Minor things that bother you

[kphoger]

Fine. How about Eduardo -> Lalo, Guillermo -> Memo, José -> Pepe, Francisco -> Pancho, Rodrigo -> Lolo, etc. Better? 

Oh year, for sure.  Although, Memo makes sense for Guillermo, as it's just a doubling of the last syllable.

Similarly, in English we have Richard→Dick, Margaret→Peggy or Margaret→Daisy, Mary→Polly, Jonathan→Jack, Martha→Patty, etc, etc, etc.

[JayhawkCO]

Oh year, for sure.  Although, Memo makes sense for Guillermo, as it's just a doubling of the last syllable.

Momo would make more sense.

[kkt]

The Canada Geese here don't migrate.  They like it here.  Mild, plenty to eat.  They've been resident for decades, so I'm sure all the ones here now hatched here and have hatchright citizenship.

[kphoger]

Oh year, for sure.  Although, Memo makes sense for Guillermo, as it's just a doubling of the last syllable.

Momo would make more sense.

Sorry, yes.  The same vowels as the last two syllables, with the final consonant repeated.

[bugo]

Jesus, did someone report that line of discussion? I mean I guess it was political, but literally nothing I said couldn't have also been said by George W. Bush. It's pretty objective geopolitics that you don't threaten an ally with military aggression just to pump up your ego.

It's funny that certain moderators will lock threads because somebody mentioned politics while constantly talking about politics. And how certain lunatics act like asses to goad said moderator into locking threads.

[bugo]

I wonder, are there any cases of the mainline through-lanes of an an Interstate transitioning directly to the opposite signed direction of a different Interstate?

Eastbound I-44 transitions into westbound I-70 in St Louis.

[Big John]

The fact that we're two pages into a thread about "wrong way" interchanges when nowhere is it defined what a "wrong way" interchange is.

A movement from a northbound signed highway to a southbound signed highway or vice versa.

or

A movement from an eastbound signed highway to a westbound signed highway or vice versa.

And yet that would typically be called a "ramp", not an "interchange".

I wonder, are there any cases of the mainline through-lanes of an an Interstate transitioning directly to the opposite signed direction of a different Interstate?

Not sure if this counts, but NB I-43 transactions to multiplex with SB I-41 (with EB I-894) in Hales Corners WI.

[Scott5114]

Fine. How about Eduardo -> Lalo, Guillermo -> Memo, José -> Pepe, Francisco -> Pancho, Rodrigo -> Lolo, etc. Better? 

Oh year, for sure.  Although, Memo makes sense for Guillermo, as it's just a doubling of the last syllable.

Similarly, in English we have Richard→Dick, Margaret→Peggy or Margaret→Daisy, Mary→Polly, Jonathan→Jack, Martha→Patty, etc, etc, etc.

Also William→Bill. Where'd the B come from?

[Molandfreak]

Fine. How about Eduardo -> Lalo, Guillermo -> Memo, José -> Pepe, Francisco -> Pancho, Rodrigo -> Lolo, etc. Better? 

Oh year, for sure.  Although, Memo makes sense for Guillermo, as it's just a doubling of the last syllable.

Similarly, in English we have Richard→Dick, Margaret→Peggy or Margaret→Daisy, Mary→Polly, Jonathan→Jack, Martha→Patty, etc, etc, etc.

Also William→Bill. Where'd the B come from?

Better than Richard → Dick

[Scott5114]

Fine. How about Eduardo -> Lalo, Guillermo -> Memo, José -> Pepe, Francisco -> Pancho, Rodrigo -> Lolo, etc. Better? 

Oh year, for sure.  Although, Memo makes sense for Guillermo, as it's just a doubling of the last syllable.

Similarly, in English we have Richard→Dick, Margaret→Peggy or Margaret→Daisy, Mary→Polly, Jonathan→Jack, Martha→Patty, etc, etc, etc.

Also William→Bill. Where'd the B come from?

Better than Richard → Dick

MP3 players for the cat?

[Molandfreak]

Wait, Margaret→Peggy and Margaret→Daisy? The only thing I've seen is Margaret→Maggie, which actually makes sense.

[kphoger]

Wait, Margaret→Peggy and Margaret→Daisy? The only thing I've seen is Margaret→Maggie, which actually makes sense.

Margaret → Mag → Meg → rhyming trend resulted in Peg → Peggy

Margaret → French version is Marguerite, which means 'daisy' → Daisy

Also William→Bill. Where'd the B come from?

Better than Richard → Dick

That whole rhyming trend gave us a lot of seemingly odd nicknames that are still in use:

Robert → Rob → rhyming trend → Bob

William → Will → rhyming trend → Bill

Richard → Rick → rhyming trend → Dick

And by the way, while we're at it:

John → Norman version of John was Jen → added -kin as a diminutive → Jenkin → Jakin → Jack

[Rothman]

This naming sorcery is a minor thing that bothers me.

[Amaury]

My weekly drive this week on Wednesday was to Lincoln City, Oregon. It was actually a redo drive, as I originally took this drive on Christmas Day, but due to technical issues with my dashcam, the last three hours did not record.

Well, I was on this beach right here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/iBg4NVYq1ZTTEZD98

I was taking photos, as I do every time I reach my drive destination, to post on Facebook, and then a video of the waves. I saw a wave coming in. I didn't really do anything, such as run to the stairs, as I didn't think anything would happen. Waves came up to me and knocked me down, "attacking" me more than once and completely soaking me. They were only about knee high. I managed to keep my phone in my hand, but it got wet and is currently not working. My wallet stayed in my sweatpants pocket, thankfully! My truck keys were swept out of my sweater pouch pocket and lost to the ocean, I'm pretty sure. I was so focused on getting back to higher ground and going up the stairs that I didn't realize at the time I lost my keys. And when I was going to go back down to see if I could find them—unlikely, but there could have been a 1% chance—waves kept coming in.

My drives usually last less than a day. Longest drive that wasn't a two-parter—driving there one day, staying at a hotel, and then driving back the next day—was roughly around 21 hours, and that was when I went to Crescent City, California. The drives that involve me staying at a hotel are when my mom tags along on long drives, which have only been two so far, since she doesn't like being in the car that long. I don't mind myself. Anyway, what would have been around a 12-hour drive turned into me being stuck in Oregon for over a day and spending almost $1,200 to mostly resolve things. The price for being towed to the Toyota in Newport, Oregon, where they could get me a new key FOB, the price for the overnight hotel stay, and the price for the new key FOB and programming.

And that's not all. Now we get to file insurance claims to hopefully be reimbursed, get myself a new phone, as I don't think I can fix this one, and figure out what's wrong with the truck: 2022 Toyota Tacoma. For reference, this is what the dashboard should look like while the truck is running: https://images.dealersync.com/2500/Photos/1083072/20240112213458541_20240112_141308.jpg?_=fdc225f26b84de69455ee384e1618e6d914dc63b

The only light that should on right now is the maintenance light as it is due for maintenance. The dashboard is completely dark when the truck is running. Only three lights are showing: traction control, airbag, and check engine, and they're staying on even when the truck is off. My turn signals/hazard lights aren't working, though my headlights and tail lights are, I just can't see that they are since the dashboard is showing nothing. Even if I can't see anything on my dashboard, I would imagine that my turn signals/hazard lights would still be working externally, but they aren't. My instrument gauges aren't working, so there is no way to track my speed, either digitally in the center display or with the speedometer. (I had to keep glancing at my dashcam to keep track of my speed coming back.) It looks like the engine is cold when it's not, and that I have no fuel when I do. They did have to "break into" the truck since it was locked, so it went into theft prevention mode, with the alarm going off, preventing them from programming the new FOB. They had to get a locksmith to make a manual key to put in the door to disable the anti-theft mode, and then they were able to program the FOB. So I'm not sure if that caused it, or if they messed something up accidentally while programming the new FOB. I do know what it seems everything reset, as the song list I was playing completely reset to the beginning. We have our service appointment with our regular Toyota location today, so we'll ask them.

So, I had a "very fun time"!

EDIT: None of the safety features are working, either, such as the anti-collision system or the seatbelt not being on warning sound.

[Rothman]

That's minor?

[1995hoo]

Fine. How about Eduardo -> Lalo, Guillermo -> Memo, José -> Pepe, Francisco -> Pancho, Rodrigo -> Lolo, etc. Better? 

Oh year, for sure.  Although, Memo makes sense for Guillermo, as it's just a doubling of the last syllable.

Similarly, in English we have Richard→Dick, Margaret→Peggy or Margaret→Daisy, Mary→Polly, Jonathan→Jack, Martha→Patty, etc, etc, etc.

Also William→Bill. Where'd the B come from?

I wonder whether some of it might have come from other languages' forms of the name "William." For example, in German you have "Wilhelm," pronounced with an initial "V" sound. There's certainly plenty of German influence in British history, so perhaps hearing "Vill" caused people to morph it into "Bill."

This thread is making me think of a stupid joke I heard somewhere when I was a kid:

A substitute teacher is taking attendance one day, but instead of calling the roll, she asks each kid to say his name. The first boy says, "I'm Julie." The teacher looks at him and says, "That's confusing. I would think 'Julie' is a girl. You must be Julius." She then looks at the second boy, who pauses and says, "Well, I guess I must be Billius."

[Max Rockatansky]

My weekly drive this week on Wednesday was to Lincoln City, Oregon. It was actually a redo drive, as I originally took this drive on Christmas Day, but due to technical issues with my dashcam, the last three hours did not record.

Edited out the rest of a very awful sounding trip.  None of those truck issues sound minor to me, holy crap.

I was out in Willits that same week.  The weather from Santa Rosa northward to at least the state line was awful.  Were you get hammered by rain on top of everything else you described?

[webny99]

I wonder, are there any cases of the mainline through-lanes of an an Interstate transitioning directly to the opposite signed direction of a different Interstate?

Eastbound I-44 transitions into westbound I-70 in St Louis.

Best one yet because there's not even a direct ramp from EB I-44 to EB I-70.

[Beltway]

I wonder whether some of it might have come from other languages' forms of the name "William." For example, in German you have "Wilhelm," pronounced with an initial "V" sound. There's certainly plenty of German influence in British history, so perhaps hearing "Vill" caused people to morph it into "Bill."

Names can be completely unconventional.

How does Thomas become Chip?

How does William become Buzz?

How does Dolores become DeeDee?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I wonder whether some of it might have come from other languages' forms of the name "William." For example, in German you have "Wilhelm," pronounced with an initial "V" sound. There's certainly plenty of German influence in British history, so perhaps hearing "Vill" caused people to morph it into "Bill."

Names can be completely unconventional.

How does Thomas become Chip?

How does William become Buzz?

How does Dolores become DeeDee?

I think these are likely nicknames that were gained as personal circumstance than because of their given names.


e.g "That kid eats a lot of potato chips" or "that kid looks like he lost a battle with a lawn mower buzzing him"

[kphoger]

I think these are likely nicknames that were gained as personal circumstance than because of their given names.

e.g "That kid eats a lot of potato chips" or "that kid looks like he lost a battle with a lawn mower buzzing him"

More likely, his dad just thought one day while looking at his baby:  You know, I like the nickname Chip.

[vdeane]

I normally have a cycle for my weight.  It goes up over the weekend and it goes down over the course of the week.  It can have bigger blips around trips and holidays, but usually goes down reasonably quickly and the overall trend was down.  Well, not this time.  I've had a net gain of 10 lbs over the past two months due to the holidays (and a workshop I had to travel to) and though I just got back to my normal eating habits this week, the scale isn't moving (despite the fact that I can usually expect a swing of at least 2-3 lbs down from Monday to Friday!).  I don't know what I'm going to do.  I'm already very frustrated with my diet because I feel like I'm depriving myself on week nights (and I can't make those meals more substantial without depriving myself of my weekend favorites that pull up my average daily calories for the week), and it seems like I'm going to have to be very strict about it for a long while since I'm basically restarting my weight loss from scratch, except now my metabolism seems to have decreased for some reason.

To make matters worse, I have a formal wedding to attend later this year, and I want to look good for it (this weight gain had led to a lot of fat accumulation around my midsection and looks horrible), so the sooner I can get the weight off, the sooner I can go dress shopping, but it feels like that won't be soon at all.  All the while I'm battling food cravings and the urge to binge eat (alas, my body doesn't understand what moderation is) my favorite foods and eat all my favorite sweets.

Honestly, it's extremely tempting to give up on any attempt at not being overweight.  I probably will after the wedding, maybe even sooner.  I had to give up a few old favorites in order to get my weight down and I miss them a lot.

[Rothman]

I normally have a cycle for my weight.  It goes up over the weekend and it goes down over the course of the week.  It can have bigger blips around trips and holidays, but usually goes down reasonably quickly and the overall trend was down.  Well, not this time.  I've had a net gain of 10 lbs over the past two months due to the holidays (and a workshop I had to travel to) and though I just got back to my normal eating habits this week, the scale isn't moving (despite the fact that I can usually expect a swing of at least 2-3 lbs down from Monday to Friday!).  I don't know what I'm going to do.  I'm already very frustrated with my diet because I feel like I'm depriving myself on week nights (and I can't make those meals more substantial without depriving myself of my weekend favorites that pull up my average daily calories for the week), and it seems like I'm going to have to be very strict about it for a long while since I'm basically restarting my weight loss from scratch, except now my metabolism seems to have decreased for some reason.

To make matters worse, I have a formal wedding to attend later this year, and I want to look good for it (this weight gain had led to a lot of fat accumulation around my midsection and looks horrible), so the sooner I can get the weight off, the sooner I can go dress shopping, but it feels like that won't be soon at all.  All the while I'm battling food cravings and the urge to binge eat (alas, my body doesn't understand what moderation is) my favorite foods and eat all my favorite sweets.

Honestly, it's extremely tempting to give up on any attempt at not being overweight.  I probably will after the wedding, maybe even sooner.  I had to give up a few old favorites in order to get my weight down and I miss them a lot.

It's hard to lose weight, especially as we get older.  In my experience, fully admitting I'm overweight currently, it takes a dogged counting of calories each day over an extended time period to lose it and that takes all sorts of energy to achieve.

Anyway, keep that in mind -- it's not an easy task, despite all the "my plan is easy and works" con artists out there -- and don't beat yourself up over it.

[JayhawkCO]

I think these are likely nicknames that were gained as personal circumstance than because of their given names.

e.g "That kid eats a lot of potato chips" or "that kid looks like he lost a battle with a lawn mower buzzing him"

More likely, his dad just thought one day while looking at his baby:  You know, I like the nickname Chip.

I wonder if it's just short form of "chip off the ol' block" or something like that.

[kphoger]

I have a formal wedding to attend later this year, and I want to look good for it (this weight gain had led to a lot of fat accumulation around my midsection and looks horrible)

I'm skeptical that a few lost pounds will make much of a difference to your appearance.  Either your appearance isn't as bad as you imagine it to be, or else dropping the pounds won't have as profound an effect as you imagine it will.

But it isn't good for your mental health to be so focused on what your waistline looks like.  It's better to focus on eating healthy food and getting some exercise, and then to just accept whatever body shape those lifestyle changes produce.  Especially considering the conversations you and I have had about the relationship between your body and the "real you", it's disconcerting to now hear you put so much emphasis on your physical appearance.  Don't let your identity get so tangled up in the pounds and inches and clothing sizes:  those are all just math.  Your value does not depend on the shape and size of your skin, and nobody around you thinks it does—at least, nobody worth listening to.

If you don't think your midsection is attractive enough to fit into a certain outfit, then it's a perfectly acceptable solution to simply wear something else that hides it better.  It's also a perfectly acceptable solution to just say "to hell with it" and wear it anyway.  I realize, of course, that the latter may be a step too big to take, at least at this time, but, other than your own self-confidence, what do you really have to lose by wearing something that makes your belly look a little less perfect?  Heck, doing so might even be an encouragement to someone else who struggles with a similar thing.

All the while I'm battling food cravings and the urge to binge eat (alas, my body doesn't understand what moderation is) my favorite foods and eat all my favorite sweets.

Honestly, it's extremely tempting to give up on any attempt at not being overweight.  I probably will after the wedding, maybe even sooner.  I had to give up a few old favorites in order to get my weight down and I miss them a lot.

If you don't mind my asking, what sort of diet are you on?  My wife has recently been on a health/weight journey, and she's lost about 45 pounds just since Easter.  We were already eating fairly healthy, but we've made some small-ish changes to our diet anyway, and we went from not exercising to exercising almost every day.  She still has an occasional treat, but she's also found some new on-plan treats too.