ShadySands

I've only ever seen one thing from Mr Beast and it was some game show. I turned it off because it felt so exploitative and gross. I also cancelled Spotify, which I actually use a lot but I've been on a cancellation frenzy. I had a fraudulent charge and cancelled my card and haven't cared to update my payments more than anything else.

Cancelled Netflix, HBO, and Paramount Plus because I barely use them as they rarely have anything I care to watch anymore. About halfway through my "vacation" and my son keeps having bad reactions to bug bites. Wouldn't be so bad but he's awful at taking meds.

Are we back at Satanic panic again?

I know everyone is dying to know how my salad turned out and it was great. I was able to find anchovies and improve my locally sourced dressing with that and some lemon and additional garlic. The in-laws had never had fired capers and they really loved them. It was a race between them and my kids to see who could finish them first. Now I'm back on the beach having carpaccio and sangria. I found the ingredients to make a great carbonara but my wife informed me that her dad can't have it so I'll have to think of something else for dinner. Probably a simple pasta dish with burst cherry tomatoes, garlic, EVOO, and basil. I'll probably just cook up the guanciale on the side and serve it as an optional garnish.

Same. I already have them too

Spent like an hour and a half going to every grocery store in town looking for anchovies. Only found one that was labeled as anchovy but it looks... fishy. Looks just like the sprats they keep trying to push on us but it's not even close to the same, I made that mistake the first time I came here. Ended up just buying 5 different kinds of Caesar dressing and hoping that one of them is decent enough or that we can punch it up enough to make it work. Update on the dressing. They're all a bit too sweet and this is coming from a fat, corn syrup American. My son really likes it though. I'll see what I can do to tone it down a bit.

There's a little place on the beach here that we've been going to. I keep getting the same thing every time, a pitcher of sangria and beef carpaccio. I've been going a little hard on the carpaccio lately but it's been so good my in-laws started ordering it too. For what I actually ate today, I made some bacon and cheese ramen this morning. The bacon here is a lot different but it works well because it has a much less overwhelming flavor so I can go heavier on the meat. Then I just melt a slice of cheese into the noodles as they cook, was surprised I found an American "pasteurized cheese product" here but it really is the best for melting into ramen as it just dissolves without clumping or needing to be prepared separately.

Trump has been costing me money since his first term. This is due to changes on itemized deductions for taxes.

Only if it's frozen and cubical Even then all they have to do is chase him away with the COVID vaccine.

I wish they'd do an HD remaster of DS9 like they did for TNG but I do believe there is a fan/community upscale project.

I watch RLM and occasionally Daily Show clips. I have premium that I got with something. There was a Shadowrun lore podcast that I would also watch but they haven't dropped anything in a long while. That's about it. I still don't really browse or anything. My son had YT kids but I blocked it because I thought it was mostly all trash because it's all watching other kids unbox and/or play with toys and weird obnoxious kids. /Grumpy old man yelling at clouds

This. You never know if he's just going to back out of any deal because he needs a "win" at the moment. While they are basically forced to do business with him now you can be assured that a lot of countries will try to pivot away from reliance on the US in the future which only weakens us.

Can't believe the nerve of some of these Arbitraitors.

I'm so cold, hard, and blue.

In Estonia for a few weeks. I can never sleep on the flight from the US but I always sleep on the shorter flight from Germany/Netherlands. We typically fly into either Frankfurt, Munich, or Amsterdam since there are no direct flights.

Wife couldn't stand what they did with her favorite captain so we never finished the first season of Picard. I think Prodigy was easily the best NuTrek and closest to old Trek in heart and feeling.

Only thing is I don't think they'll ever get there. That's not really what Star Trek is traditionally good at* and you'll turn off a decent chunk of your built-in audience. Maybe if it was really, really good they could make it action-drama light sci-fi but it isn't very good which leaves it in this weird place. * I'm a firm believer in that you can tell most any story in Trek clothing but it has to be done well and doing things well is not what NuTrek does well.

Strange New Worlds - I hope we're done with the Gorn. I really don't like the new version of them. Wife thinks I nitpick the show too much but I'm trying to enjoy the show and certain things just stand out to me.

Ordered in for dinner last night. Got a Caesar salad with fried capers for my son because he's on a big salad kick. Got angel hair pasta with garlic and oil for my daughter because she loves noodles. Also got meatballs to share and beef carpaccio and burrata salad for the missus and I. Now we're chilling on the back patio eating some homemade lemon and mango popsicles.

I left a citronella candle outside last night after using it, because the container radiates heat like nobody's business. This morning, I woke to find the container contained more Japanese beetles than candle, so into the trash it went. Strangely though, the beetles aren't that bad this year, but the earwigs are a different story.

Going to be making tacos for dinner. I currently have a huge chunk of beef breaking down in the pressure cooker and it should be ready in an hour or so.

Game has been rock solid for me and I haven't noticed any bugs but this second DLC has twice now had sections where I have to play other characters/groups. That is one of the things I hate the most in games so it's really dragging down my opinion on the whole thing.

No reason to expect a smart approach from Elon. I think his work in DOGE shows he doesn't understand the government beyond the subsidies he gets.

Did a grilled veggie salsa and burgers for the 4th. I also did baked beans but my family has something against beans, especially the ones I grew up with Made a Caesar salad and spaghetti with a garlic, anchovy, and caper sauce for lunch.