AMA midwestyankee

[midwestyankee]

Of course you would want x-ray vision. I feel you on the night vision. I just wish other's lights didn't appear so bright.

I remember feeling the same way when I first learned to drive. Of course, I learned in a place where we often drove on roads with very little traffic so every oncoming car at night was a shock to the eyes and we had to switch from high beams to low, which is pretty rare now that I live near a city. And, of course, headlights have been getting progressively brighter for the last thirty years. While it's true that well-aimed headlights aren't supposed to blind oncoming drivers, that alignment is based on cars traveling on a flat road. Any dips or bounces and pretty soon someone is seeing next to nothing while traveling at speed.

 

[cookiecat]

What do you worry about most?

 

[midwestyankee]

What do you worry about most?

If I'm to believe my dreams, I am most worried about finding the right room to take the final exam in a course that I didn't realize I was signed up to take and thus hadn't done any of the reading nor attended any of the lectures.

If I pay attention to the things my mind seizes on to force me into insomnia, it's the procedural details of projects I am doing. Or it's every mistake I made in 1986.

If you ask me over coffee when I am awake, it's that our world will be changed for the worse by our societal response to the way we have had to adapt to the pandemic. For example, I fear that it will be a long time before we are all suitably comfortable about gathering in large groups and that makes me sad. I hope I am wrong.

 

[midwestyankee]

Hotdogs: NY or Chicago?

You can't possibly be serious, or are you trying to trick me into revealing more than my name, rank, and serial number?

 

[midwestyankee]

And size.

The standard Vienna beef hotdog, the dog used for all real Chicago hot dogs, is a firm six inches long.

 

[ultramarineblue]

I remember feeling the same way when I first learned to drive. Of course, I learned in a place where we often drove on roads with very little traffic so every oncoming car at night was a shock to the eyes and we had to switch from high beams to low, which is pretty rare now that I live near a city. And, of course, headlights have been getting progressively brighter for the last thirty years. While it's true that well-aimed headlights aren't supposed to blind oncoming drivers, that alignment is based on cars traveling on a flat road. Any dips or bounces and pretty soon someone is seeing next to nothing while traveling at speed.

I used to prefer to drive at night but definitely not anymore. I live in a hilly area so I definitely experience the blinded by the light. I always look towards the right edge of the road to try to minimize it.

I'm curious about hot dog preference too. I love a good hot dog.

 

[midwestyankee]

I used to prefer to drive at night but definitely not anymore. I live in a hilly area so I definitely experience the blinded by the light. I always look towards the right edge of the road to try to minimize it.

I'm curious about hot dog preference too. I love a good hot dog.

I do too. See above.

 

[ultramarineblue]

The standard Vienna beef hotdog, the dog used for all real Chicago hot dogs, is a firm six inches long.

That looks wonderful!

 

[midwestyankee]

That looks wonderful!

Yes, and in fact they both were. And the fresh-cut fries are de rigeuer in my book. Those frozen crinkle-cut turd chunks that some places serve disqualify any restaurant from my patronage.

 

[Cakecups]

Do you like celery salt on your hotdogs?

Are you a fan of bloody Mary’s and if so how do you feel about the ones that come with exaggerated garnishes like a mini burger on a stick in the drink?

 

[midwestyankee]

Do you like celery salt on your hotdogs?

Are you a fan of bloody Mary’s and if so how do you feel about the ones that come with exaggerated garnishes like a mini burger on a stick in the drink?

I always get my hot dogs with everything, and celery salt is one of the essential ingredients. So, yes.

I have drunk a Bloody Mary when forced out to brunch but I refuse to order one with much more garnush than a celery stalk. I have yet to graduate from Old School. Cool questions, btw.

 

[Cakecups]

I always get my hot dogs with everything, and celery salt is one of the essential ingredients. So, yes.

I have drunk a Bloody Mary when forced out to brunch but I refuse to order one with much more garnush than a celery stalk. I have yet to graduate from Old School. Cool questions, btw.

Hot dogs with everything are SO GOOD, I haven’t had one in a long time
But now I’m craving one after seeing the pic you posted.

 

[midwestyankee]

Celery and olives.

That works for me.

 

[ultramarineblue]

I want a good hot dog so badly right now. I'll have to go pick up stuff for it.

 

[midwestyankee]

I want a good hot dog so badly right now. I'll have to go pick up stuff for it.

Pricey, but authentic.

 

[seela]

Pricey, but authentic.

I wonder if they ship here.

 

[midwestyankee]

I wonder if they ship here.

I checked and, sorry, they don't. Maybe if we raked our forests better our shipping practices could improve.

 

[seela]

I checked and, sorry, they don't. Maybe if we raked our forests better our shipping practices could improve.

That's a beginning for sure. Worth a shot for reasons other than getting me some pizza and hot dogs, too.

I had forgotten about the raking business entirely until I saw a silly video that mentioned it last week. I tweeted something stupid around the rakey time and it's still pretty much the only tweet of mine that's gotten 10+ likes. It got hundreds. I wanted to flee Twitter, I've rarely felt as exposed.

Thus endeth seela's rakey twitter story corner.

Have any of your tweets or other social media posts ever blown up?

 

[midwestyankee]

That's a beginning for sure. Worth a shot for reasons other than getting me some pizza and hot dogs, too.

I had forgotten about the raking business entirely until I saw a silly video that mentioned it last week. I tweeted something stupid around the rakey time and it's still pretty much the only tweet of mine that's gotten 10+ likes. It got hundreds. I wanted to flee Twitter, I've rarely felt as exposed.

Thus endeth seela's rakey twitter story corner.

Have any of your tweets or other social media posts ever blown up?

Hundreds is awesome. I think I may have had a couple of tweets receive a few dozen likes but that's the most. On the other hand, one of my tweets was liked and retweetedby author Joyce Carol Oates.

 

[seela]

Hundreds is awesome. I think I may have had a couple of tweets receive a few dozen likes but that's the most. On the other hand, one of my tweets was liked and retweetedby author Joyce Carol Oates.

That's cool! I don't think mine was liked or retweeted by any famous people. I googled it now and someone has used it in their WordPress blog, though. Kinda similar.

874 likes, 239 retweets. I got several followers from that tweet. They must be very disappointed.

 

[seela]

You're old enough to have sent letters back in the day... p)

Have you ever sent a fan letter to one of your celebrity idols? If yes, who was the lucky recipient? Did you get a reply?

 

[midwestyankee]

You're old enough to have sent letters back in the day... p)

Have you ever sent a fan letter to one of your celebrity idols? If yes, who was the lucky recipient? Did you get a reply?

I do recall letters, though I am also young enough that use of fountain pens has always been a bit rare. I learned to write with a ballpoint pen.

The closest event I can think of to your scenario was when I wrote to the sitting Vice President to invite him to speak at my high school. I did so with the blessing of the school administration and in my capacity as editor of the school newspaper. On the day that the Vice President was in Maine campaigning for the Presidency, I received a phone call at school from one of his staff to say that an appearance at the school was not possible. I was disappointed but even then I knew how unlikely it was that we might get the VP at our school.

 

[ashkitten]

What's an animal you like in the abstract but do not want to be near in person?

(Ex: I am scared of possums but find pictures of them quite cute.)

 

[midwestyankee]

What's an animal you like in the abstract but do not want to be near in person?

(Ex: I am scared of possums but find pictures of them quite cute.)

This is a much tougher question than I thought it was before I started thinking how I might answer. As a young boy I was fascinated by snakes and other reptiles (I know, so completely unlike a young boy) and even kept a garter snake that I caught in our garden. It was a most talented garter snake though, as he (presumed) found a way to unscrew the lid of his large-jar terrarium on the very first night that he lived on my desk. I suspect he had significant help from my father as snakes have been pretty slow about evolving the whole opposable thumb thing. I also had a gecko as a pet for a while in grad school. We were not meant for one another so I gave him back to the young woman who had given him (again, presumed) to me.

I do like the idea of cats in that they are the arrogant introverts of the animal kingdom and I can relate to that (at least the introvert part, ymmv on the other). However, my immune system despises, fears, and greatly overreacts to cats in the real world. I have never lived with a cat and the ones I have to visit because they own family members all despise me in return.

 

[ultramarineblue]

Pricey, but authentic.

Well, there goes any extra money I might have.