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Scepticalscribe

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Preparing dinner.

Poached fish (monkfish) in an oriental inspired broth (stock, fish sauce, Soya sauce, Oyster sauce, lemon grass, lime leaves, ginger, chopped chilli, a little sambal) with added vegetables (roughly chopped onions, carrots, tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, French onions), served with basmati rice.
 

Huntn

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Excellent!

One of the two coffee orders that I placed yesterday has just arrived, delivered safely to my door.
Speaking of online/orders delivered, a major retail store Steinmart, that specialized in selling merchandise from other bankrupt or stores with overstocked merchandise, went bankrupt itself, and is reopening as an online only entity. This is the future to a significant degree.

As I’ve said , why drive around town to a store with 1-3 of the same type item, when you can turn to online and find 20-100 competing items. As I say this, I realize brick and mortar retail locations for certain products will survive as I think of hardware stores, restaurants, grocery stores, and specialty boutiques. Large department stores maybe in trouble.
 

Huntn

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Good for you. I’ll get my turn eventually.
My wife is 62 and does not yet qualify. At the hospital they were loaded for bear taking the entire first floor of a new building with 20 check-in desks, 20 nursing stations to administer shots, and a large seating are on both ends. Afterwards they made us sit for 15 min in case of an adverse reaction.
 

Scepticalscribe

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Speaking of online/orders delivered, a major retail store Steinmart, that specialized in selling merchandise from other bankrupt or stores with overstocked merchandise, went bankrupt itself, and is reopening as an online only entity. This is the future to a significant degree.

As I’ve said , why drive around town to a store with 1-3 of the same type item, when you can turn to online and find 20-100 competing items. As I say this, I realize brick and mortar retail locations for certain products will survive as I think of hardware stores, restaurants, grocery stores, and specialty boutiques. Large department stores maybe in trouble.

Large department stores weren't just for shopping; for women of a certain age and social class (women for whom golf, or the pub, weren't possible as social outlets, or for whom department stores existed in addition to others) they provided a safe and interesting public and social space; many of those department stores had excellent coffee shops, and many women met their friends there on Saturdays, or during the week, for a coffee, or late lunch, and a good chat.
 
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Huntn

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Large department stores weren't just for shopping; for women of a certain age and social class (women for whom golf, or the pub, weren't possible as social outlets, or for whom department stores existed in addition to others) they provided a safe and interesting public and social space; many of those department stores had excellent coffee shops, and many women met their friends there on Saturdays, or during the week, for a coffee, or late lunch, and a good chat.
I agree, while observing there is a cultural aspect, yet in the US, malls and large department stores have been struggling as a direct cause of losing retail business to online orders. An interesting comment sits over at MRs in the Amazon Effect thread, about how grocery stores are becoming the new anchor stores In some locations.
 
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Apple fanboy

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I agree, while observing there is a cultural aspect, yet in the US, malls and large department stores have been struggling as a direct cause of losing retail business to online orders. An interesting comment sits over at MRs in the Amazon Effect thread, about how grocery stores are becoming the new anchor stores In some locations.
Our typical town centre now has far too many hairdressers, charity shops and coffee shops in them. There is very little variety. When things do open back up it will be interesting to see how many more lively hoods Amazon has destroyed.
I don’t buy food or clothes online. Or cars or furniture come to that matter. Yes home delivery can be convenient, but it’s not for everything.
 

fooferdoggie

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went on a 30 mile ride it was going to be 40 but I was trying Apple Maps for bikes and it was killing my battery and I could not find the cable I thought I had so we turned back. it also looked like it wanted to rain so it was time. way out in the country all 2 lane roads. Portland Oregon and the land around it got hit by frozen rain and ice, man the ice damage to the trees was everywhere, bike paths had branches cut away but all the Debris was still on the paths. got out in the country and it looks like the roads would have been covered in tree parts and impassable till cleaned up. saw a few telephone poles down too with wires stallion the road (not live) with branches hanging on others. Smelled a cow far before we saw it and all these plastic domes. coming back I saw calves in them little cow houses. I saw this downed light pole and was like How would that fall over with ice? but then I saw the stump of a tree and now I see. I saw trees with nice straight trunks big enough they should be strong snapped off. lots of trees that got



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Scepticalscribe

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Our typical town centre now has far too many hairdressers, charity shops and coffee shops in them. There is very little variety. When things do open back up it will be interesting to see how many more lively hoods Amazon has destroyed.
I don’t buy food or clothes online. Or cars or furniture come to that matter. Yes home delivery can be convenient, but it’s not for everything.

Absolutely.

For my mother - who had many other hobbies and outlets - what she described as "shopping", was as much browsing, and a social activity, - this was where she often ran into other womne, where they'd chat, exchange news, and sometimes, go for a coffee, as anything else, such as "shopping".

City centres have too many Phone shops, too, along with the charity shops, hairdressers, shoe shops, and yes, coffee shops of varying quality.

Try finding a decent hardware shop in the city centre, these days.

Me, I used to do my browsing in music shops and boos shops, two dying breeds; and no, online shopping may supplant them, but will never replace them.

This is because, whenever I went into a music shop, it wasn't solely for the purpose of buying something; it was to chat to the people behind the counter, (who were oftehn enthusiasts, and had knowledge and recommendations) sometimes run into frieds and colleagues, see what was in the music racks, often see something you had never heard of but were curious about (cue invariably informed advice from the knowledgeable, enthusiasts behind the counter).

Amazon may offer variety, - and yes, convenience - but there is no pleasure in dealing with them. You never learn anything new (unlike when browsing in bookshops or music stores), there is no joy, just a crude exchange, a transaction; they treat their workforce like dirt, and reduce everything to a crude transaction.
 

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just went on a plain ride today. it was interesting seeing some places still with snow after a week of warm weather. Saw some water with frost on top still even when it was 46 degrees. not as many trees over the path but most had been cleaned up. had to ride under a couple.
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Clix Pix

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Absolutely.

For my mother - who had many other hobbies and outlets - what she described as "shopping", was as much browsing, and a social activity, - this was where she often ran into other womne, where they'd chat, exchange news, and sometimes, go for a coffee, as anything else, such as "shopping".

City centres have too many Phone shops, too, along with the charity shops, hairdressers, shoe shops, and yes, coffee shops of varying quality.

Try finding a decent hardware shop in the city centre, these days.

Me, I used to do my browsing in music shops and boos shops, two dying breeds; and no, online shopping may supplant them, but will never replace them.

This is because, whenever I went into a music shop, it wasn't solely for the purpose of buying something; it was to chat to the people behind the counter, (who were oftehn enthusiasts, and had knowledge and recommendations) sometimes run into frieds and colleagues, see what was in the music racks, often see something you had never heard of but were curious about (cue invariably informed advice from the knowledgeable, enthusiasts behind the counter).

Amazon may offer variety, - and yes, convenience - but there is no pleasure in dealing with them. You never learn anything new (unlike when browsing in bookshops or music stores), there is no joy, just a crude exchange, a transaction; they treat their workforce like dirt, and reduce everything to a crude transaction.

I miss the simple pleasure in going over to the local mall on an afternoon when I had nothing much to do and simply wandering around, walking through the stores and gazing around at what they had to offer.....spending some time in the bookstore looking at the new titles, especially those by my favorite authors and making a note of them so that I could later reserve them at the public library, or if an item I just couldn't resist and wait to read later, purchasing right then and there..... Of course if I had any actual serious shopping to do, such as at the Apple store, I would've already taken care of that and spent a happy time in there..... All of this followed by a meal at one of the nice restaurants that the mall had to offer, then a return home.

Now? I decide I want or need something and I go online and if it's not an Apple product or a specific product by a favorite manufacturer which has its own website, I hop into Amazon, find the item (if they offer it, which they usually do) and click the "buy" button and a short time later -- since I am a Prime member, one day, sometimes two, rarely three -- the item is on my doorstep. A speedy, somewhat clinical transaction all the way around, but in many cases that is all that is needed anyway. if I'm ordering more surgical masks, for instance, or a new coffee machine, I'm not all that concerned about friendly sales service, I know what I want and am interested in just getting it and lets be done with the transaction. Many books I've already seen reviews of somewhere else and know that I'm interested in, especially when the title is by a favorite author that I've been following for years, so if I'm really eager to read the book RIGHT NOW rather than waiting through my turn in the library "Holds" list of patrons, I just click the "buy" button, too.

Something like a camera body or a lens is a whole different matter altogether, and when purchasing something like that I prefer to go in person to the store when possible or at least, if ordering online, placing the order with a camera shop that I know is reliable and has a good reputation.

It's the browsing around in various shops which so often leads to impulse purchases and items with which one is delighted even though an hour before they never knew the thing existed....that's the joy in wandering freely around the mall and in various stores, a joy which for now nearly a year has been severely restricted. Maybe later in the spring I'll feel as though it's OK and reasonably safe to go over to the mall again, or maybe not. I've missed it.....
 
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The-Real-Deal82

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My problem is that if I secretly detest someone, the fact that I detest them does not long remain a secret.

Not if I have to encounter them regularly, for, it can be a bit of a challenge to mask such feelings effectively.

This is nothing to do with office gossip, but has more to do with the lamentable fact that the challenge of "chatting" - especially "false chit chat" - with someone I detest, dislike, despise, tests my diplomatic skills to the utmost, for, while one part of my mind is merrily measuring their skull for Viking axes or prosaic punchability, the other part of my mind is shrieking in outrage at the sheer elasticity - and excessive expenditure - of emotion required to pretend to be civil to such a creature, let alone the further outrage to truth that being nice to them requires.
I work with a few people who would stab you in the back as soon as look at you. I like the ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer’ approach lol. I always assume they’ll try and stitch me up, so always create a paper trail and cover me back :)
 

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My French class has finished, and I was just looking over - and quickly revising - my notes, and sketching out (preliminary) answers to homework questions.......

And then, I pay a fleeting visit here....to be greeted with the joyful sight of daffodils. Several images, shots, pictures, of lovely, life-affirming, glorious daffodils.

Yes; not only do they make my day - and, while you can't see this, but, but, but - and I only came to realise this, that whenever I catch sight of them, those cheerful, life-affirming, nodding yellow and golden heads, before I realise it, they have put a grin (not just a smile), but a positive beam of pure, unalloyed pleasure, and sheer delight on my face and features.

Thank you, @Alli; much appreciated. You can't see it, but I'm grinning.
 

Alli

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Spent some time this afternoon doing my annual income tax returns....federal and state. All done and now just sitting back waiting for the refund from the feds! :)
Nice. We haven’t done that yet. It’s on the schedule for this week.
 

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went for a short ride to get some groceries. then went and had quick visit with our daughter and granddaughter . she is 3.5 years and is finally learning her grandma is blind she started leading grandma around and now they are playing together its so cool.
 
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Scepticalscribe

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Bins out; (one has been emptied as I write).

My lovely Leuchturrm1917 notebooks (plus Mont Blanc ink cartridges) arrived today, and my second coffee order (placed last Thursday) finally arrived on Monday.

And I am reading more books by Elizabeth Moon: space operas, with female protagonists - what is there not to like?- (who invariably have a military background - Moon, who was a lieutenant with the Marines, writes very well about the military, her military settings work very well, and she does female friendship and families exceptionally well, also.)
 
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