art – Page 13

Fast Food Drive-Thru Experiences

Some guy posted this picture online and said he started going to Chipotle instead of Wendy’s because Wendy’s did away with their taco chips and made them into little “pebbles” and he likes to scoop up the taco salad with the chips. I feel the same way. The ruined the whole taco salad by doing this. Trying to save money I guess but losing customers in the process.

Speaking of Wendy’s, I think the people who work the drive-thru windows at Wendy’s and Burger King think I am either cheap or poor.

I don’t really pay attention to the cost of things when it comes to lunch, especially at a drive thru. But for some reason, it always appears that way at these two places.

At Wendy’s I always get the taco salad, but may not anymore now that the chips are pebbles, but anyway, I know now with tax is $9.08, but in the past, I didn’t pay attention, I just paid.

One of the ladies at the drive-thru is the manager and one day she gave me a coupon for $2.00 off a salad. I didn’t go back for a while, but the coupon sat on my console in the car. When I finally went back, I remembered it and I gave it to another lady at the window.

My eyes are bad, I need new contact lenses and there no way I could read the expiration date, so I asked her if it was still valid. She said it wasn’t, and I said, ok, fine.

But the manager said to give me the discount, so they did.

She must have assumed I gave her the coupon knowing it was expired, but that wasn’t the case.

I only say that because the next time I went, when I got to the window, I asked them how much it was. I really didn’t know, I didn’t remember, and I don’t keep track.

The manager was at the window, and she said, “Come on, you know how much it is. You just want a discount!”

Ha, I was embarrassed, because that was not the case. I honestly didn’t remember what it cost, and I didn’t hear them when they told me through the speaker. I didn’t even know you could ask for a discount, which she didn’t give me anyway.

I’ve been back many times since then, so that didn’t stop me, but I don’t like the new way they do the taco salads now and they sort of did away with the taco chips, which I liked to use as a spoon to scoop up the salad with the chili, so I may not go back.

One thing I do there, and I seem to do it at Burger King, too, is that I’m counting out bills and coins as if they are my last bit of money. But I do it to get rid of the overflowing coins in my ashtray in the car and also to get rid of the singles I seem to accumulate.

Now at Burger King. For some reason, every time I go, which is not often, I count out the change – bills and coins – to the exact amount, same as at Wendy’s, and I’m usually struggling with it as I get to the window to pay.

And here it is always the same lady who I deal with, and she remembers me, because if I don’t go for a while, she comments on it and says, “You haven’t been her for a while.”

I also only order one thing – some sort of burger or a chicken sandwich. I stopped getting fries and a drink, so it looks like I can only afford the one sandwich, although that one sandwich costs more than their $5.00 meal deal, so there is that.

But when I get the meal, I end up eating the fries mindlessly as I’m driving and I feel I don’t need to eat fries especially since I’m not really enjoying them and just gobbling them down, and I don’t drink soda and don’t like any of their other drinks, so I decided to just get the one burger or chicken sandwich.

I know none of this matters, but I find it funny and sort of embarrassing at the same time.

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Going Schengen

I was watching “To Catch A Smuggler: Rome,” the other night and I learned a new word – “Schengen.”

This guy was trying to sneak into Rome with a fake passport and he did not have Schengen authority and was banned from all the Schengen countries. There are 29 of them!

If you don’t know, like I didn’t, The Schengen Area encompasses 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders. They are sort of treated like states. For instance if you are in Italy, you can easily go to France or Spain or Austria, Germany, Greece, etc. Just as we pass through from Maine to Vermont, to New York.

From Wikipedia: “The common visa policy allows nationals of certain countries to enter the Schengen Area via air, land or sea without a visa for stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Nationals of certain other countries are required to have a visa either upon arrival or in transit.”

This started in 1985 and grew to the current roster and became an official thing in 1995.

I find it interesting, because these days, I often think of moving to Italy and getting my Italian citizenship – and having two – U.S. and Italian.

I was at JFK in NYC once and a TSA agent grabbed my luggage. “Whose luggage is this?” he bellowed. (JFK, NYC, TSA – sounds like code language).

“Mine!” I said, as I raised my hand. I walked over to the luggage.

“Don’t touch it!” he yelled.

“I know, I watch, ‘To Catch A Smuggler!’ I answered.

He laughed and said, “So do I.”

It was a pair of tiny scissors that set of the alarm in the end. It was a funny experience and I tell it often, in fact, I have told it here before.

Anyway, happy Schengen!

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The Timeless Appeal of Depeche Mode

I was watching a lot of Depeche Mode videos and concerts this weekend. I don’t know why. I mean I aways loved them, but all of a sudden there they were all over my social media.

I think it started by me watching a lot of the FireAid concert on social media and from watching those bands, mostly Stevie Nicks over and over, Depeche Mode starting popping up. So I started watching them. They weren’t part of FireAid, but I guess the genre sort of was part of what was at FireAid so the algorithms brought them up.

It started on my phone and then I put them on YouTube on my big tv screen.

What I found interesting is that they sort of don’t age, although David Gahan, front man, is getting gray streaks in his hair now, but he still sings and moves like he always did. He’s ageless. Although he has almost been dead more than once. Four times he had brushes with death and he go the nickname “The Cat” due to his coming back to life over and over.

He also was a heroin addict and had a drug induced heart attack right in the middle of a concert once. I don’t say all this to put him down, I say it all to build him up – he is invincible. He does his famous twirl through the concerts, enjoying every moment.

When you watch him perform, he takes over the stage, his movements, voice and engagement with the audience is incredible, he commands the stage, even when he isn’t singing – many times he gives over the performance to the audience and has them finish singing the songs.

David was ranked at No. 73 on Q magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Singers” and No. 27 on its list of the “100 Greatest Frontmen”.

Founding member Andy Fletcher, “Fletch” passed away in May 2022. They talk about it in the CBS Sunday Morning interview below.

I drew the above cartoon over from a previous version this weekend since he and Depeche Mode were on my mind.

Regarding the video above of “Enjoy the Silence,” my favorite Depeche Mode song, among so many, I like this video because it shows David and the band over years. It sort of intercuts them singing the song in various stages of their career. Love that.

Here, below is a recent interview with David Gahan and Martin Gore on CBS Sunday Morning.

.You can get all the Depeche Mode music here at Amazon.

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I’m helpless; I lost my DIY skills

I am totally helpless.

What I mean is that I used to be able to do everything, now after years of paying people, I can’t do a thing, or I am hesitant to do it, thinking I can’t do it.

My car needs antifreeze, I am not sure how to do it or how to buy it. I know where to buy it, but I’m not sure if there is a certain type. When I was younger I could to so much under the engine. Now I don’t even know how to open the car hood. Seriously. I’ve paid people to do things for me for too many years now. I lost my skills.

One time I changed someone’s tire. A stranger. I was walking by and saw the flat. I fixed it for her where I live in the village. Took me a few minutes. Now I don’t even have a jack – cars don’t come with jacks anymore. Look it up.

Now I call AAA or my car dealership and they do all that for me. Helpless.

I was the oldest child, so I helped my father with everything whether I wanted to or not, and this taught me how to do everything. When I moved into my first apartment, I painted, hung curtains, fixed broken closest doors, etc. Now I stare at them all and wonder what to do next.

I do have a toolbox, so that’s half the battle.

I have broken closet doors and a broken window and things that need fixing in the kitchen. I guess I could be handy, but I don’t want to be. In the past I guess I used to just do it as a habit. Car lightbulb out? I’ll fix it. Car needs STP (remember that?), I’ll add it.

I have a shirt I love. I got it years ago from J. Crew. It has a little hole in it where the seems separated. I used to be able to sew it up. But now I am hesitant to try. I can easily buy a new shirt, but I don’t think I’ll find the same one with the same look and feel. It’s sort of a sweater/sweatshirt. I don’t wear it often, so it’s lasted years.

If my mother was around, I would just bring it to her and she would do it for me. I guess I can bring it to the guy at the dry cleaners who does that kind of thing, but it’s sort of embarrassing to ask them to sew up a tiny hole, smaller than a dime.

If I manage to man up and sew it up, I’ll let you know. Man up and sew it up. Hmm, interesting concept.

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Beaux Arts Festival: Art and Food

Went with friends to the Beaux Arts Festival this past weekend, held on the University of Miami campus. It’s the beginning of the arts festival season in Miami, if you don’t count Art Basel, which is at the beginning of December. I missed Basel this year, I was in New York.

The Miami Beach Art Deco Festival was this past weekend, too, which I usually never miss, but I didn’t attend that this year, either.

I’m just a tire kicker – a friend called me that yesterday at Beaux Arts, when I approached his art booth. He sells beautiful photographs he takes.

I’m not sure why I don’t buy a lot of art. I guess it started when I covered the news, which was for 15 years – I was too busy trying to “get the story,” that I didn’t shop around for art. But I don’t really have much wall space where I live, it’s mostly windows.

I do buy sculptures and things like that at times, but not much wall art.

Since I stopped editing the daily news, people think I left town. When I was doing the news, I was at everything every day. It was too much really, but it was my job – morning, noon and night, I was there getting the story and photos. Now I don’t do much in town.

Now when people see me, they say, “You’re back!” And I have to tell them I never left. So, there was a lot of that this weekend. I end up talking to some people and my friends who I arrive with scatter, and they end up talking to people they run into, and it goes like that.

A couple of weeks ago there was a parade in town. We all started out together and by the end, we were in different parts of the village hanging out with others watching the parade from our usual/favorite spots.

We mostly eat our way through these festivals, it’s almost like a food festival with art for many of us.

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Pushing drugs at the pharmacy

This Close to Home cartoon from yesterday reminded me of the Publix pharmacy and it was literally too close to home.

Every time I go to pick up a prescription, they try to push other things on me. They aren’t pushing drugs, but they are constantly pushing vaccines and shots.

As I pick up my prescription, the pharmacist says, “Looks like you are due for a flue shot,” or “It’s time for a Covid vaccine update.” Things like that.

It’s sort of sleazy, especially since Publix makes large profits every year. They don’t need to push chemicals on people.

“First quarter sales for Publix Super Markets were $15.1 billion, a 5% increase from $14.3 billion in 2023. Comparable store sales increased by 2.8%,” according to Supermarket News.

A month or so ago I was at the Publix pharmacy and they were pushing a bunch of vaccines and shots on some older man who was there. They just kept hounding him. He didn’t understand what they were talking about and he said he didn’t want them, but the pharmacist kept pushing him with some sort of chart – pointing and saying, “You need this one and this one and this one.”

I didn’t butt in, but sometimes I wish I had said something.

CVS, Walgreens, Publix, they are all the same.

I tried using small mom and pop pharmacies in the past, but every time I did that, they ended up being sold to CVS or Walgreens! I would show up to pick up a prescription and there on the door there would be a sign that says something like, “We are now owned by CVS (or Walgreens). All prescriptions and records are now owned by them. The nearest location is at blah, blah, blah.”

This happened to me three times over the years. Corporate America taking over.

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The name game

I saw this guy complaining about his name on Reddit.

His name is Michael and he prefers to be called Mick, but a co-worker insists on calling him Mike, and this is upsetting Michael, er, Mick.

With all the crap going on in the world today, this is his issue?

I know names are important and they should be spelled right, especially in the press, but what’s the big deal?

My name is Tom, along with Tom, people call me Thomas (my given name) Tomás, the Latin way; Tommy, Tom-o and Tombo. I answer to all of them. I’ve been called worse.

I have a customer named Benlida. I love that name, I use it in my cartoons often, for witches. It sounds like a Witch’s name.

I never met the real Benlida. She orders from my business online and has for years, but I know her name, shipping address, phone number, etc. But I just don’t know her personally, or what she looks like.

Some names like Hugh Jass, Anita Bath, Ima Hogg, should not be and if I had a dog, I think I would name him Oliver. Maybe Olive, it if was a girl.

I think I told you about Richard recently, this dog who was a pet of the people who lived next to my parents.

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Painting comfort food

This is so good. He paints everyday foods.

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A busy MOMA day

Went to MOMA yesterday because it was raining. But who am I kidding, I would have gone anyway.

But so many other people showed up as well. They mobbed Starry Night, I guess mostly because it was moved from the fourth floor to the second floor for some sort of exhibit related to that era.

I found a wallet on the floor and brought it to lost and found. The lady there said, “Thank you, I’ll keep it for you.”

I said, “Don’t keep it for me, hold it for the rightful owner.”

She said, “Right.”

Hopefully he gets it. I didn’t really go through it, but there might have been a phone number, I didn’t think of it at the time.

This is the third time I found someone’s wallet. One time it was on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa. A guy left his wallet on the roof of his car at a gas station and drove off. All the papers and everything blew out of the wallet along with the wallet. My friend Victor and I chased down the papers and managed to track down the guy using a check that was in the wallet.

Anyway, if you ever lose a wallet, check with me, I might have it.

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Visited MOMA, again

Visited one of my favorite places again yesterday – MOMA – Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

My favorite painting, Starry Night, was crammed with people again, trying to get selfies of themselves in front of the painting, and I tried to get pictures of people taking images of themselves in front of the painting.

NYC has been very busy with tourists this week. Today is the opening of New York Comic Con, maybe that’s why. I’ll be at Comic Con, I’ll post about it Friday, subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss it. I’ll also have a story and images on our trip upstate to pumpkin and apple pick, as we usually do each October.

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