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Articles by Rivkah Chaya
Anyone remember meeting family at the arrival gate at airports?
September 10, 2026, 9:51am 1 TSA is bringing it back to select locations. The Golden Age of Travel is taking off. Gateside by TSA PreCheck provides members with access to the terminal beyond airport security, even when they aren’t flying. Just use your KTN to apply and use the same dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes for a smoother entry.
Too late to say goodbye to a dear friend
4 My sincere condolences to you, Czarcasm. You wrote a lovely tribute, and i love your story. i don’t know if i’m accurate, but it sounds as if Anne cared about others over the focus on herself, even in her final days. i hope you are able to contribute something about her (a symbol, speech, toast, ritual, etc.), whenever and however you gather with other loved ones to honour her. Deepest sympathies to you and Anne’s family.
Bringing my dog's ashes home
August 30, 2026, 7:46am 1 First, thanks to everyone who already chipped in. I love you all. Second, feel a little stupid doing this, but I have no pride left, and there’s a slight urgency since the vet texted that my dog’s ashes are ready to be picked up. A few people have already been so generous, and I don’t need much, just about $400 to pay for my dog’s cremation so I can get the ashes back. I’m using the old GoFundMe from when I needed the CGM.
My dog died yesterday
Yeah, I know people write about this all the time. I don’t have much to add, except there was something right about is being Dorothy Parker’s birthday. Yes, I know it is also the day Richard III died at Bosworth, and ended up buried under a parking lot. A lot of great comings and goings on this day. She was 11, and had been living really well with a neurologic condition for about a year, but it went sideways last Tuesday.
Health Issue, and yes, I've seen a doctor
I think this is the right place, but maybe this should be moved-- it won’t hurt my feelings, and no need to PM me first. So, I am finally getting my CGMs, and learning a LOT about my sugar levels-- the spikes that precipitate drops are higher than anyone suspected, and when I’m asleep, it runs from 80 to 65 all night, and drops below 65 often enough that the squawking monitor woke me up 7 times one night.
Jeana Keogh (1980s ZZ Top Girl) diagnosed with tongue cancer
July 23, 2026, 9:35pm 1 Link. For those of us who remember, she was the brunette in the videos. Doesn’t sound particularly good. Kymberly Herrin, one of the blondes, died in 2020 of undisclosed causes, but her obit mentioned donating to breast cancer research. Jeana’s daughter is actress Riley Keough.
RivkahChaya update
I have filled the prescriptions for the first time. The sample CGM the doctor gave me was a dud, so I had to use one of the ones from the pharmacy right away, which is slightly concerning, because it means that the second one expires on the same day I can pick up new ones. I have asked the doctor for another sample.
How does Google Maps calculate time in travel on a bicycle?
When Google Maps estimates how long it will take me to get some place, it’s pretty accurate-- it’s correct within about a minute for trips under 20 minutes, and within about 3 minutes for trips about 20 - 90 minutes. It is way off for bicycle trips, though. I have a question about this. I also am including a lot of information about road and trails in my town, and how fast my particular bike goes.
What would it be like to raise a child that became a teenager in two years?
May 25, 2026, 7:40pm 1 In the comic Invincible there’s a character named Oliver that becomes a teenager in two years and then ages extremely slowly after becoming an adult because of his alien hybrid ancestry. My question is what would it actually be like to raise a child that became a teenager physically and mentally in two years? What would it be like to be said child and do you think you would be better or worse off than a child that aged normally?
Anyone seen the NZ TV show The Gone?
Spring Break is coming up, and I’m looking for something I can watch occasionally, or more often if I’m in the mood to be lazy. My favorite show in production right now is My Life Is Murder, Lucy Lawless’ current show, and I also got done watching Brokenwood Mysteries, which I found puttering around Acorn, something I first subscribed to just for My Life Is Murder. Anyway, Googling “shows like Brokenwood & MLIM” brought up a short list, mostly British.
Movie Marathon (Part 4)
system February 10, 2026, 4:50pm 1 Continuing the discussion from Movie Marathon (Part 3) - #10001 by Wheelz.
I need to brag
January 30, 2026, 10:50am 1 I had a physical over the winter break, and since I was just about to turn 59, and had just had an ear infection, so we were talking about my ears, my doctor suggested a baseline hearing test. There are some people with some significant age related hearing loss in my family, although my mother and maternal grandmother had notably good hearing, with my grandmother living to 98 and never needing a hearing aid.
Drift Away (Mods: this is the hijackable thread!)
January 29, 2026, 10:38am 1 This thread is hijackable, so we can see where it goes organically, when people are struck by something that isn’t the main topic, and want to comment on that. If the thread turns into someone’s personal rant about their favorite grudge, I assume that other people will just stop posting to it, and it with die of disinterest.
General Question for Mods
I asked a mod this privately, who agreed it was something that needed to be brought up generally before I did it, so the mods would understand what was supposed to be happening. I want to post in probably MPSIMS, or maybe even Thread Games, a thread called “Hijack Me,” where thread drift is acceptable, and the point is to see the organic evolution of the thread as people pick up some tangent from one post, and in a few pages, the thread about AA is about taco recipes.
My dog has an "old dog" thing
So, my best friend, who I found at a “Mega-adoption Event” at the fairgrounds in 2018, and is currently aged between 10 & 11, has developed a muscle atrophy on the left side of her skull. The vet says it is usually caused by benign tumors, and surgery is not a treatment. Chemo to shrink them might be an option, but the muscle probably won’t grow back, and she’ll be sick while she’s on the chemo, and won’t understand why. Plus, she’ll have to go through diagnostic tests first.
Purim Pinball Prizes
Some people know that for years we had drunken brawls parties to celebrate the holiday Purim, part of which was always a Pinball tournament. We didn’t do them during lockdown, and the last couple have been smaller, and subdued, but this year, we’ve decided to invite quite a few people. It looks like we might get weather where guests can wander outside if they feel crowded, and the boychik is out of the house now, so we have his room for overflow, not to mention 2 bathrooms.
Actors in a TV series who appeared together in an earlier work
January 18, 2026, 2:03am 1 Two examples: Charlie Sheen and Jon Cypher, the Harper brothers in Two and a Half Men, were both in the 1991 movie Hot Shots. Alice Ghostley and Marion Lorne, the bungling Esmerelda and Aunt Clara in Bewitched, respectively, appeared together in the hotel lobby scenes in 1967’s The Graduate. (Ghostley would essentially replace Lorne in the TV series when she passed away shortly thereafter.) Any others?
Books, books, books, and more books!
We’re doing it with movies & TV, so I thought maybe books would be fun too. Propose a category, and after 10 entries, it’s done. Last entrant posts a new one. Since it’s books, please, no in-fighting. If poster 1 thinks it fits, it fits. In he case of blatant abuse of this non-rule, contact a mod. They can ask me, but mostly, I’m going bow to their judgment, mostly so it dovetails with the other category games.
Poll: Your favorite version of "A Christmas Carol"
December 25, 2025, 3:27pm 1 Which is your favorite filmed version of A Christmas Carol? A Christmas Carol (1938), Reginald Owen Scrooge (1951), Alistair Sim A Christmas Carol (1984), George C.
Found an Apple watch - how to return it
December 24, 2025, 6:55pm 1 Found during a short walk while visiting relatives in Arlington VA. On the back it identifies itself as an Apple Series 3, 38mm. No serial number is evident. I’m not an Apple person, but I had the impression that Apple was very proud of their customer service, and thus it should be easy to locate the watch owner. But apparently it isn’t so. I called a local Apple store (no shortage of these in an affluent area), but they wanted nothing to do with it.
How does my dog know about deliveries before they arrive?
Whenever something is due to be delivered, my dog seems to know when it is en route. That is, when Amazon would start marking the number of stops as 3 or 4 away, or UPS or FedEx would be about 15 minutes away (but not when USPS is close, albeit, they deliver to a box about 150 meters away from the front door, where there are several hundred boxes; rarely to the front door).
Who Married You? (that’s not what I mean-- check out the poll)
December 1, 2025, 6:09am 1 Who Married You?
Do you, or any adults you know, expect to be addressed as "Mr." or "Mrs." by other adults?
November 15, 2025, 8:33pm 1 This question regards adults, mostly. Obviously in some cultures it’s expected that children address other adults as “Mr. Lastname” or “Mrs. Firstname",” depending on the context. I’m asking about adults. Do you expect other adults to call you “Mr. This” or “Mrs. That”? Do you know any other adults who expect this from other adults?
Girls are still reading Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
November 12, 2025, 10:36am 1 One of my fourth graders in religious school had Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, yesterday, and I asked her why she was reading it? wasn’t it terribly out-of-date? She said “Oh no! It’s a classic! all the girls in my class are reading it.” The other girls there for Hebrew class that day all assented.
Verbing *Gaslight* (open spoilers for an 81-yr-old movie whose plot is part of common parlance)
October 5, 2025, 7:28pm 1 I know there are opinions out there to the effect that native speakers can’t make errors, and words mean whatever we want them go mean. I’m aware of them. I still want to talk about whether we are getting full value out of the word “gaslight” (v.t.) I read, just now, on another website, the reading of which was an excuse not to be doing what I was supposed to be doing, and had no other value, a woman complaining about how much her boyfriend gaslights her.
Lie down vs. lay down, and why my head may explode
August 14, 2025, 8:05am 1 It’s not just a matter of just a few people getting this wrong, or some people getting it wrong sometimes. Literally everyone where I work (except me) gets this wrong. There’s a women from Scotland who works there who started out getting it right, but has either decided it’s a Americanism, or just capitulated, and now gets it wrong too. I work in a preschool, and all but the oldest class take naps.
Head injuries and criminal behavior
August 13, 2025, 9:39am 1 I put this in debates, because right now although it is too soon, it my either become established fact, or dropped by the wayside, so form your opinions carefully! It’s long, so you can skip to the TL;DR: if you want.
Where's the preview screen? Why the double-spacing?
Straight Dope Message Board July 29, 2025, 10:24pm 1 Something weird happened today (I’m thinking after noon, PDT). When replying to, or creating, a post, I no longer have the preview screen to the right; only the screen I’m typing into. Also, I get a double space when I hit return. So if I want another paragraph, it looks like I have four lines. Did something change? If so, can it be changed back? Did I somehow change my settings? And if so, how can I change them back?
Stupid Computer tricks in Television and Movies
July 26, 2025, 3:30pm 1 It’s a computer, not a magic wand, you idiots! First off, that scene in the series “NCIS” where Abby and Timmy are trying to fight off a computer “viris”. Abby is at the keyboard failing miserably, so Timmie puts his two paws on the same keyboard at the same time as if it was nothing more than a piano keyboard and both of them at the same time are bizarrely trying to run through either one program (or maybe two different programs-who the fuck knows???).
Licensed drivers who are non citizens
4 As is usually the case this can vary form state-to-state but yes, generally it is possible for non-US citizens to get a US driver’s license. Most states allow non-citizens to obtain driver’s licenses if they can provide proper documentation of their legal status and residency.
Bike question redux
June 14, 2025, 3:39pm 1 I’m doing a dry run on biking to work this weekend, and going to make it-- the first on will be done with time for a do-over if I get lost, or have badly planned (hit construction, et al). I really need to start riding to work Monday. We had a lot of rain last week, so missing my goal of starting last week wasn’t so bad, but I’ve got to get this done. I am now planning what to keep in my carrier for emergencies.
Another bike post (brake question)
June 8, 2025, 6:25pm 1 So, rear brakes are squealing. They do it only when applied almost fully. If I just tap the brake to slow a little, it doesn’t make a noise; they do it only when applied fully, or almost fully, whether I get there slowly, or slam them on quickly. I confirmed under safe testing conditions that the front brakes are fine. These are disk brakes.
Creating maps in Google maps of another program? possible?
Once upon a time, I could photocopy pages from atlases or parts of road maps to create a map of a route I wanted to take, and estimate its length. With Google maps, I can get only suggested routes-- there doesn’t seem to be a way to construct my own route, and then get the mileage for it. I want to construct a bike route to work, taking advantage of bike routes in the places where they exist, and also in the diagonal route that cut through town, since I am almost exactly NE of work.
Any symbol out there matching this description?
June 3, 2025, 9:38pm 1 Like a “V” with a rounded bottom, or equivalently a “U” that the arms widen at the top.
I got an ebike!
[TL;DR: got one, love it, and it was pretty much free!] I did! I thought being strapped for cash was going to prevent this for a while, but Amazon sells quite a few, and there’s a thing about being a teacher-- the Chanukah/end of the year gifts parents give to us have moved away from Starbucks cards to Amazon gift cards.
Old favorite TV show is holding up in rewatch
If people haven’t guessed from references in “TV Binge-watch,” I have been rewatching one of my favorite shows from high school, and it is holding up really well. Cagney & Lacey Lacey’s work to maintain an egalitarian marriage, and Cagney’s attempts to balance being “One of the guys” without getting to the point of spouting any of their sexist rhetoric herself are surprisingly relevant.
Shameless gofundme plug
I have the mods permission to post this. It will also explain why I’ve had ebikes on the mind so much, because cars have been causing me grief like I could go on about for days, but I won’t. I really seriously am thinking of staying away, though. At any rate: I’ve struggled financially since the pandemic, as I burned through a lot of savings, then, about 5 weeks ago, I really got punched in the face (metaphorically) by a car accident—PM me if you want the details.
Question for Mods
I have a gofundme I’d like to either post, or just publicize, with a link to it on another site. I have a crisis going on that is digging me deeper and deeper, and I need help to get through it and back to normal, and which point, things should be all right again. It’s really what gofundme is for-- just get through a crisis. I’m not looking for big donations-- I don’t need a huge amount of money-- I’m looking for a lot of people to donate something like $10. Please advise.
More eBike Questions
April 23, 2025, 5:28pm 1 I am definitely going to purchase one, but I have not yet. Want to pretty soon, not just because, tariffs, but also because all the companies are having deep discounts now, and trying pretty aggressively to move them, which I’m gleaning from some other sources is because new models are about to come out (a thing which was planned before knowledge of tariffs being levied).
What, in people's humble opinions, are the best brands of ebikes?
April 9, 2025, 10:06pm 1 Most interested in ebike opinions, but if someone has a strong opinion about some similar form of transportation, feel free. I am not interested in gas-powered bikes, but if the thread drifts that was for the larger audience, sobeit. I’m interested in a range of ~50 miles and that can be when pedal-assisted, and a high speed of no less than 20mph, and would prefer more. I know the more power, the more cost, and that is fine.
What to do for a watch that has been overwound
I’m putting this here instead of Factual Answers, because there is going to be more than one answer in general, one of which will probably be my solution, and actually, more than one might work, and some spitballing of “do this, or try this if you watch has an ‘x-wing flange’,” etc. may happen, and could be helpful. Also, have the question, and a story that explains why I have it. Question first, so you can skip the story if you want.
Teslas really are not great cars
March 30, 2025, 9:18am 1 I’m not sure if this should be a Pit thread or not. I welcome counter-points, and I’m not going to say anything about Musk or his politics, but if mods feel it should be in the Pit and move it, I’m fine with it. My instinct is to put it here, though, because I hope what I’m going to post isn’t a rant. My car is in for a little work, because I hit something in the road on a still-dark morning. Needs a tire, wheel, brake parts, some suspension parts, and a front panel.
Experiences with small electric motorcycles, Vespas, etc
Interested in any and all stories, anecdotes, tales cautionary or laudatory. However, specifically looking for operator stories, not passenger stories. Though I would welcome passenger stories specifically about buying safety gear, or riding with a pet. Interested especially in these things: Charging, range and speed, and how easy it is to shop for something street-worthy.
Cat really exists
March 23, 2025, 1:09am 1 I’ve actually had her since Dec. 22, 2024, but I just now got a good pic of her. to prove she exists. Trying to figure out how to post it.
I pit having to jump through hoops just to pay my bills
March 22, 2025, 4:38pm 1 I hereby Pit my electric company, house insurance company, auto insurance company, and all and sundry other agencies that make me jump through hoops to pay my bills. I should be able to put my account number Here, my debit card number There, hit Submit, and move on with my day. Instead I have to log in to an account I created, and/or verify my phone number attached to my account, and then put in this code they send me.
I figured out a scam. Tell me if I'm wrong
March 11, 2025, 2:33pm 1 I’m pretty sure I caught on to a scam before I gave them thousands of dollars. There’s an an outfit called artstorefront dot com that appealed to artists (I’m a painter) who don’t like handing the business side of their work, as few artists will–the self-promotion, the coping with galleries, the dealing with potential customers. I saw an ad they were running on Facebook, decided to click, and I was briefly intrigued.
Flu, how to do it
March 11, 2025, 4:43am 1 Need help two major things: how do I clear my nose out so I can breath, & how do I sit up in terms of posture, not greatness. I am 58, and to my knowledge, have never had flu before. So I need shortcuts om all the comforting 'pm stuff, because looking better PM was bad last night. Got to sleep finally with AC on-- as soon as i was in oiublar the Nn=finger
I may have saved a life yesterday
February 17, 2025, 3:05pm 1 Yesterday on my ride, I spotted far ahead a person sprawled on the sidewalk. At first I thought it was a homeless person taking a nap but a moment later I registered the wheelchair against the curb and the direction he was laying in suggested he had tipped the chair backward and fell out. I stopped to check on him, pulse was weak but he was breathing though unresponsive to being yelled at and touched. He was (normal) pale but not sheetwhite or turning colors.
"Nature of God" query inspired by closed thread, but completely different question
January 28, 2025, 10:50am 1 I just looked at the nth, now closed, thread about homosexuality and Christianity, and ran across this: (Christianity and homosexuality - #17 by Ulfreida): Conservative Christians look mainly to the violent and punitive and often mysteriously arbitrary Hebrew god I’m no stranger at all to the “all mighty” of Judaism (who, for clarity, I am going to call HaShem, something Orthodox Jews say, and it just means “the name” in Hebrew, for my posts in this thread), being...
Need an app to post pix
I am using a cheap, probably old Chromebook I bought online to use while my $1200 laptop is being repaired (under warranty > whew <) Anyway, none of the ways I used to use to post photos on the SDMB are available to me-- I can seem to use Paint to make jpgs, and I can’t upload anything to Photobucket; I also can’t seem to use any of the apps my email offer, nor does the upload feature of SDMB allow me to upload directly from my email. So I’m stuck.
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