Notes_Norton

Sooner or later, all long posts drift off-topic. It's like a friendly conversation between friends in a coffeehouse. OK, I'll try to get back on. Mrs. Notes and I love to travel (BTW, she is a musician, too). Until COVID reared it's ugly head, we went somewhere every year. Sometimes close (as in North or Central America) or sometimes far (as in Asia or Australia). We like to plan our trip around concerts we'd like to hear by world-class symphony orchestras in their home venue. Here is one that got on film. You can't see us, but we are in the audience. It's a great piece of music, not often played in the USA.

I don't do Starbucks either. Way overpriced and IMO not that good. If it was extraordinarily superb, it might be worth the money. I just don't do fast food - zilch - nada - none. I think life is too short to rush through meals. We went out and got a burger today, and a huge RV resort where we gig. I like to patronize the places that hire us, and the owner has hired us twice a month for 8 years now. I got a 9 oz burger made with beef that has never been frozen, delivered by the butcher this morning, hand pattied, on a fresh bun that was baked yesterday without preservatives, the burger was grilled the way I like it (well done) with the choice of toppings I like, and without the toppings I don't like. The cheese was real cheddar, not some processed cheese food. Mrs. Notes got hers rare with the toppings she prefers. The fries were real, fresh, never frozen potatoes, some with the skin still on (I like that), fried in an individual batch (not sitting under a heat lamp), and crispy the way I asked for them. Mrs. Notes got a salad that made fresh after she placed her order. She got the bottle of vinegar and oil to put on the salad, because they know that's what she wants. We were catered to, with the desire to do it the way we like it, not the way the factory builds them. We sat outdoors in a comfortable chair (it was 84 degrees today), and were served by an attractive, pleasant, and attentive waitress who checked on us to make sure everything was OK. The food was bursting with flavor, the company was superb, the location under huge Live-Oak trees pleasant. That was much more enjoyable than the car or any fast-food 'dining room'. That's good for our experience. The cup was ceramic, the plate china, the silverware stainless steel, the salt/pepper/ketchup/etc. in reusable, washable containers, and the only thing that was disposable was the napkin. That's good for the environment. ----- And what's really in an Egg McMuffin? Buns: High-fructose corn syrup, soy or canola oil (inflammatory, two of the hateful 8 oils), calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium propionate, potassium sorbate (preservatives), soy lecithin, inflammatory gliaden protein, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglycerides. (Are those unpronounceable ingredients actually food?) Eggs: From chickens who've been cooped up in dark factories where they don't even have room to spread their wings. They never see light, which means they're missing vitamin D, and their diet largely consists of only soy and corn. But I suppose most restaurants serve similar eggs, so McD gets an OK on that. At home, we buy free-range eggs from local farms. Cheese: (Actually not cheese, but processed cheese food.) Their blend is 60% cheddar cheese and 40% other ingredients, which include water, salt, whey powder, butter, milk proteins, emulsifying salts, natural cheese flavoring, and food coloring. This highly processed dairy product most likely comes from a cow that's been treated with synthetic hormones (rBGH) to boost milk production by about 10 percent. rGBH has been banned in Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand because it's unhealthy for both the cows and humans. Bacon: sugar, salt, sodium lactate, sodium phosphate, natural flavor (vegetable), sodium diacetate and sodium nitrite https://www.livestrong.com/article/559235-diet-detective-whats-really-inside-your-egg-mcmuffin/ I'm opposed to the High-fructose corn syrup, soy oil, alcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium propionate, potassium sorbate, soy lecithin, gliaden, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglycerides, rBGH, sodium diacetate, sodium nitrite and sugar. The sodium nitrite I'm probably getting in all bacon, so I guess that doesn't count. At home, I buy bacon that doesn't have the nitrites in it. But then I'm careful about what I eat, which is perhaps why I haven't been sick in +20 years except for one two-day cold I caught after a vacation where I ate many things that weren't very good for me. My doc says my heart/circulatory system and everything else is like a healthy person, more than 20 years younger than my age. Before I changed my diet, I wasn't this healthy at all. But that could just be me, and might not be the same for everyone else. Mrs. Notes never gets sick since we changed our diet. We're not vegans or anything like that, but we shy away from overly processed foods (frankenfood), eat fresh whenever we can, avoid corn syrup and inflammatory oils, keep the carbs down, and eat healthy fats. So, eating this way is healthy for us (YMMV). And since I gig for a living, and cannot call in sick, it makes good sense to eat a diet that keeps me from getting sick. ----- Plus I'd rather sit down at a comfortable restaurant and enjoy the meal cooked the way I like it, with a non-disposable cup, non-disposable plate, non-disposable flatware, salt/pepper/ketchup/etc. in non-disposable individual packets and savor the meal. Life is short, I try to enjoy and savor everything I do. Of course, that's just me. Others obviously love fast food. Big corporations make a mint producing it. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

I like Win 11 just fine. The only thing I did was move the start menu to the left. Other than that, I really don't notice any differences between 10 and 11 except for some minor cosmetic changes. Notes ♫

Superman Lover - Johnny "Guitar" Watson I really like Johnny's music. It's funky and fun. If you like this, check out the cover song, it's even better.

How many flies does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Only two. The hard part is getting them into the lightbulb.

I can go to a local restaurant, get fresh cooked eggs in butter (any way I like them), a side of bacon (becan), muffin, coffee in a china cup, real silverware (actually stainless steel), juice in a real glass, a cloth napkin, a comfortable booth and a clean table served by a friendly waitress who keeps the coffee topped off. Why would I want to eat a sandwich wrapped in paper that has been microwave reheated and drink coffee out of a styrofoam or paper cup in my car or in on a hard fiberglass seat inside? Life is too short to eat mediocre food. It's meant to be enjoyed, savored, and it pleasant surroundings. Of course, that's for me. There is more than one right way to eat food. Insights and incites by Notes ♫

Like Young - Andre Previn With words added by Buddy Greco Some old "cool school" jazz.

As much as I love classical music, I am NOT going to eat at McDonald's. They could add a free burger, and I'm still not going to eat at McDonald's. Life is too short to eat mediocre food Besides, I doubt they would be playing Prokofiev or Shostakovitch. Notes ♫

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen

It's an evil bait and switch ploy.

Topless servers could mean bald men.....

I worked on cruise ships for 3 years. Being a comedian is a difficult job. When I play music, the song is complete even if the audience doesn't applaud. But if the joke doesn't get a laugh, it just hangs there. I've seen comedians do the same act week after week putting the audience in tears, and every now and then, a cruise ship full of passengers just sits there silent. We've had weeks when the audiences were difficult too, but at least the music was complete.

So are you going to get your fat females? Notes ♫

Hot Stuff (I Want You Back) - Pussycat Dolls

How much? The true cost starts after you bring them home.

They all laughed when I said I wanted to be a comedian; well, they're not laughing now.

Beast Of Burden - Rolling Stones

I practice on the gig, standing. After all, if you can't practice on stage, where CAN you practice? Notes ♫

War Child - Jethro Tull

Except I would think milk would more likely be a "herself" instead of a "himself". :D

What if soy milk is just regular milk, introducing itself in Spanish?

The founding member of the Bapu Fan Club

White Lightning - George Jones

Heatwave - Martha and the Vandellas Among the Amharic speakers of North Central Ethiopia, a vandella is one of several types of ghost-walking or dream-invading demons/vampires, somewhat similar to a succubus or the vetala of India.