance and it's not covered, ask them why.

Maybe because the insuror thinks it's useless?

For some bizarre reason, John Wayne is trending on Twitter in the UK because someone dug up racist comments he made in an interview ca. 1971. It's not like it's even an obscure interview - I'd heard some of the quotes before. It just seems weird to suddenly get outraged about comments from a man who was born 112 years ago and has now been dead for decades.

Don't you know, r266,. EVERYBODY'S a victim today!

I'm in NYC, and a flop musical of LOLITA is being revived in concert. Wouldn't you know....the pc nonsense I'm reading about how Lolita needing to be "empowered" and her "voice" given a hearing or people would protest. Can you imagine such idiocy? Like Nabokov didn't know the story he was telling, having endured two fascistic regimes and seen his own father assassinated. He knew something about a human soul being suffocated, which is the whole POINT of Lolita.

Thank you, R264. You read the situation correctly. I am easily whelmed.

"They're always trying to pull this "you NEED to have the new XYZ done for 5x as much money" on the easily-whelmed. I suspect shadyness when they come on aggressively. Be very clear and get everything itemized with the prices of everything in writing with dentists like this. "

ABSOLUTELY! I had an appt with my dentist (I've seen her for years), who, after her exam, declared I needed to get four crowns and within seconds, placed a contractual form beneath my nose to sign for hundreds of dollars. What, I can't even think about it for five minutes or find out if my insurance covers it? I was furious and begged off. Subsequently, I wrote the office, told them I didn't appreciate their railroading tactics and suspected them of predatory medicine. Let me tell you....there was a whole different attitude when I walked in the next time, with every possible procedure and its attendant cost or co-pay laid out clearly in black and white.

Thanks, R269 for reminding me of some of the things I hate about America.

I remember having to go to the dentist in Boston in an emergency. The dentist didn't even see me. He had the nurse look at my tooth and present me with some vast quote.

It was cheaper to fly back to England and cut my trip short.

Things have become much more aggressive here now - but not as bad as there yet.

[quote]Men and women of the medical profession, are not gods...

No kidding. Who thought they were?

THEY do!

My dentist didn't appreciate my letter. I asked, "Am I not allowed to express and discuss my concerns with my physician?" She said, brusquely, "No."

Men and women of the medical profession are not gods.

[quote]THEY do!

They're bloated on their false sense of power. People come to them on their knees, wracked in fear - it goes to their heads.

I ended up in emergency the night before the colonoscopy. Turns out my body wasn’t interested in the prep powder I had to take and made me sick as a dog. I was there for four hours. Bless the Australian health care system. Those four hours cost me nothing.

How awful, R273. Are you feeling okay now? I assume the colonoscopy has to be rescheduled?

R273 That must have been overwhelming (the issue with the prep, not the absence of a bill for the time spent there.)

In the US the bill for the four hours in the Emergency Room would have been overwhelming.

It was temporarily overwhelming, but I’m ok now, thanks for asking r273 and r274. The first lot of powder was fine so they assumed I was ok to go anyway. Glad they did as I would hate to do all that again soon. I always wonder what my medical costs would be if I were in the US r274. I’m sure they’d be very overwhelming indeed.

I'm glad you're fine now and especially glad that you didn't have to go through the horrible prep a second time.

London.

I bought this stuff called "pouring cream" - apparently a lower calorie cream. I had it on the last of my crumble. Absolutely disgusting.

Also, my crumble isn't crunchy enough and I don't know why.

Did you pour the rest of it down the drain? I've never heard of pouring cream. If you're going to have cream, have cream, I always say. I once accidentally bought a container of fat-free half-and-half. It was vile.

My underwhelming plans for the weekend include preparing my tax documents to send to my accountant. Maybe I'll watch the host-free Oscars on Sunday. I have a feeling that will be equally underwhelming. I haven't seen many of the nominated movies.

[quote]Did you pour the rest of it down the drain?

Yes, I did.

[quote]I've never heard of pouring cream.

Must be a British thing.

My cats will only eat Sheba moist food. Which is shit for them I know.

[quote]Also, my crumble isn't crunchy enough and I don't know why.

Did you refrigerate it, R278? That would take the crunch out of it.

yes, I did but it wasn't crunchy even before that.

r282, what you have to remember is that cats in the wild eat small animals whole, including fur, exoskeletons, and the contents of their guts. So what looks to a human being like horrible crap in a commercial cat food may be closer to their natural diet than those grain and filler free brands.

Spring is coming. Earth is getting closer in its orbit to the sun. There's no stopping it.

[quote]Spring is coming. Earth is getting closer in its orbit to the sun. There's no stopping it.

Sure there is. Move to the southern hemisphere.

Moving anywhere, let alone moving to the southern hemisphere, requires so much effort, the mere thought of it whelms me.

Well here in the Southern Hemisphere we’re moving closer to autumn so if you were to move here I can tell you it’s a really lovely time of year. Next week is meant to be hot though so I hope autum is still a few more weeks away.

We have pouring cream in Australia too. I don’t think the calories are much lower though despite having less fat. I’m not sure. People just use it to pour over desserts. I never buy it. The few times I’ve had it, it tastes like regular cream but is runnier.

Fall is by far by favorite time of the year. If it weren't so fleeting, it might almost be enough to prompt me to move to the Southern Hemisphere. But instead I'll just bide my time for another six months or so, when it will return to the U.S.

It sounds like pouring cream might be similar to what's called light cream in the U.S., which some people use in coffee or to pour over desserts such as puddings. Heavy cream is what's used to make whipped cream.

Torn between the Oscars and True Detective finale Sunday night. I’m overwhelmed.

[quote]It sounds like pouring cream might be similar to what's called light cream in the U.S., which some people use in coffee or to pour over desserts such as puddings.

NO! That's what we call single cream and it tastes like regular cream. This pouring cream tastes like a horrible diet food version of the real thing.

I saw a student version of Cabaret last night, and expected to be underwhelmed. But the students were the senior class of Carnegie Mellon's School of Drama, so it was an absolutely amazing performance. I was not overwhelmed, just the proper amount of whelmed.

I would tell you Pittsburghers to see it, but it is sold out completely. I am seeing it again on Saturday, March 2, at 2:00. They alternate the big parts, so I like to see things twice. However, I was supposed to see the second cast of Le Nozze di Figaro the day of the Tree of Life shootings, and I feel a slight touch of the whelm when I think of that. They canceled everything at CMU that day, as it's on the border of Squirrel Hill and Oakland.

Can't you DVR either or both, r292? True Detective has lost its steam for me--the tripartite timeline is convoluted and unnecessary, and once Scoot McNairy was out of the picture, I really lost interest. The Oscars for me, baby.

London.

I went out to get food in for the weekend at M&S Food in Notting Hill.

Then decided to get some pizza (which I haven't done in years) from a place I used to go to in Fulham. It's sort of fancy pizza, or used to be. They've reduced the size of them and the quality. The roof of my mouth burned afterwards...and now I can't sleep, I have indigestion. I should have a Coke - nothing tackles upset stomach like a Coke. But I've more than had my sugar quota for today.

Peppermint tea helps with indigestion too r296. It makes heartburn worse but works really well for indigestion.

I had the Coke. It worked. Feel better now.

We crossed lines there, R297.

[quote]It makes heartburn worse but works really well for indigestion.

In fact I think I had heartburn. Anyway, all gone now. But I'll remember about peppermint tea. Thank you.

We're making tomato soup in the Instant Pot. It's a LOT of prep work.

Everything is a lot of prep work - insta pot or slow cooker. One cooks stuff fast, one cooks it slow, but both take way more time to load than I want to spend.

I find that oatmeal causes me severe heartburn.

Have an endoscopy. You may be surprised what they find.

If I DVR True Detective and not watch it live, I’m afraid of social media spoilers the next day. I have a lot of life decisions to make.

[quote]We're making tomato soup in the Instant Pot. It's a LOT of prep work.

It does make one wonder what's so "instant" about an Instant Pot.

Well, you can put a whole chicken (fresh or frozen) in it, throw in some water and seasonings, and then 20 minutes later (30 for frozen) you have a perfectly cooked whole chicken, very moust and tender.

I'm making a pot roast in the slow cooker. Prep work is fairly minimal, especially when I don't bother searing the meat in a skillet before putting it into the slow cooker.

I have a slow cooker I have never used. It was a gift.

Went out for breakfast, washed my car and filled up the tank. Came home did laundry, washed dishes and cleaned the toilet. Now I'm bored.

I'm considering painting an accent wall but a co-worker who is putting her house on the market was told by the real estate agent to paint everything white. I don't want to paint it again if I decide to sell my condo in a few years.

[quote]We're making tomato soup in the Instant Pot. It's a LOT of prep work.

I'm about to make split pea soup in the Instant Pot. Gotta start prepping the vegetables.

Going to Jersey Mike's today after a concert. On purpose. I'm from NJ, and we used to go to the original "Mike's" when we went down the shore, i.e., to Point Pleasant.

I imagine underwhelmingness will carry the day. Can they really put the exact right shred on their lettuce? The correct amount of olive oil, vinegar, and oregano?

Datalounge was down for several hours, at least for me. I could read threads but couldn't post, and the search function wasn't working at all. I found it all a bit whelming and had to take to my bed for a while.

I could not see anything. It was datalounge.com/threads. If this goes through, then I am able to post.

You have succeeded, R313.

Thank you, r314. You underwhelm with panache (but not too much panache).

[quote]Going to Jersey Mike's today after a concert. On purpose. I'm from NJ, and we used to go to the original "Mike's" when we went down the shore, i.e., to Point Pleasant.

I am curious to hear whether your day was as underwhelming as you had anticipated, R311. I'm not from New Jersey, but I lived there for 10 years because of work. I often went "down the shore" in the summer and am familiar with the original "Mike's." There are so many ways to slip up when it comes to shredded lettuce, olive oil, vinegar and oregano.

[quote]You underwhelm with panache (but not too much panache).

Thank you, R315. That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a while.

My split pea soup turned out OK. I only used a mirepoix, two bay leaves, a pound of split peas, some chicken broth, and about half a pound of diced ham steak (plus the little round bone.) 15 minutes at high pressure and it was done! I'll have to try it the "regular" way next time and see if it makes much of a difference.

R316, the lettuce was not shredded as thin (thinly?) as it was at Mike's (or any typical NJ sub shop) in my memory. They were very generous with the (olive?) oil and vinegar, however. I brought half of one home, and I enjoyed that one the most. The bread is good, but I think it used to be better. Overall, it is the only sandwich chain I would ever return to. They put on plenty of everything. This is NOT Subway or Quizno's.

My friends ordered hot hoagies, though, so they didn't get it, exactly. I had to get them an extra sub when we were done. That they really liked.

Oh, you're so welcome, r317. Don't get whelmed, though.

I just finished watching Dirty John. In the series his portrayal is just so smarmy, he’s exactly the kind of guy my sister hates thankfully, I wonder if he was smoother in reality. It’s whelming to think of how many others there are like him in the world.

I guess I'll watch the Oscars tonight. Three hours-plus of being underwhelmed.

Not watching. #moviestooboring.

London.

I like watching these show with gurls of DL. It's a laugh. But I've only seen ONE of the movies "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"

BUT they don't broadcast it in this shithole, so I'll be trawling all over the internet as usual trying to watch it.

I have no excuse for not having watched some of the nominated movies, because I get a lot of free DVD screeners in the mail early in the year (I'm a SAG member who hasn't worked under a SAG contract in many years). Of course, to actually watch them requires the effort of inserting them into my Blu-ray player and hitting the play button.

That Patrick LeBlanc "porn" short was very underwhelming.

For those who watched the beginning of the oscars, what did you think?

Underwhelmed, thankfully.

Not whelming myself at all, but if anyone wants to let us know if Glenn and Rami win, that would be appreciated. I don't care about the rest.

I didn’t cringe with embarrassment so that’s always a plus.

Rami won, Glenn lost to a funny lady with an accent.

Thank you, r331. I'm sad Glenn lost. I'm glad I didn't watch.

You didn't miss much, R332. I think it may have been the most underwhelming Oscar show ever, certainly the most underwhelming I can recall.

I was nearly whelmed by how underwhelming this year's Oscars were.

I need an emotional support Oscar.

[quote]I need an emotional support Oscar.

So does Glenn, at this point.

Participation in this thread has, appropriately enough, become underwhelming.

It ebbs and flows r337. I think we all had to take a long nap after the tedium of the oscars and the underwhelming final to True Detective.

My birthday is Thursday. The Purple Martins should be arriving from Brazil within a week.

The purple martins in Brazil know when your birthday is r339?

Happy birthday in advance, PML. Were you born on a leap year? If so you cut it fine by being born on the 28th.

Happy birthday, PML. I hope you have a lovely day. My birthday is next week, but I'm not planning to celebrate it. At my age, just having another birthday can be whelming enough.

[quote]It ebbs and flows R337. I think we all had to take a long nap after the tedium of the oscars and the underwhelming final to True Detective.

I'm sure you're right, R338. I should be more patient, but this is pretty much my favorite thread on DL.

I'm watching The Good Doctor. Shawn has been demoted to Pathology by a new Authoritarian Asshole Head of Surgery played by Daniel Day Kim.

R343 it’s my favourite thread too. I like that it’s just some people having a chat. An oasis on DL

[quote][R343] it’s my favourite thread too. I like that it’s just some people having a chat. An oasis on DL

Yes. No meanness, sneering or sarcasm.

I think ONE person left one of those "everyone on DL's a loser" type messages and I was like "Oh, look at that!"

I had a very small bunion that recently got bigger and now hurts like a mofo.

Your post made me laugh r344. Poor Shawn!

I’m currently watching the Australian Dancing with the stars. None of these people are remotely famous outside of here. And lord knows some of them really can’t dance. The best by far is drag queen Courtney Act. I’ve posted a link but not sure it play OS.

London.

There's a freak heatwave going on here. It was about 74º today. All records broken. Daffodils. Blossom coming out.

74 degrees is very warm for February in the UK r349. How unusual.

Are you keeping cool, R349?

It snowed 6 inches last night here. This afternoon every last snowflake was melted away. It's raining now. Interesting, but not whelming.

I just learned that the full name of Uma Thurman's daughter Luna is actually Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence Thurman-Busson. Why? Why would anyone do that to their child?

I’m a firm believer r353 that celebrities give their children ridiculous names because it draws attention back to them. The minute people hear the name the focus is immediately back on the parents and why they’d name their child something so absurd/outrageous/ridiculous. For some people negative attention is as good as positive attention, provided they are the centre of the discussion. The long term impact on their kid who might not want fame or attention is never considered by their attention seeking fame hungry parents.

Luna is too close to lunatic.

Luna means Moon in Italian.

[quote]Luna is too close to lunatic.

The word lunatic comes from the word luna, in reference to people who go mad around the time of the full moon.

London.

Looks like our freak heatwave is over.

I've been feeling a bit low so I made myself American pancakes for breakfast even though it's not Sunday. I used half buckwheat and half spelt flour. I also used Oat Milk and cinnamon. They came out pretty well, even though I say so myself.

I'd also bought myself some top notch Canadian maple syrup I'd seen at TK Maxx. It's really good. I must try to get back there to stock up on some more.

Sounds delicious. Too bad it’s 10.30 at night and it’s a bit late into make a batch of pancakes now. Maybe on the weekend.

I have a friend whose youngest daughter is named Luna. Ironically it’s the two older ones who are batshit crazy. Luna is the sweet one.

I agree - it sounds too much like lunatic. I hate it, in fact.

My Italian mother would also use the word luna to mean bad mood.

Oooh someone woke up “con la luna” (with a bad mood)

I had no plans at all for the weekend before checking in on this thread. Now I do. Making pancakes.

I had an Italian grandmother. She had lots of crazy superstitions and tended to frighten me. Very whelming for a young child.

Neither side of my Italian family is remotely superstitious, but my mother goes to church in rain hail or shine every Sunday. She then has a hot chocolate with her friends afterwards. My dad says she only “suffers” through mass for the post service reward chocolate. My mother doesn’t find this amusing, but I do.

When I was a kid, going to church every Sunday meant stopping at a local bakery for fresh doughnuts on the way home. They were worth "suffering" through Mass for.

London.

Spent my day scrubbing my kitchen and listening to podcasts while I did so. This was long overdue...and still more to do tomorrow. My kitchen which I inherited with the house was put in in the 80s and the cupboards are made of this white sort of ridged plastic that literally clings to the dirt. You can't just wipe them. You have to scrub them hard and use bleach.

There's a documentary on TV about triplets who were separated at birth who have recently been reunited. Looks interesting.

[quote]You can't just wipe them. You have to scrub them hard and use bleach.

Goodness. That does sound whelming.

Whelmingly underwhelming.

The documentary about the separated at birth triplets is rather ghastly. Very Noo YAWK. Apparently they were famous due to the way they discovered each other. Because they met in the early 80s the documentary makers are using and blasting the tackiest music of the era the whole way through. The triplets are decidedly uncharming. I can hardly hear what they saying under or over the loud tacky 80s soundtrack. It's exhausting to watch.

Not one, not two, but three goofy jocks.

Which was more exhausting, R367, scrubbing your kitchen or watching the documentary on the Noo Yawk triplets?

I think the triplets thing. I've got it on pause. I need to take breaks from it.

At least the cleaning had some sort of satisfaction attached. My grubby kitchen is gleaming.

The triplets thing has become heavier now. They discovered they were separated as an intentional experiment by the adoption agency. For years people would turn up at their houses and film them and ask them endless questions. The parents who had no idea that they had these brothers were told this would happen when they each adopted the child separately. That it was just some sort of survey they wanted to carry out on adopted children.

I don’t know what to eat for dinner. I might just have cottage cheese and some salad.

I made beef stew Sunday and have had it every night since. Tonight I'll finish the last of it. It turned out fine, but enough is enough.

[quote]I'd also bought myself some top notch Canadian maple syrup I'd seen at TK Maxx. I

I was surprised when I was in London and saw a TKMaxx. I couldn't figure out why they'd change the name of TJMaxx for the UK, but someone (on DL, I think) told me that TJMaxx was too close to another British retailer.

The triplets documentary turned very dark. Turned out one of them killed himself. I guess all that noise at the beginning was to contrast with what unfolded later in the documentary. It was a hard watch.

Tonight I saw a reading of a terrible new musical. Somewhere deep down, beneath the absurd, unworkable concept, the execrable writing and the dreadful score, there lies--and I mean this sincerely--the faintest glimmer of an interesting notion, like the twinkle light years away from a dead star

R377 I haven’t seen the documentary but had read about the triplets so knew one of them killed him self. I find the whole thing sad and I’m not sure I could watch the documentary.

Where did you see this r378?

R378 I just re read your post and realised you were at the reading not the actual play. Do you think it’ll see the light of day?

A theater on the eastern seaboard, r 380.

Only if God wanted to punish mankind, like the Great Flood, r381. Then again, anything is possible in a random universe.

So I was reading the thread about Luke Perry having had a stroke and came across this post: "I’ve got horrible gas pains tonight. My stomach feels bound up like a Chinese woman’s foot."

Did one of the Fab Five lose their way?

I was out late last night, at a Frankie Valli concert of all things, and I’m just so tired today. Wonder how he, 84, must feel.

He's 84? I mean, yeah, I guess he would be, but that certainly makes me feel old.

It's 10:17 PM. I've taken two naps today.

I'm listening to David Maslanka's Wind Quintet No. 3. Lovely, will not overwhelm.

[quote]I was out late last night, at a Frankie Valli concert of all things, and I’m just so tired today. Wonder how he, 84, must feel.

Has his voice deepened yet?

London

[quote]It's 10:17 PM. I've taken two naps today. —Fab Fiver

Good to see you back and awake for a while. We've been reduced to two for most of this week. I felt it was just me at one point and a nice sympathetic person responding. I think he felt sorry for me.

I'm glad you're at least able to sleep some of the day, r389. I usually wake up at 1:30 AM and can't go back to sleep for hours. Then I end up really sleeping during the day. All told, I believe I've slept four times in the past 24 hours.

I switched my dinnerware. I put the Fiestaware away and took out the Metlox Colorstax. All blues and greens.

R389 I’ve been here this week, but not much. My week has been hectic unfortunately and everything I did was to whelming to share.

^^^too not to. Ugh.

That sounds lovely r391

Thanks, r394. Yes, blues and greens are my colors. The red-orange-yellow family I simply find overwhelming. And I just plain don't like orange at all.

I'm now awake at 4:09, and drinking coffee. I tried Lavazza this time. It's good, but it's a medium roast. I usually get one of Peet's dark roasts. I've heard Lavazza is good, but I hadn't tried it until yesterday. I think I want to try a darker roast, and if I don't like it, I shall return to Peet's.

I do not find Starbucks "burnt," FWIW. I only drink coffee I make at home, however. I don't like any coffee that's been sitting in a thermos, no matter where it comes from. I usually order an Americano if I drink coffee out, so that they have to make it fresh.

I actually enjoyed Girl Scout cookies this year. I had Thin Mint, Caramel Shortbread, and something with peanut butter dipped in chocolate. I liked them all. I wonder if a better cookie manufacturer is making them where I live (Pittsburgh).

[quote]It's 10:17 PM. I've taken two naps today.

Well done!

I went grocery shopping this morning. I needed all kinds of fruit and veg, plus bacon and butter. When I finish the current marinara, I'm going to make Amatriciana. Plus red lentils. And hummus (w/cukes). It's supposed to snow tomorrow and I don't want to go out.

I'm seeing Cabaret again this afternoon. Second cast.

R294

[quote]We've been reduced to two for most of this week. I felt it was just me at one point and a nice sympathetic person responding. I think he felt sorry for me.

I believe I was the person responding. I wasn't doing it out of sympathy. I was genuinely interested. Which should indicate how dull my own life has become. Also, I have many happy memories of London from the times I was there with my late partner.

R396, after all these years of buying and drinking coffee from coffee shops, I finally figured out that cafe Americano is the way to go. It's basically a cup of coffee, freshly made. I think I never liked it before because of the name (Americano--I'm American) and I thought of it as something watered down.

[quote]I believe I was the person responding. I wasn't doing it out of sympathy. I was genuinely interested.

I was sort of kidding.

[quote]Also, I have many happy memories of London from the times I was there with my late partner.

Sounds like we're both widows.

I've been widowed for eight years now.

r402 I thought an Americano was half espresso and half hot water.

I agree r395, I really dislike orange and I’m not crazy about red, brown or purple. I don’t mind yellow but it has to be in small doses. I like all shades of blues and most greens. Funny how we all like different colours. I wonder if has to do with how we each perceive them. Maybe if I saw purple the way my boyfriends sister does, I’d like it more. She finds my dislike of purple baffling.

I like orange.

Good to know poor orange has at least one fan r407.

The first sweatpants work so well, I bought a second pair in another color.

What colour r409? Not purple or orange I hope.

Waiting for snow. Again. I'm roasting a small turkey breast today. I need to cut down on the carbs. Pasta is my downfall.

London.

Steak frites luncheon w/M&S sauce Béarnaise.

I must have bought a bad steak. I thought I was good at picking them out. It tasted livery.

and the M&S Béarnaise sauce which was once so good has declined steadily in quality....they keep saying "improved recipe" - in other words cheaper ingredients and a higher price.

American pancakes for breakfast were superb though. This new buckwheat/spelt/oat milk concoction is a winner. I think I forgot to add the cinnamon, but it turned out well without it. As much as I love cinnamon I guess it doesn't always improve everything.

Dame Edna, whom I saw on Broadway a couple of times, used to talk about how American shopping malls were all filled with the overpowering smell of cinnamon.

I hate Dame Edna.

R405, yes, Americano is espresso mixed with hot water (not sure about the proportions). Espresso is a method of making coffee as are French press and drip.

Australians are huge coffee snobs. I know that’s a strange idea, but we are. We’re very fussy about it. Everybody seems to have a very particular way they like their coffees. There are a million different brands and a million different varieties. Almost no one my age drinks instant. Starbucks didn’t survive in Australia.

I did struggle to find coffee I liked when i was in America last. But I finally found a place in Greenwich village. As I stood in the queue that snaked out the door I realised half the people waiting were Australian. Our coffee obsession is absurd, but I’m as bad as everyone else.

I’m sorry that Luke Perry died. Im not sure why it bothered me today. Maybe because if the guy who played young, hot, brooding Dylan McKay can die of a stroke then it’s just another nail in the coffin of my youth. Not that I’ve given him a lot of thought since 90210 ended 500 years ago, but it was still sad.

[quote]it’s just another nail in the coffin of my youth.

Repeated for truthiness.

Luke Perry seemed like a genuinely nice person, from all the accounts I read.

Truth: I was more than a little whelmed.

London.

He was never on my radar so I'm not in mourning.

It's cold and gloomy here. Weird after our mini heatwave. You drop all your winter barriers and then have to re-erect them.

Went to Pret A Manger. I had a toasted Ham and Cheese sandwich and a Flat White. Very good, both.

Bought ingredients for a soup for a recipe in my Linda McCartney Cookbook that I haven't made in years.

I'm reading a book called "Family Life"- can't remember the name of the writer. She keeps visiting friends in tumbledown English cottages or going to her own in Wales. Makes me long to have one of my own.

I love tumbledown English cottages. Also tumbledown Irish cottages.

What do you suppose the tooth is made of, fondant? I don’t like fondant.

Fondant would be the least of my problems with that confection. Why would someone want to put such effort into creating a visually nauseating cupcake?

I'm somewhat whelmed that someone thought to place that ugly cupcake in this nice thread. Just what you want to think of when eating sweets: how they rot your teeth.

This thread has gone bust.

It’s probably a Halloween cupcake.

[quote]This thread has gone bust.

Nah. It just has its minor ups and downs, like our humdrum lives.

My favorite kind of cupcakes. No whelm at all.

The classic underwhelmer.

I made banana cupcakes last weekend. I didn’t place a fondant tooth on top because I wanted my nephews to eat them, not vomit at the sight of them.

I think the cake @ R430 looks delicious!

Do people still make marble cakes? My mother used to make them when I was a kid.

You make two batters, r433, and swirl them with a knife.

That doesn't sound too whelming, R434.

It is not whelming at all. It is fun.

London.

I used to use those American cake mixes to make pot cake. Makes me long for some pot cake. It was trippy.

London # 2

I made this Linda McCartney vegetable soup for lunch. Tons of ingredients and almost filled the Le Creuset to the top. I was a little pissed off and worried that I was heading for failure and I couldn't add the tin of Italian tomatoes at the end because there wasn't any room.

When it was finished it tasted a little bland - so I added some soy sauce, some Worcestershire Sauce and half a T spoon of sugar and served it with a generous fistful of grated Parmesan cheese.

and turns out... it was one of the most delicious soups I've ever tasted. It's unbelievable.

[quote]I made this Linda McCartney vegetable soup for lunch. Tons of ingredients and almost filled the Le Creuset to the top.

What number Le Creuset?

I don't know. There is no number.

I ate a bagel for lunch with my broccoli soup and have a terrible case of the vapors.

I don't think I've eaten a bagel in 10 years or more. Won't be having another any time soon.

There's always a number, r440. Look at the inside of the lid.

There's an E - R442, and a very faint D underneath it.

Oh, that's an old one, like I used to have. LC used letters before they used numbers (which tell the diameter in cm).

Size E is 24 cm across, or 4.5 quarts in capacity. That's the one I used the most.

I made lentil soup yesterday in a 6-quart All-Clad. The closest LC would be the 5.5 quart (F or 26 cm). I find that size to work with most recipes, though some seem to be written for the 28 cm (7.5 quart). My 6 quart is the largest I have now (I substituted All-Clad for LC ten years ago because of arthritis), but my 4-quart All Clad saute pan is the one I use the most, just as I used to use the size E Le Creuset most years ago.

Here's the chart:

[quote]Oh, that's an old one, like I used to have.

Yes, I've had it since I moved to London in 1988.

I'm reading and re-reading the rest of your post.

Thank you for the link.

I've bought quite a lot of Le Creuset stuff recently from TK Maxx - Tea pots especially. I like the colours, red especially.

The 1988 Casserole I have is green. Which was, I think, a novelty then.

In the old days they were all orange. I know my mother had one in the '60s.

r445, when I bought my original set in 1979, I had the choices of Flame (orange), yellow, and brown. I don't like any of those colors, but I chose flame, as it was the classic color. I bought some brown pieces later. I wore my LC out, and they replaced much of my original collection in 1999. For free, under guarantee. I chose a dark green at that time, maybe Fennel. I liked it a lot more. Then I got some in Indigo. Blue and Green together are my favorite colors.

But ten years later, the arthritis in my hands became so severe, I wanted something lighter. The size you have weighs ten pounds. My equivalent All Clad weighs five. The weight allows me to be more nimble.

Always lovely and underwhelming to discuss cookware.

[quite]Always lovely and underwhelming to discuss cookware.

I've never discussed it before. I'm new to the lingo and have to read your posts several times - what's All Clad mean?

^ sorry, I raced away to see why I'd got a W&W.

Oh, I see, it's a make.

Your one doesn't seem to be available in England.

That's the one I have, r449. I use it for practically everything. This appears to be the newer model, which is available in the UK.

Looks very shallow R450 for making soup and VERY expensive.

I fancy this for my American pancakes.

However, if I were to buy it today, I would choose this one, which has no handle (I don't do that much actual sauteeing), and costs a hundred dollars less. It is five-ply instead of three ply. I've never used five-ply, so I don't know if there's much of a difference. It's such a good piece of cookware.

Looks like ALL-CLAD has to be imported from America.

It seems Le Creuset do all steel as well.

They won't even let me look at that from where I am R452. I'm blocked.

Oh, no. It would be too small for soup. Here's a 4-quart soup pot that's taller, and very nice. And cheaper.

They are not "all steel." They are stainless on the outside and aluminum on the inside. Better heat conduction. Steel is not a good conductor of heat, the way aluminum is.

I'm going to look into this.

I hate the heaviness of my Le Creuset.

This is available in the UK, r454.

Thank you, R457 - but it has to be imported and I'll bet it's way more than I'd pay in the USA.

Oh. I thought you were in the UK.

I am.

I made a chocolate panache.

For a minute there, I forgot the Alamo.

I called up Joe Walsh to ask him how life's been to him in the 3 decades since "Life's Been Good To Me So Far."

I will be buying new dishes soon and I kind of like the completely clear/transparent stuff, but I might just go with plain white. I can't decide. But I do know I like the square plates rather than round ones.

Someone said something negative about square plates going in the dishwasher, r464. I don't remember what, exactly, but he said he wished he'd stuck with round.

I've had square plates before. Anyway, I'm alone so I wash dishes by hand anyway. The guy I'm seeing is moving to L.A. permanently in a couple of weeks, too, so I'll be using one plate at a time for the foreseeable future.

r464 Awwww...

"One Plate at a Time" sounds like a country song.

I'm going to the market this morning. Then I get to sit home and wait for the plumber. Retirement's exciting.

I’ve just turned Leaving Neverland on. I don’t know if it’s already screened OS, but I think it will rate through the roof here. I’m very tired though so I’m recording it as I think I’ll have to go to bed half way through.

[quote]I'm going to the market this morning. Then I get to sit home and wait for the plumber. Retirement's exciting.

I'll be retiring in a few weeks. I know it will be a major change in my life, but, at the same time, I'm expecting a completely underwhelming experience.

I've been worrying on and off for the last few days about the new bed of phlox I planted last fall. They are small plants that I pulled apart from larger clumps. The weeds in my garden are ferocious. I won't be there until summer and I wonder if they will be overwhelmed?

My painting class starts at 1:00. I should go to the library and return stuff first.

What are you returning, R472?

R470, you'll probably be giddy and delirious at first with your free time and unlimited options. But soon you'll settle into the underwhelmed phase, which is really pleasant. My big excitement today was trying a chai tea latte at Panera and liking it. Now I'm going to wait for the plumber and watch the first episode of Real Housewives NYC, guilty pleasure.

Thanks for the perspective, R470. I'll be retiring next month.

I think this could be the official theme song of the "I Want to Be Underwhelmed" threads.

Lots of people retiring! Hopefully this will lead to a deluge of underwhelming contributions for us all to enjoy.

I think you may be missing the point, r476. Yes, this is all there is. And I, for one, am fine with that.

[quote]I think you may be missing the point, [R476]. Yes, this is all there is. And I, for one, am fine with that.

I just thought that, in her delivery of the song, Peggy sounded completely underwhelmed by everything that happened in her life.

I have taken the next week off of work and apart from a meal with friends tomorrow night I have absolutely no plans.

[quote]I have taken the next week off of work and apart from a meal with friends tomorrow night I have absolutely no plans.

We all envy you.

[quote]We all envy you.

There's more than one of you posting?

Well, I and my other personalities.

R481, don’t envy me, tell me how to occupy the next nine days!

In the true spirit of this thread, I’m planning to spemd tedious hours decluttering my flat in expectation of moving later this year.

R 483 >

[quote][R481], don’t envy me, tell me how to occupy the next nine days!

You could make pancakes...and try some new soup recipes.

Good idea r486, I’ll make soup on Sunday, possibly Chicken broth.

No pancakes though. I am tediously dieting, desperately trying to turn my morbid obesity back into mere disgusting fatness.

Enough with the plans, R487. Plan nothing. Eat more. Loll a lot.

London.

I made veal schnitzel for dinner.

The veal was tough.

I never buy veal, it's supposed to be cruel but I saw it and bought it and regret it.

My mashed potato was also below par. Bad texture.

And I made sweet carrots which I overcooked.

The plumber arrived. He was very laconic, Jimmy Stewart or Gary Cooper could've portrayed him. He said there was no problem, it's the drywall. Nothing to worry about. That's the kind of problem I like, a non-existent one. Now I can go back to reading. He was nice but it's stressful having strangers in the house.

R489, what's your favorite part of London?

I bought veal for the first time months ago, r489. It was expensive. I’m a terrible cook and I have no idea what to do with it, so I put it in the freezer, where things go and are never seen again.

London, again.

I thought today was Thursday for most of the day. Got a shock when I saw it was Friday...now it's Saturday...and yet again I missed visiting my friend who has a stall on the Portobello Road on Fridays.

[quote]I bought veal for the first time months ago, [R489]. It was expensive.

I think this is where I went wrong. The veal I bought was pretty cheap...and I'll say it again, tough.

[quote][R489], what's your favorite part of London?

I'm not sure anymore. I'm a bit sick of London to tell the truth.

[quote]I bought veal for the first time months ago, [R489]. It was expensive. I’m a terrible cook and I have no idea what to do with it

Here, my dear...very easy >

I once made the mistake of cooking veal breast the same way I cook chicken breast. Literally not the same animal. Veal breast is something to be braised in liquid for hours, not cooked quickly like a boneless skinless chicken breast. The veal was tough—inedible, really.

You need to buy veal cutlet for scallopine. This comes from the leg/hind saddle. I think this is the cut needed for schnitzel.

What a shame the veal was tough. The cruelty is specifically there to make it tender. Hmmph.

Thank you for your advice, R497.

BUT, I'll skip veal in future.

[quote]BUT, I'll skip veal in future.

There are so many less whelming meat dishes you can prepare.

You want to know what REAL underwhelmed is?

Doing your laundry in London.

I've got stuff hanging over a poll in my laundry area

and I just got out my rack.

[quote] I don't like any of those colors, but I chose flame

Of course you did. How appropriate.

r502 Trying to overwhelm me with toxic gay shame? Begone, you fucking asshole. You don't belong here. It won't work.

He was pulling your leg. Don't be so aggressive. You ARE NOT one of the Fab 5.

Except, r504, I am very definitely one of the Fab Five.

Oh no, let’s not fight guys! There’s only 5 of us (at most) so perhaps we should agree to disagree on some things. Let’s go back to tv shows, soup recipes and envying retirees and those about to retire.

For example I disagree with the veal hate, I love it. Delicious.

Here I am! There’s six of us! I made chicken soup tonight and I’m watching the The Snoop Sisters (with Helen Hayes!) on YouTube.

What is it with this group and soup?

If we all actually knew each other we could take it in turns to cook a vat of soup every day for each other. But R503 had better watch his fucking language and learn to recognize a fucking joke when he sees one.

I do recognize jokes, r508. They are funny. You were not. You were simply cuntescent. And homophobic.

I wasn't the one who made the joke. But that's clearly all he was doing you humorless cunt.

and to use your lingo:

you fucking asshole. You don't belong here.

Alright. I'm gone. Fuck you and the 'flame' queen. You ruined a good thing.

If he WAS one of the fab 5 - looks like we're down to 4 now.

Oh, well - no great loss, that's for sure. That gurl had anger issues.

He was one of the five, he was the poster with the green and blue dinner set. He posted quite a bit.

Looks like she never learned to roll with the punches, R513 and on the DL, they come left, right and below the belt. She has no class. No real down-to-the-gut class. And she sure knows how to dole it out but now how to take it.

We'll be fine without her.

Farting in bed under the blankets is one of my favorite things in the world...

I could go on but I don't want to whelm too much

And sometimes it's hard to get the whelming just right

Sometimes I fart so much that I'm afraid I'm going to shart.

This flatulence talk is a little whelming for such a (generally) genteel thread.

[quote] Farting in bed under the blankets is one of my favorite things in the world...

So we've moved from Le Creuset to a totally different kind of Dutch oven.

I just made a quick trip to the local shopping centre and ran into a friend of a friend. We made small talk for a bit, but it was a struggle as we don’t have much in common. Whelming. Glad to be home.

Ugh, personal interactions with persons you don't know well are overwhelming. Stressful enough with those you do know well. Hope you hurried home and barricaded the door, R519, and took something to soothe yourself.

We had a book sale at the library today. Made $2600, not bad. Book selection was uniformly awful ... all popular writers and romance paperbacks. It's amazing how much trash is out there.

[quote]We had a book sale at the library today. Made $2600, not bad. Book selection was uniformly awful ... all popular writers and romance paperbacks. It's amazing how much trash is out there.

Well, now you know what sells.

I most certainly did R520, I calmed my frazzled nerves with a cup of tea and half a brioche hot cross bun (which was disappointingly average).

Were they cheap r521? Did people just stock up on any old book because people love a bargain?

[quote]Ugh, personal interactions with persons you don't know well are overwhelming. Stressful enough with those you do know well. Hope you hurried home and barricaded the door, [R519], and took something to soothe yourself.

Maybe R519 isn't quite as crazy as you.

cray telephone operator and truck

The B side of "Is That All There Is?" could be "Your Plate Sits in the Dish Drainer" by Country Betty.

What did they do with all the old phone booths?

There’s one on the other side of the road from my place r528. So as far as concerned they’ve gone nowhere.

R524, yeah I guess they were cheap. Adult books $2 hardback $1 paper. Children's half that. Lots of Patterson, Lee Child, Debbie Macomber, Grisham, Baldacci, etc. But they had some nice things too, got some Faulkner and a gorgeous two-volume history of Venetian art and architecture for $10.

The public wants pablum, hasn't that always been the case?

R525, I'm delightfully eccentric.

[quote]I calmed my frazzled nerves with a cup of tea and half a brioche hot cross bun (which was disappointingly average).

I wonder what she did with the other half.

London

I had the rest of that vegetable soup I was showing off about a few days ago and waxing lyrical.

I was worried it wouldn't be as good and my worries were well-founded.

Trouble is one of the main ingredients is white cabbage, which tastes very nice cooked fresh, but two days later tasted soggy - so it's clearly a soup best eaten on the day.

But I'll put it down to experience. Next time I might find something to replace it with.

I have two soups containing cabbage that I like to make in winter, vegetarian borscht and cabbage soup with canned tomatoes. I just use standard green cabbage in them and they hold up very well as leftovers. But both have vinegar and dill in them so there's an Eastern European pickling effect going on that's very un-French.

Ugh Baldacci r530. In the late 90s I was backpacking with friends across Europe. At some point I ended up in a hostel in Spain feeling very under the weather. While my friends went out sightseeing I swapped my Madame Bovary, which I had just finished and loved, for some David Baldacci book. I struggled through the first chapter and decided I was better off sleeping the day away so I could recover properly and join my friends the following day rather than waste another minute trapped in the hostel reading that tripe. The people at your library who bought his book for $1, paid $1 too much.

R532 The rest of the brioche hot cross bun is in the pantry. I’ll have it warmed up with a bit of unsalted butter tomorrow. It wasn’t delicious enough to eat the whole thing today.

I discovered Tove Jansson's Moomin series via some 1970s Polish stop motion animations, which I recommend to connoisseurs of the macabre. Now I'm reading the books they were based on, which are considerably lighter in atmosphere. Some of the characters also exhibit a Krazy Kat-like gender fluidity unusual in children's books of the postwar era (though Moominmamma is an icon of docile domestic servitude.)

This morning I'm eating leftover mashed potatoes. I made them using Martha Stewart's (actually her mother's) recipe. To 3 1/2 lbs of boiled spuds, you incorporate 1 stick of butter, 8 ozs cream cheese, 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup whole milk. I was not prepared to be so overwhelmed. by its unctuous mouth-feel, and now I feel dirty.

What is this shit with mashed potatoes? Ina Garten's mash is enough to give a guy a heart attack.

A little milk and butter and salt and pepper is all that is needed. Whip it with a fork. It's the whipping that gives it its fluffy, creamy quality...and makes sure to get rid of as much water as possible.

[quote[and makes sure to get rid of as much water as possible.

^^ That's straight after you boil them, using a sieve.

Wow! This thread is really picking up again!

I thought we were doomed after one of the fab 5 left the room in a rage...but no!

It would've been much more fun if he'd FLOUNCED out in a HUFF! But perhaps that would have been excessively wheming.

R535, funny you should mention Baldacci. We live in the same general area and he used to come into the bookstore where I worked years ago. Super nice guy, very approachable (and cute). Can't imagine what his income must be since I think every book he's written has been optioned for the movies. He's very down to earth.

[quote]It would've been much more fun if he'd FLOUNCED out in a HUFF! But perhaps that would have been excessively wheming.

He went up in flames!

Who am I going to discuss Le Creuset with now? - that gurl knew her shit.

I am still in my pajamas this cold and rainy Sunday. There is a hole in my pajama pants.

[quote]There is a hole in my pajama pants.

I hesitate to ask where.

[quote]Who am I going to discuss Le Creuset with now? - that gurl knew her shit.

Perhaps he'll return. I know I would miss all the underwhelming conversation.

What's everybody having for dinner?

For me it's broiled salmon and spinach.

R547 it is on the seam about halfway down my hip. I've been pulling at it all day and have basically made a pocket to easily grab my dick.

Library guy/r543, immediately after I typed my anti Baldacci rant I wondered how much my opinion of his book back then was coloured by the fact that I was unwell when I began reading. Not to mention in the pre Internet days I was also looking at hours on my own with nothing to do while my friends flounced around Barcelona, stopping only to eat paella and drink sangria. Perhaps I was more annoyed at Mr Baldacci than he deserved.

I don't know how to set my car clock to the new time, even after reading the manual. Starting to feel too much whelm. Maybe I'll just go to the dealer and throw myself on their mercy.

[quote]it is on the seam about halfway down my hip. I've been pulling at it all day and have basically made a pocket to easily grab my dick.

Well, when life hands you lemons, R546 . . .

Tried making caprese salad tonight. But... it's only good in the summer, when you have red ripe tomatoes. I ate it anyway.

What kind of tomatoes did you use?

Roma, but very large ones. Not fully ripe though. You really can't get great tomatoes in the winter. I'll try again in the summer with ripe homegrown tomatoes and fresh basil.

What's with the competing "underwhelmed" thread? ("Let's Be Underwhelmed Again.") Having two separate threads is a little whelming.

[quote] I'll try again in the summer with ripe homegrown tomatoes and fresh basil.

Nice. You have something to look forward to.

Im working from home today, but I don’t feel well so I’ve done the bare minimum. Not looking forward to tomorrow when it becomes clear to other people i really didn’t do much today. I should have called in sick.

What kind of work do you do, R559?

Where'd everybody go? Napping? Staring into space? Get back here.

I certainly hope the Fab Five hasn't lost more members since one of us left in a huff.

That said, I do spend a lot of time napping and staring into space.

R562 was rendered speechless. I hope he wasn't too overwhelmed to post.

[quote]Where'd everybody go? Napping? Staring into space? Get back here.

Is it possible the Fab Five has lost more members since one of us left in a huff?

Please pardon the repetition. R562 initially appeared as a blank comment.

I’m still here, but I live in different time zone so I just woke up.

I work in accounts r560

I read this thread but never post in it because I’m constantly overwhelmed even being unemployed

r551 Some Baldacci is better than other Baldacci. I have not felt compelled to be a Baldacci completist. The ones I have read, or intend to read, everything by are Michael Connelly, Jonathan Kellerman, Faye Kellerman, Jesse Kellerman (their son), and J.A. Jance.

I went in to work today, if they noticed I hadn’t done as much as I should have yesterday they didn’t say anything. I felt relieved. Also I avoided talking to a lot of people because my voice is croaky and I think they assumed it was sore. It’s not.

London.

I'm waking earlier due to the light mornings.

I burnt the toast twice at breakfast.

It's cold here and very windy.

I hate it when I burn the toast r571. You’d think after all my years on earth it’s something that wouldn’t happen anymore, but nope, every now and again I burn it.

Although it’s autumn here the summer weather still hasn’t completely disappeared. It’s meant to be hot again next week. But today was cool. Well cool enough that I needed more than a T-shirt. I hope today was the exception and summer lingers until at least mid April.

Are you in Australia, r572?

I certainly am r573.

Well, happy autumn, r574. We're inching into spring here in the northeast US, which is my favorite season. It has been too cold for too long. Autumn is my second favorite season. It would be by favorite if it didn't take us to winter.

Northeast U.S. here also. Autumn is by far my favorite season, despite leading us to winter. I'm not a fan of heat and humidity, so autumn is truly a breath of fresh air.

Where is everyone? I require underwhelming entertainment.

I think we've switched to Self-Whelming Mode.

Everybody is busy posting about Oliva Jade and her felon mother Lori Loughlin.

Poor Lori, once the queen of the Hallmark Channel, has gotten the heave-ho.

If she were poor r580 she and her proudly lazy daughters wouldn’t be in this mess.

I’m watching Muriel’s wedding on tv. I can’t believe it’s been about 25 years since they made it. I remember I went to see it with a guy who would spend the next year slowly breaking my heart. I was so in love with him. I eventually gave up on him ever loving me back and moved on with my life. I ran into him last year and he told me letting me go was the biggest regret of his life. After all these years it was neither overwhelming or underwhelming, it just was.

I'll bet it was overwhelming then, r582.

The equivalent guy in my life is someone who made two huge, significant positive changes in my day-to-day existence (in addition to later breaking my heart). I got out of touch with him after declining an invitation to his 50th birthday party, then a couple of years ago, I sent him a present signifying one of those positive changes he'd made in my life, just in case he was thinking that letting me go was the biggest regret of his life.

Apparently it wasn't. But as for you, no whelm at all on my part.

I have to repair some grooming products to Ulta today which I purchased yesterday. And drop off my tax info at my accountant's. Just the right amount of whelm.

It might rain this afternoon, better get moving.

RETURN not repair. Sheesh, I'm losing it.

Art class today. Working on preliminary sketches for a painting.

How do you know he doesn’t regret it r583? Did he say so? And if he did say you weren’t a regret, do you believe him? Not everyone would give someone else the satisfaction of admitting that.

You may very well be right, r587. We did have a long enough phone conversation, though, when he called to thank me, during which he could have given me the satisfaction, as you put it, and he did not. And if he couldn't do it then, what's the point in my bothering?

Spring is in the air today, here in NYC. This prompts a feeling of heightened underwhelmness.

Spring is in the air in our nation's capital, too. Low 70s. But the weekend will be a lot cooler, which I don't mind at all. The whelming heat and humidity will be here soon enough.

Spring came and went here in London.

The next door neighbour's cat is still shitting in my flower beds.

I have to buy an electric sensor thing - but I keep putting it off, meanwhile...

Cats shouldn't be allowed to roam around outdoors.

Some people consider keeping them indoors cruel.

Hi all, pml here (Texas) thank you for the birthday wishes a few weeks ago.

My Purple Martins are back from Brazil so I have been extremely busy looking out the window. I ordered a thousand crickets for them, which got here yesterday, to buoy them during the potential cold front coming. Purple Martins are insectivores and only eat on the wing. That poses a challenge to a Purple Martin landlord who must order crickets, freeze the entire box of crickets when it arrives, then ration the frozen crickets from the box into smaller, more manageable containers. On the third day of poor weather, when the Martins are hungry enough to eat what the landlord gives, but before they're too weak to fly, once must fling the frozen crickets into the sky, bending and releasing a plastic spoon like a catapult. The Martins will then swoop in the air to catch the crickets. But you have to wait until they're hungry or they won't do it. But again, not so hungry they can't fly. Sorry for the whelm.

Couldn't read your post, R594, too verbiage. Wordy = overwhelming.

Returned my grooming products to Ulta. Cashier asked if I'd used any of them. "Oh my goodness, no," I replied, slightly horrified. "I'd never do that." (And I wouldn't.) She then told me that customers are allowed to return products for a full refund if there's 20% of the product left in the container. Seems like a dumb way to run a business.

Only three more posts and this thread will be closed. I certainly hope there'll be a new one.

Well, R595, you missed a fascinating account of catapulting frozen crickets.

Hello pml/r594 I’d wondering where you’d been. I read your post, I found it fascinating. You taught me something new, I knew nothing of purple martins and crickets before today.

This thread is about to be closed. I would create a new one myself, but the idea is a bit whelming.

Is it closed?

Hi, I'm typing from a closed thread. I'm R602!!!