Then why do they have those mufflers that stick above the car?

Who cares?

I sleep better with lights, noise and distractions than without; without gives my brain time to think about things like elections, exactly how much time I have left to sleep before I have to get up for work, what troubles I’ll face at work the next day, etc. I slept so much better during the days than I do during night.

edit: For some reason my client decided to post this as I was in the middle of typing a sentence. Edited to actually finish the post.

I nearly literally started a friendship based on showing the other person this movie. It’s a fantastic movie and apparently why Christian Bale was chosen as Batman.

I usually just talk about something very unlikely to sound predatory or sexual. “I like your hair,” things like that. Hair is one I bring up frequently also because one can usually tell whether a lot of effort was made; as I mentioned, I think complimenting something that involved effort is more impactful than just random, possibly meaningless things about the person.

For example, I don’t usually say anything about clothes (on men or women) unless there’s something particularly striking about them; recently I saw a woman wearing a shirt expressing a political opinion that is not popular in this area (but with which I agreed) and complimented her on it because it seemed like it probably took courage to wear. However, I wouldn’t comment on someone wearing a plain white tee.

I have learned that I don’t necessarily always enunciate properly and therefore should say “I like your shoes” rather than “I like your boots.”

What is your business doing?

I’m so glad you said this so I didn’t have to.

edit: This song was originally sung by the group “Men Without Hats.” Because of that, it always reminds me of the webcomic “[http://meninhats.com](Men in Hats),” which is excellent. If you haven’t read it, you should.

edit 2: apparently my linkage didn’t work, I guess because of the quotes? Sorry about that.

Hey wait … I’m in a comment section now!

Possibly a lawyer.

Maybe even specializing in bird law.

The message would be better and more sympathetically conveyed without any emoji, but if you have to have one, this seems appropriate.

We three were on the same page.

Fortunately, the vast majority of what I drink is water, which apparently doesn’t appeal to spiders. I do look in my cups as I sip from them now, but arachnid presence does not appear to be a prevailing threat for most of what I consume.

I try to improve the days of strangers by offering compliments that (hopefully) clearly have no ulterior motive. The two easiest ways I’ve found to do this are a. Offer the compliment in passing so that it is obvious I’m not asking for anything as a follow-up because I’ve already walked away and b. Compliment things that took time, effort or courage (like an elaborate hairstyle or colorful makeup).

Metaphorically speaking as a man with a beard, I appreciate men with beards because the man in question is often very pleased with his beard and, in most cases, took time to develop it. Therefore, it’s nearly universally a safe thing to compliment. I’ve never once complimented a beard and not gotten a grin and at least brief conversation as a result. Sometimes I’ll even get a brotherly slap on the back.

Maybe OP got a lot of - or even a few - compliments on his beard, regardless of the state of his jaw, and it boosted his ego.

What happened on Wednesday?

edit: also, What Happened to Monday?

It’s not a word one sees often, agreed, but I love it.

A while ago, I moved to a rural area and placed my recliner next to a semi open fireplace / chimney.

In that timeframe, many times I’ve had an unattended open topped cup containing a sugary beverage with a straw on it; most of those times it’s been a fine experience.

Two of those times, I’ve picked up the beverage without looking in the cup and taken a few big chugs through the straw, only to then look in the cup as I set it down and realize that there was a spider type critter (once an unidentified species, once a harvestman).

Both times I immediately spat out anything I could and went for mouthwash.

Nowadays I look in my cups before chugging.

I wish I had a better place for my cups.

What are you, my erstwhile employer?

I don’t know, but it’s a good thing they aren’t into cash.

I have met people who claimed to be “allergic” to Wi-Fi. They’ve found suggestions (perhaps ironically online) that they should move to this area, avoiding exposure to their proclaimed allergen.

Like this one?