I was at the dentist today. Second time they made me wait more than 30 minutes. Aside from that they asked for a much higher payment than I agreed to just one week earlier.

I got up and told them I'm leaving and they can keep the money. The apologized profusely and convinced me to stay. They did get me in and out very quickly after that.

I doubt I will go back for the second half of the work.

Also happened when I took my 5 year old son to the dentist. The doctor's policy was that no parents are allowed on the treatment room. I told my son to get out of the chair and left. Turned out that dentist was trying to put fillings in teeth that would fall out before fillings were even needed.

Who is keeping new cars at the library?

Already happening in Northern California. PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric), which is a FOR-PROFIT utility, reduced the price it pays individuals for selling extra power to the grid. The reason cited was there is too much power being sold at the wrong time of day.

Take a look at California ISO to see real-time graphs of electricity generation and usage.

Solar is currently generating about 50% of total electricity. A percentage of that is going to batteries.

Looks like my dog who does the same thing every night.

Channeling Yogi Bera?

I had a similar positive experience in Spain and Morocco. Tangier is very close to Spain so most of the locals know Spanish.

I would always start conversations in Spanish. Most of the time the person I was talking to would appreciate my attempt and switch to English. In Tangier I talked to a street peddler for over 15 minutes while friends were in a store. I attempted to speak in Spanish but he preferred English. He just wanted to chat.

I've met most of neighbors while walking my dogs. There is a nice backyard but they LOVE going on walks and car rides.

This story is being reported elsewhere. It had been in the news cycle for several days as more individuals and govt agencies commented.

AP from Wednesday - https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-vance-arlington-cemetery-1.7307539

EDIT - The story continues: Reuters from Thursday - https://lemm.ee/post/41014140

This is state law in California. Enforcement differs in each area. I don't believe Oakland checks.

My last two TVs were dumb ones.

It is getting harder find dumb TVs because the smart stuff included with most TVs subsidizes keeping the initial price low. Manufactures are betting millions of dollars purchasers will sign up for the monthly apps.

I have a filing cabinet with one drawer for hanging folders. Everything gets sorted and put in there. When a folder gets too fluffy I will pull it out and shred old stuff.

I could probably get rid of a lot but this method does come in handy occasionally. Most recently were my 2023 taxes which I filed in July (I had an extension). I yanked the 2023 file and immediately had 90% of my donations and medical expenses.

I do similar. Cross the name out with a Sharpie and write "MOVED".

After owning the place for two years now I just throw it out.