1. Breakfast in bed What the hell? You hafta get up to use the WC, brush your teeth, or whatever anyway. (And I know I don't like to eat when I first wake up.) For pete's sake, if you wanna languish in bed, then do so. If you wanna eat, get up. Take your food onto the couch or Barcalounger if you must.

2. Figuring out what you wanna do with the rest of your life by writing your obituary. Oy.

TD: "Breakfast in bed" can be sexy (especially if it involves jelly or jam), and the "obit" concept was at least funny on "Fraiser".

The most overrated concept is: "love at first sight". It always works in the movies, but rarely in real life.

Well that's something else entirely isn't it?

Sorry don't buy that one. Caroline and I knew right off. We were married 7 weeks after our first blind date. And that was 11 1/2 years ago.

LL: I didn't say it's impossible, just unlikely (in my experience). I think if it happens it's great (I've often thought it was the case).

LL, if you're gonna take one, leave one!

Okay, sorry.

How about role playing in business meetings to better understand the stupid concept they are trying to shove down your throat?

Blarrrrgh. I'll second that one!

It happened to Kabir and me as well. We're only going on 2 and a half years, but I can remember that moment like it was yesterday. It took my breath away.

Overrated concept:
Creating a message board for fun and relaxation. It's a full-time job, don't let anyone tell you differently.

NC and LL:

I stand corrected on the "love at first sight" (even with my past).

But, I don't believe the "Creating a message board for fun and relaxation. It's a full-time job, don't let anyone tell you differently." is overrated.

Despite all the hellish work that I'm sure is involved, you must be proud. (And you should be.)

As always Peace and Love,
QL

Thanks, QL!

How about "Working for a living"?

Of course, some poor old souls would say "retirement" is what's overrated.

With all the crackpot self-improvement books & schemes out there, somehow I missed the "writing your obit" gambit. ?????

Love at first sight - suppose it's not overrated if it continues.

Fraternity.

Equality.

(Though, to complete the French Revolution triad, "liberty" is vastly UNDERrated, and always has been.)

Management high concepts -- "Seven Habits," "One Minute Manager," et cetera, ad nauseam.

Computer dating.

Graphic user interfaces.

Term limits.

Empire.

Recall of public officials. (Although I support what's being done, and want Gray Davis outtathere, I don't know if I'm going to endure five more weeks of this madhouse.)

overrated

chatrooms
online dating,
rap metal

and you dont want to know why

Oh come now, LAB. I'm sure you want to tell us.

I think picnics are often overrated. Whether you're sitting on the ground or at a table, there are usually ants, flies, mosquitos, bees, and other critters that you have to constantly keep away from your food and/or yourself. If you're at a picnic table, there's usually bird poop and whatnot all over it that you have to clean off or avoid. Unless you're in a secluded spot, you often have to deal with people running around, throwing frisbees, etc. in the vicinity of your head. And don't even mention the wind blowing away napkins, plastic bags, and the like.

I suppose a picnic can be wonderful if you're in a clean, sunny, private place with minimal insect intrusion -- but it rarely turns out that way.

Deregulation
Chain barbeque restaurants
The designated hitter
precision bombing
valet parking

San Francisco
pasta
fund raisers
organized religion

Tell me about it.

Driving around a 10-block radius looking for a parking space, and then having to end up parking in the middle of the street (and risking a ticket) because there simply aren't any other spaces anywhere, isn't exactly my idea of a fun night out. To say nothing of the horribly undependable MUNI, oppressive rents, etc.

I moved to L.A. from SF after finishing law school and have missed it ever since I left. Thanks for reminding me not to romanticize it too much... I remember one night driving for over an hour to find a parking space and eventually canceling the evening's plans b/c it was easier to do that than to park. Yikes!

I would say L.A. is over-rated, but no one holds it in very high regard.

Forensics as an interesting premise for prime-time television is overrated.

Boy Meets Boy.


+blank stare+

I think I know who to blame!

"Open-mindedness". Nope, sorry, some things I'm not gonna be open minded about. I don't, ain't, not gonna be open minded about talking to women or kids like they are a prize or possession. I will not be open minded about abusing someone or feeling sorry for the abuser because they had a bad childhood. Why would you do to others something that made you feel like shit? nope. ain't gone do'it!

69 .... god bless you if this is fun for you, but I dunno ... there's just a little too much going on and people's anatomies don't always line up the way they need to.....

Recycling.....you do realize that most stuff have a larger energy cost to recycle than to make new? You do realize the the best way to "treat" most garbage is to simply burn it? (Gets rid of garbage, CREATES energy and with proper scrubbing and cleaning tech installed has minimal pollution PLUS useful by-products like drywall can be made)

Advice...giving or taking it has never actually helped anyone I know. People do what people do, and making decisions is best done individually.

"Full Disclosure". No one needs to know everything about anything if you don't feel like telling. Either you trust someone or you don't. Either they justify that, or they don't. But I don't believe in "owing someone an explanation".

Working from home. It's never worked for me. Possibly others--but I need convincing.

Discussing National Healthcare Policy. I've yet to meet a person that truly understood it. And I work in the insurance industry.

I knew this! I learned it on Penn and Teller's Bullshit!

Recycling: not everything is about the energy cost. There's the diminishing supply of material resources.

Globally recognized and renowned "recycling" program, considered the best in the world....Sweden's. They burn almost everything they have for garbage and some of Norway's too.

Owning the newest everything, just because they are new.

Social media popularity, in terms of number of likes of whatever you post.

Most celebrities.

Doesn't negate my point. If they're only concerned with getting rid of the trash, that's a fine way to do it. It doesn't solve the dwindling resources problem.

Realworld realism on scripted shows. hunh? WTF!? If I wanted real world realism, I'd actually meet people.

Gasp!

We can't let it come to THAT!

THE BIG EVENT!!!! Multi-issue, multi-title crossover events that seem to happen every year in comics these days.

Variant covers.

Mensa. I know a front for the wealthy elites / eugenics movement when I see it.

Teeny tiny cars. I keep looking for the wind up thingy stickin' out the back. "Oh, arem't I great, I'm saving the worl....BANG... Oh shit, I just got run over by a bicycle... I'm dead!

Team sports.

I was a scrawny, uncoordinated nerd as a kid who was deathly afraid of crowds. My folks still thought they were helping by making all their kids participate in at least one team sport outside school. Playing them is thus indelibly associated in my mind with living purgatory. Watching them is only bearable because now I'm old enough to drink.

Vacations. Gosh, so much stress! I always end up needing a few days to relax *after* a vacation. You go get packed onto a plane or bus and then herded through the Sistine Chapel with a herd of 400 other people so fast that you don't get to see anything. I'll be here with a book.

Facebook and / or high school reunions. I spent a decade or so threading the gauntlet that was childhood and adolescence and high school. Then I moved a thousand miles plus away and never looked back. Why on earth would I want to reconnect with those people? Do I really want to know what jobs they have, or who they married, or what their kids have accomplished? No. I really don't. The only thing I want to hear less than your smug boasts about your kid who is a doctor in the army is your even more smarmy gossip about your sister's kid who is a drug addict and in jail.

I'm with you on vacations. The last few I've had were more stressful than just going to work or staying home and hanging out in my backyard.

I miss the days when my wife and I were in our early 20's, not even married, and went to Key West for drinking, eating and lounging by the pool (for more drinking).

Behaviorial Psychology.

I know a CIA mind-control front when I see it.

Weight loss. [points to current subheading]

As numerous "recover from diets" sites point out, it's so rarely a permanent state for the "big loser" that you'd practically have better odds of being struck by lightning. Twice.

Also, there's nothing more boring (for participant and observers) than the subject going on and on in public about eating this or not eating that, running so many miles yesterday, etc. Dog Forbid I should eat that steamed broccoli or take a ten-block walk because it's enjoyable. Nope. Doesn't mean anything until I can zip myelf into a Size 6 and after that life all of life will be perfect. (Except that of course it never is.) So there.

Green lawns.

Save yourself some water and some mowing time and just let it turn brown. The rainy season will start up again soon enough.

Er....sorry? I make no judgements on what others should do. It's not vanity for me at all. I just want to be healthier and be there for my wife and kids for the long haul.

I've tried and failed before, by the way, so I certainly know the bad odds.

Humility.

Unselfishness.

Whatever the opposite of superficiality is called.

Gosh, I could spend all day coming up with these...

I actually plan to start a thread about this at some point, but Dr. Linda Bacon's Health At Every Size sites numerous studies that point to yo-yo dieting (or, as they call it, "Weight cycling") as being worse for human health than simply eating well and being active at a stable, but less-than-"ideal" weight. Good nutritious food, eaten in an atmosphere free of stress, along with physical activity one enjoys will actually benefit the person doing them, regardless of whether s/he ever succeeds in losing a pound in the process.

And I can personally vouch for the studies citing that most people who attempt to lose weight will end up heavier in the long run for it. I got fatter after being sucked into various fad diets and "miracle foods." Had I ignored all that pressure to "fix" what wasn't even broken in the first place (not that it's easy to ignore it in our culture, especially if you're female) I would have saved myself a lot of expense and emotional pain. Never again, though.

Well, I was definitely doing things to really exacerbate bad health, like eating at Wendy's for lunch five days a week. And I'm not on any fad diet at all, just eating less and avoiding sugary things. I even go to Taco Bell and other places with my kids once a week. I just eat less than I used to when I go. Not on any exercise program at this point, either. Avoiding things I can't sustain. And I've already got Type 2 diabetes, so I'm not overreacting based on nothing.

Believe me, HAES would tell you you're doing exactly the right thing. So would I. The difference between that and the "standard" diet/weight loss approach is that HAES posits that you are already benefiting yourself even if you don't lose any weight in the process. If your endurance gets better, and if you enjoy your food more because it's less monotonous and you're not eating past the point of being full, you're getting healthier. Period.

BTW, there are also studies that shows the usual media alarmism about fatness and Type 2 is actually upside-down. It may be Type 2 that appears first and leads to weight gain, not the other way around.

That's how you do it. I lost sixty pounds basically cutting out foods that were HORRIBLE for me to begin with. Fast food, soda, processed sugars, stuff like that. Now, I maintain my weight with ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS. Never fad dieted. Never really "dieted" at all. The downside to this? It was not FAST. It took almost two full years to get where I feel right. Those fad diets are for people who think you can lose 100 pounds in six months.

Trust me, plenty of unrealistic diet plans are couched in euphemistic terms and doggedly insist that they are all about health. And they are pushed on people, especially women, who certainly don't need to "lose 100 pounds in six months." Or lose 100 pounds ever. I think I tried my first "official" diet when I was a "whopping" 140 lbs. [rolleyes] But there you are. Hindsight is 20/20.

It's great that you're eating healthy, but you're incorrect to assume that everyone you see who has a spare tire is living exactly the same lifestyle or eating/drinking the same things that you got rid of before you lost weight. Nobody can discern these things just by looking at a total stranger or finding out their BMI, because nobody is psychic.

Did I say that?

"I lost sixty pounds basically cutting out foods that were HORRIBLE for me to begin with."

I've seen some people eat fast food three times a week and maintain a perfectly healthy weight. And i've seen some people have what would be considered a "healthy" diet and still gain weight.

You also said: "That's how you do it."

But another person may do everything you did, and find themselves losing a negligible amount of weight. Maybe the pounds will come back after awhile, even though they continue to eat well. The point of HAES and ASDAH is to explain that cliches aside, those people are also healthy, even though they are still fat.

Ahhhh. When I said "that's how you do it", it was more of a "woo-hoo, that's how it's done!" sort of thing. Like a pat on the back for his accomplishments, not agreeing with the technique so to speak. HAHA. Internet. Gotta love it.

Okay, sorry about that. Still board buddies? [offers olive branch]

I really didn't mean to drift the thread quite so much. It's just that... I recently left another board that I really liked, because the constant anti-fat rhetoric just got to be too much. (No, it wasn't a diet or fitness board, which just made it all the more exasperating.) I actually encountered people time and again who thought I was worth talking to until they found out that I'm fat. Then their whole attitude would change. Ugh. I guess I just needed to grumble about it.

*HUGS YOU* Oh, honey, if I stopped being friends with everyone I argued with, I'd have no friends at all!! I'm grown. And this is the interwebs where everything is taken wrong. Silly girl.

AND WHAT THE HELL?! Why would someone stop talking to you because you're overweight? And who gets to decide what "fat" is anyway?! Hell, by fashion standards (and I use that word loosely) i'm considered plus sized! What a bunch of ASSHOLES.

Placemats.

What if they were Legion-logo placemats?

No.

I'm going to go with an unpopular one!

Children.

I know what people say. "Oohhhh, you'll want one someday" or "You're just not ready! You'll change your mind!".

No. I won't.

I. Hate. Kids. I hate them. They're loud and smelly and expensive and never listen and make no sense. They are for better people than me who can tolerate that sort of thing and/or enjoy children. But that's not me.

XD!!

Gracias. [offers plate of fresh berries that I just washed]



Tell me about it. Sometimes (not all the time) the spaces where everyone insists that they're the most super-evolved on Topics A thru Y is the one where everyone is a complete effing Neanderthal about Topic Z and proud of it. I don't know why, but I decided to just cut my losses and move on.

Merde. I'd better get on the horn with Marketing before they approve production then.

BTW, I do have placemats at home. If by "placemat" you mean old newspaper that was about to go into the Recycling bin anyway.

Textbooks.

The replacement of over-sized, highly political (in how they're chosen as curriculum) with online tools, particularly in grade schools, will be a long term triumph. And how ridiculous is it for kids to lug those around all day?

Piss on textbooks. I never carried one all throughout high school and got great grades. 'Cuz they suck.

(I haven't even seen one in ten years and my kids are too young for school but its back to school week).

Anatomy is a problem since I'm a couple of inches taller than Blaze, and we curve in different directions. But once we get past that...

Ties. I hate wearing ties. The very word, "tie", makes me feel all strangled. Okay, so they look kind of nice, but besides that they have no practical use whatsoever (unlike belts or hats or handkerchiefs). And they can be quite a pain to put on.



s all around! People should learn, being slim DOES NOT automatically EQUAL health, nor does it automatically equal beauty!

But Ibby, sometimes being strangled is oh so much fun

Ice cream.

Oh wait, that's wrong.

Brussel sprouts. Perfectly good cabbages that never had a full chance at life.

Gardening.

Standing or stooping out in the summer heat and getting one's hands all dirty to try to postpone the inevitable death of plants that would probably be happier elsewhere just doesn't do it for me.

There are some kids I know whose company I enjoy, but, for the most part, I agree. When The Boyfriend and I started dating, one of the first conversations we had was about children. When his response was "Hell, no!" I knew we were soulmates.

I agree, too, even though my cousin has somehow raised two amazing kids who are now in their tweens. But I know I would make a terrible mother, so why bother?

I do not question others' opinions/decisions, but I will note that



...is a fair description of the Mission Monitor Board.

Lordy, just have all those chain emails from Nightcrawler marked as "spam" when they hit your inbox. Okay, it'll only help with the "expensive" part, but still...

That's why they invented plastic plants, Doll. The plastic palm trees and Yuccas are especially attractive in winter when accompanied by a brace of plastic flamingoes in tiny Ray-Bans and glowing orange Xmas tree lights (the small blinky ones).

I don't think I'm brave enough to try that

Re Kids, Blaze wants them. So do I, but I think he wants 'em earlier than I do I think I'll have him do most of the childcare, teehee.

If you think kids are bad, wait until you meet adults!

Adults? Are there such things anymore (biology aside?)

We're close to being rid of them once and for all!

I actually LOVE wearing a tie. It's the only thing that makes the hassle of putting on a suit worthwhile IMO. Which is why I completely don't understand this new trend of wearing a suit without a tie on in offices these days - if you've gone to the trouble of putting on that uncomfortable shirt and trousers and jacket and shoes, why not put on the ONE thing that's going to bring all those elements together and actually make you look smart rather than half-assed?!

I think suits in general are overrated though. I understand having to look good for a client, but who gives a s*** what I'm wearing when I'm stuck at a desk reviewing contracts or whatever for 9 hours?

And they are SO COMPLETELY unsuited and impractical for our hot West Australian climate. I hate that a short two minute walk from bus stop to office in the morning is enough to mean I'm *dripping* with sweat before I've even sat down, and then I have to sit there boiling all day because all the girls in their skirts and short sleeve tops complain that they're too cold when you try to turn the AC up! It's ridiculous! And just a completely out-dated holdover from our colonial ancestry who lived in a much colder climate. There is a reason that the indigenous populations of this and our neighboring countries never wore much clothing! This country gets HOT! I've noticed that businessmen and politicians in the Pacific Islands wear short sleeve shirts and skirts with sandals as their formal wear and I think that would be 10,000 times more appropriate here than the torture suits they make us wear.

I like how ties make me look snappy as well, Blacula, but I prefer comfort AND style over just style.

And I completely agree with you on suits. Tropical countries shouldn't have to wear them. And like you, I sweat really easily so I need to bring a change of clothes with me whenever I come to work. (Thankfully, our office doesn't require suits - a long-sleeved shirt is enough).

Also thankfully, formal wear in the Philippines is either a suit (which I will only wear at night and in airconditioning!) or the Barong Tagalog. Lightweight and breezy

In Bermuda day to day work attire is often shorts and a short sleeve button down. Which is incredible since most of the executives are in full suits and ties when they're visiting their counterparts in London and the US.

So IMO, if Bermuda has gone casual, so should other warm climates! I don't envy you guys in tropical climates at all having to wear full suits. In the summer here in the NYC area of the USA, I'm a no-jacket, sleeves rolled up, no tie kind of man. If no one else is in the office, I wear a polo.

Overly-pampering pets with things like birthday parties and massages. I mean, it's not like your pet is going to appreciate or understand all that extravagance - and even if the pet realized, "hey I'm getting something special today", the pet won't know why.

Re shorts, I think one reason they haven't gotten widespread acceptance in the business world is because pants are seen as a symbol of maturity. Typically, the age when you begin to wear pants is also around when puberty hits, and you start wearing pants to cover up your leg hair

And you know how squeamish society can be about leg hair. Some people think it's overly sexual, others just think it's dirty. You're not manly without it, but you can't go around showing it off in a formal setting either.

I'm gonna stray to the side that says you can and are manly without leg hair.

Actually, some women I know are divided over that as well Some like looking at men's leg muscles, others just expect hair.

Ibby, I work for myself. And I wear shorts. And may someone get tutty fruity stuck in their hair ifn' they don't like it!

I'm a man, baby, a man! I got the long eyebrow hair, the nose hair, the chest hair, the leg hair. And there ain't no "manscaping" goin' on here! Gruntsnortscratchbelch

Can I work for you rick? So I can wear them shorts all day every day too!

Same here. The day I shave anything other than my face, game over.

Well, I'm getting old now so I guess I may have to get rid of nose hairs from time to time...

Shaving at all is overrated. Beards have been 'in' and 'out' at various times in my life (and in various places I've lived, New England seems more tolerant of them than when I lived in Arizona or Oklahoma) but I just don't care. I've had a beard since I was seventeen, and it's not changing now!

I mean, sure, I'll brushhog it back before it spreads up to my eyes or down my throat to make friends with my chest hair, but that's it.

(There was one guy in college who would let it go during the winter, and his beard crawled right up his cheeks to the bottoms of his eyes. He looked like a wolf-man!)

I don't shave either. Guys who dislike my hairy lip/pits/legs/whatever should exercise their freedom to go look at something else.

Shaving is a pain in the ass and all those bleaches/removers suck, too. Expensive, time-consuming, etc. Also, frankly grown-out leg hair feels better to the touch than stubble does.

Stubble makes me itch. I shave my face twice a week just to keep myself looking neat. I do trim a bit elsewhere because I like how it looks, and I shave my chest because there are only a half-dozen hairs there and I have absolutely no hope of growing more.

Chocolate milk.

I'm going to have to partially disagree with you on that, Teeds. Pre-fabricated mass-market chocolate milk available in cartons at the supermarket is oversweet and generally icky, but D.I.Y. chocolate milk made with good quality powdered or liquid chocolate is wonderful.

Greek Yogurt. Stuff's dry and flavorless. Maybe it's the brand I tried but at twice the cost even on sale, I think I'll stick with regular. Besides, I'm not even sure why I'm supposed to eat it.

Single-malt Scotch.

Tastes like shampoo. Really, really expensive shampoo. I prefer the lowbrow blended varieties, personally.

Count me in as someone who loves good quality chocolate milk! Stuff's also great for giving me an energy boost.

Oh yes, it's hideous. I do not get the attraction.

Chocolate milk is often *too* sweet for me. (And I'm a major sweets-lover.) Milk is better flavored with a splash of egg nog, some Bailey's Irish Cream or Kahlua or, my personal favorite, Chambord (black raspberry flavored liquor).

For spices, saffron. $65 an ounce, and it's kind of blech. Gimme some good old black pepper, any day.

Excessive organization. Sometimes its nice to run wild in the breeze.

Coffee chains. OK, so Starbucks can make good coffee - but it's damned overpriced!

French mustard. It just doesn't add anything for me. Despite trying lots of variations, I prefer a local, less snobbish brand far, far more.

Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse.

[yawn]

Poker.

There's dozens of better card games to play.

Totally agree with that one. I find Poker takes far too much time and just isn't fun enough. I also dislike playing for money.

We have a popular card game called pusoy dos. Object is to get rid of all your cards, but you can only play a card or card combination higher than what the preceding player has put down. IIf the first player in the round puts a single, everyone has to put down single cards until someone wins the round. If someone puts down a five-card combination (straight, flush, full house etc.) then next person has to put a higher combination.

Games typically last no more than 15 minutes, making it ideal for large groups who have to share one deck of cards.

Betting/ gambling generally. Everything is so saturated by it. Every sporting event including many of the sponsorship deals; newspaper articles that give you the odds in the text and that are right next to gambling ads (not accidentally); TV companies that run lucrative betting sites on the side and on and on.

Cleome, you are so right! I'm so glad to see someone else thinks they are overrated.

Make like Aussie Reprint Cap and DEMAND the right to wear short sleeves!




There's also LA Mockingbird's no-pantlegs look, but...start with the sleeves and proceed from there.

Don't forget ties! Useless, difficult to wear, and uncomfortable. Bah!

Great for bedroom games though!

Hmm. I may have to rethink my opinion on ties!


Besides, Blaze looks so sexy in one.

[bows]

Glad I could help, H.

You are not alone guys. Most underwhelming.

Getting my hair cut.

I used to enjoy it, but now there's this magical triangle that has to be filled, with one point being 'Do I have the time?' and the second point being 'Do I have the money?' and the third point being 'Do I give a ****?'

Lately, I can't seem to fill up all three points on that triangle.

Someone at work said I looked like I'd spent the year on a desert island (and was probably not referring to the dude from Arrow, who spent five years on a deserted island and came out of it looking super-buff...), so I suppose I should trim it back, at some point...

Starbucks coffee (yuck!)

(not to mention too expensive!!)

Cronuts. Though maybe I just don't have enough of a sweet tooth...

Brie. Warm mushy flavorless goo. It's a waste of good cheese that could have been gorgonzola or port wine cheddar!

Links Golf. Turns otherwise lovely scenery into desolate wastelands to allow men in hideous jumpers to go round trying to out-snob their peer group.

My mother in law just gave me two rounds of golf as a christmas present. Bwaaahahahahahahah.

I don't try to out snob people, I out redneck them.

Christmas season reunions. Unless they're with good friends. But the ones with your high school/college class or old clubmates where they invite over a hundred people, but you only really want to talk to 8 of them ever again...

Funny Christmas songs.

There should be (1) for every generation. More than that, and well...no one likes an also ran. Especially Santa, Jesus and the legendary poster known as Cobalt Kid*.

*Jesus and Santa actually do like also rans, I'm told. Cobalt Kid hates them.

While it's traditional to eat Brie at room temperature, no law says you have to. I personally enjoy it more right from the fridge.

Only time I'd ever had it, I'd accidently sat down at a fancy cafe. I only bought it because the name sounded fancy. It was coated and deep fried, on a plate with strawberry jam and crackers. I recall really liking it.

Can't get my nose past blue cheese though, unless it's in dressing.

I'd say another over-rated concept are these touch screens. Why exactly is having one of these on a laptop a good thing? I want a mouse so I don't have to sit close to my screen but how do you not have to sit closer in order to use the touch screen? Exactly what can it do that the mouse cannot? I haven't found anything yet.

Sounds like of like a localized version of Brie baked in a crust, and/or served with fruit. I see that a lot around here.

It's okay, but generally with cheeses as snacks I like the simple approach best. (Even Blue. My favorite way to eat that is a few crumbles on a thin slice of green apple. Or crumbles over a vinaigrette-dressed salad.)

I can relax at this time of year, with my room temperature Brie because a thing I think is overrated is:-

Sales Rush:-

Every year there are images of people who have spent their Christmas night outside a shop to be in pole position for the attack on the doors of a store at opening time. People obsessed with brand names more than quality. Consume! Consume! Consume!

Sub-zero temperatures with 25 mph winds. I just don't see the attraction.

Gushing over celebrities. Yes, admire them for their contributions, but don't turn them into idols. They're just humans (albeit generally very pretty and rich humans).

French Fries.

There, I said it. And I'm not sorry.

(Onion Rings, on the other hand, deserve all the praise in the world).

Comedy panel shows with the same rotating cast moving between shows. Mainly as they just happen to be represented by the production companies behind the shows.

Tired concepts with fairly unfunny comedians.

Salted caramel.

Word! Overused flavor on everything!

And while we're at it,

Cronuts.

I don't get it. They're good, but they're not THAT good.

Greek yogurt. I don't hate it by any stretch, but I don't understand its massive popularity--especially considering its price point as compared to "regular" yogurt.

^ I like it quite a bit...but not enough where I'm cool with the price it comes with.

Yeah, I buy, like, a 32 oz. store brand container of vanilla yogurt for less than 2 dollars. Same size generic Greek yogurt is, like, $4.50! NOT worth it!

I hear you! $4.50 yogurt? What am I, Twyin Lannister?! Especially when it takes me 35 seconds to eat it.

I know, right? If I had that kinda money, I'd eat it while sitting on the loo! But, then....

If the 300 could see the price of their yogurt now, they'd have surrender to Xerses.

"This is SPAR--! Fuck! Why be-ith our yogurt so expensive?!? Boys, put some clothes on! We're going the fuck-eth home!"

"The only thing that makes me angrier than loss of democracy is overpriced yogurt. Oh, and when frank miller draws me in a sword fight with my dong and grundle hanging out"

I heard, historically speaking, that Frank drew TOO MUCH clothes on the Spartans! And then, of course, the film adds more to protect the audience from the perils of massive dong-age!

Is it true that Spartans were nekkid?!?

I think we can add "fighting naked" to the list of overrated concepts

This article says they didn't fight naked, but artists of the time depicted them naked in the battlefield.

This article says the Spartans always wore body armor - "The Spartan warriors armour did change over time but they would usually have a chest plate to protect themselves from melee attacks to their torsos, bronze cuirasses, Leg greaves and a helmet most typically in the Corinthian style."

This article does say that it's true the Spartans were encouraged to take same-sex lovers so they would fight harder in battle and would behave better. "Lycurgus believed that love ties between men who were comrades-in-arms increased allegiance to their ranks. In a word, homosexual love promoted battlefield determination -- lovers joined in the battle field side-by-side, the lawgiver felt, made for better soldiering -- and all the better fostered the love of state.". "Lycurgus ordered lovers accountable for each other’s actions. "

It's widely accepted by historians that the Spartans wore armor in battle. Miller took a few liberties.

Homosexuality in Spartan armies is a historical fact. The real question comes in how exactly was this done. In the subsequent centuries in Ancient Rome, whenever there were gay lovers (or straight lovers) there was always a clear, dominant lover. That dominant one clearly was seen as the masculine Roman "man". There is a school of tonight to suggest lesbian relationships were the same. In Rome, there simply were no equals. Someone had the upper hand.

But what if...as some suggest...in Spartan culture--or Athenian culture--the relationships between men were truly partnerships? Not one partner having a clear dominant role over another?

I personally think the next 50 years will see a ton of great historiography being done on this topic.

That's a good point, Cobie. With society finally coming out of the social dark ages with views on homosexuality, we should see more things coming to light about homosexuality in history that were suppressed because of its "immorality".

Yeah, I think there's a whole school of history to come to really delve into this. Shit, who was last homosexual ruler whose preferences were accepted during his life? Hadrian? There's a lot of insight to be gained.

For example, everyone has always known Alexander the Great was either gay or bi, but it was a topic you'd hardly ever hear about outside acemdia. Let's get into it. Here is a man widely considered by ancients as the pinnacle of western civilization in terms of warfare and leadership. His image, and his wise acceptance as a hero say a LOT.

I'm looking forward to that. Imagine the faces of all those "all gay men are effeminate weaklings" thinkers when history and research prove that tough men like the Spartans engaged in homosexual partnerships!

The Spartans were, at times, not huge fans of relations between men, using 'boy lover' as an insult for their Athenian rivals, and the Athenians themselves preferred an Eromenos relationship between an older married man and a younger unmarried one, like a mentorship with sex on the side.

The Thebans, on the other hand, took it to a whole new level, and even their military enemies afforded them respect (although the scholarship is in dispute, since the best records were kept by the Athenians, who ended up hating them, and provided conflicting reports...).

Sacred Band of Thebes

They were so effective in fighting off the Spartans, while allies with the Athenians, that the Athenians betrayed them and let the Spartans wipe them out, because they were becoming too much of a dominant rival to Athenian power in the area.

.

Anywho, fighting naked, bad. Like cooking bacon naked, only with even more tragic results.

Overrated:
Greek Yogurt.
Fighting naked.
300 the movie.
James Franco.

I'm going to start making my own yogurt. In Peace Corps, a lot of the volunteers made their own out of whatever powdered milk was available and a bit of starter. It's supposed to be simple enough and I can control the amount of sugar. There's an amazing dose in store bought.

This should be it's own thread.

Speaking of the Sacred Band, it's believed they were eventually extinguished by Phillip of Macedon (Alexander's father). I'd doubt Phillip cared much about their sexuality though; there is a crazy legend that while in a drunken festival, he dared some of his comrades to have sex with ah enormous filthy pig, and promised if they it, he'd do it too. They did it. Phillip was true to his word.

I'm not a king so I'll just say that some things I don't quite understand about ancient leadership.

Oh yes, Greek yogurt is yuk. Do not get that, at all. Even sweetened Greek yogurt is bitter and sour and yuk.

I will eat horseradish and sauerkraut with great abandon, but when I'm eating yogurt, I don't want mouth-shrivelage.

.

Lobster. Also very overrated. If you drown it with butter, it tastes like yummy butter. You know what else also tastes great in yummy butter? Toast.

And toast isn't $24.95 a pound.

Twenty-five bucks is a whole lot of juicy hamburgers covered in bacon, swiss, portabella and BBQ sauce, by comparison.

Agree 100% on lobster! And that's the same thing I always think too about how many burgers, etc I could get!

Darnit, now I want a burger!

Burgers are NOT overrated. You're off topic.

Topicality is overrated!

Oh, yes! The effort it takes to crack open a lobster is not proportionate to the taste!

Rihanna and Bruno Mars are overrated. Not for their singing voices; I admit they're amazing singers. It's their songs. Lyrics are too simple and often repetitive.

Rihanna's We Found Love repeats the same line over and over and over and overrrrrrr. "We found love in a hopeless place
We found love in a hopeless place
We found love in a hopeless place
We found love in a hopeless place"

(Although a lot of songs do that nowadays, so fine).

But Bruno Mars? I can't give him a pass! He writes a song about crazy wild sex and names it Gorilla?

"I promise it's a killer,
You'll be banging on my chest
Bang bang, gorilla

Ooh, yeah
You and me baby making love like gorillas
Ooh, yeah
You and me baby making love like gorillas"

Because thinking about hairy, smelly giant apes that could snap me like a twig gets me in the mood. Right.

Look, he's flirting with you.

It seemed to be thing with DC in the '60s though. All their bedrooms were decorated in go go checks.

Vanilla bean ice cream.

It's like someone mixed dirt into your ice cream.

That's the only vanilla I like but yeah, there's some overdo in some brands.

Vanilla ice cream in general is overrated, except for when it's eaten with apple pie.

The Brain certainly seemed to agree.

Mallah 's fashionable beret helped too.

At first glance I thought it said Vanilla Ice is overrated. Yeah, I thought, his career nose dived after one hit.

I used to think so too, although now I quite appreciate it.

I think salted caramel is overrated and overused.

or apple strudel!

Grocery store had limes on sale so I had some handy and got the idea to squeeze juice over the vanilla ice cream and put some kosher salt on. It was good!

Now that sounds like something awesome to try!

Huh. If vanilla bean ice cream looks "dirty," what does that say about most of the Ben & Jerry's flavors?!



Sometimes I think the extras-in-ice-cream arms race has gotten way out of control. Some vanilla with a few toasted nuts sprinkled over the top is just the ticket.

We do have a super-gourmet ice cream place near my last job that I think is overrated. Their stuff's okay, but people will literally wait in line for an hour to eat it. They'll also pay two bucks more for a cone than they'll pay a competitor fifteen minutes away. I think that's pretty silly.

I like salted caramel the candy. I don't like salty ice cream. It weirds me out.

Some of the Ben & Jerry's flavors I love. It's not the looking at the vanilla bean ice cream that puts me off, it's the dry, flavorless crunch of the black specks.

The so-called best hotdogs in Reykjavik, that hotdog stand where Bill Clinton and Princess Diana ate, was overrated IMO. It was good, but not that much better than the other hotdogs I tried.

I've never noticed that the specks of vanilla have a crunch. Then again, my spouse has never noticed that salted caramel ice cream tastes like frozen seawater.

Amen to that, sister!

The thing is: if you took some salted caramel candies and just chucked them on top of the ice cream, I'd have no problem.

Food is weird stuff, but the people who eat it are weirder. Last month, mr_cleome brought home this cookie-chocolate-nut bark... something, from Trader Joe's. As a snack straight from the bag, it wasn't really a success. But as an ice cream topping or frosted cake topping, I bet it would have been perfect.

I'm not much on the whole fusion movement, be it ice cream, coffee,.... This pumpkin spice thing that shows up every Oct was another one but I got this vegan pumpkin spice walnut muffin.... I didn't know it was even legal for vegan stuff to not taste like plastic but that was one nice muffin.

Oh, and back when this thread was all about the unnecessary Greek yogurt craze, I don't think that I'd even tried it. Now mr_cleome is hooked on a certain brand, and... sure. Okay. It's his cash, and once yogurt is in a smoothie its origins don't matter anyway. Mmmm... smoothie...

Okay, I've recently gone to a more vegetable/fish based diet with about 2/3 of my meals (i can't seem to replace beef in pho, or pulled pork, bacon and chicken). This has been an amazing shift in terms of weight loss and feeling healthier but...

I'm SOOOOOOO over quinoa and kale in things. Seems like restaurants put these once-humble ingredients in things for a huge mark up.
Ugh

Kale is okay in those specialty mix salads from the grocery store (asian themed usually) but trying to do anything with it on its own? It doesn't steam. I suppose it would boil. Raw is like chewing bits of plastic. Haven't tried quinoa.

Healthy foods I've found tolerable include bacon, ice cream, and eclairs. You should maybe try those.

The best way to eat kale is pan-sauteed. Use the biggest pan you own. If it's cast-iron, even better. What you want to do is:

Pour a thin layer of olive oil in the pan. Heat over Medium.

Add some chopped or crushed garlic. Maybe some onion slivers too. Stir with a wooden spoon until they begin to cook, but not brown.

Take your kale, which you've washed, de-stemmed and cut in thin slivers (almost like you were making a coarse slaw), and add it to the pan. Cook until it wilts. Salt to taste and add a squeeze of lemon if you're feeling fancy.

Kale is not like kissing God. But this is the same preparation I use for things like spinach and chard. It's pretty tasty, and a nice break from eating salads every day.

The last time I had lobster (quite a while back), they brought this giant dish of butter that I barely touched. I'm more a lemon + Tabasco kind of girl, when it comes to shellfish.

It's weird to think that lobster used to be food forced on poor convicts.

Getting over excited about lobster is kind of cultural I guess. Its social value is much higher than its real value, kind of like beer or BBQ (for me). It's "ok" but push comes to shove, I'd much rather have a good breaded and fried white fish.




Thanks! Unfortunately, two things the doc tells me not to have, garlic (which I've never been huge fan of) and onion (which I have). I'll still give that saute' a try though. I usually just steam spinach, think I'll give that a try too.

Lobster used to be seen as a cheap food. I read that it only exploded into popularity after transport made it easier to get to inland locations. Marketing also helped.

I am not a fan of lobster either. I prefer shrimp or fish.

I'm not much of a shellfish fan either. Putting aside the fact that it's usually very expensive, there' not as much meat there as there is in fish, which is tastier and cheaper.

And fish is a bit more versatile in terms of the dishes you cane make with it

Those are now on my health food list

I also like nachos with tons of cheese, lasagna, meatballs, peanut butter and chocolate. All healthy by the way.

Overrated: Black Friday

SOOOOOOO overrated

We don't have it here. But I think malls in general are overrated, though I do enjoy the free airconditioning.

That reminds me of a show I caught. The presenter was going through the remains of the city that was well beneath the current streets. He commented that it had been a very poor part of the city. Their diet consisted of lots of nice wine and oysters. He just laughed.

Now that I work a stone's throw from one, I do kind of like getting out of the office and taking a stroll there at lunchtime. There's a nice intermittent garden-type thing outside my building. Also, a nice fountain outside the mall. So at least it means fresh air and something to see besides cubicle walls.

The food IN the mall, on the other hand? Nothing to shout about. I'm also not sure if I'll be able to get from one end to the other in less than an hour come December. Because now all the shopping madness is cranking up.

[snip]



No problem. I haven't tried this one, but it is onion and garlic free, so it might work:

http://www.food.com/recipe/sauteed-kale-with-lemon-378454

Alas, we have that here too. I'm already bracing myself for the awful traffic.

The traffic makes some Christmas reunions overrated. I prefer scheduling reunions with friends in January, when all the madness has died down.

Lemon and parmesion! That has a ring of tastiness to it. I think I might hold off on the pepper flakes first go round, it's not sounding right in my head but that l and p combo does. Thanks!

I have to say thanks as well, that recipe looks lovely. Lemon and parmesan are a flavor combo I have tried before as well.

You guys should let me know how it turns out.

I have to buy a pan.

Okay, I'm not THAT pathetic. I have a pan but it's a teflon, with a lot of scratches and that lacquer stuff all over. I want to get a cast iron, they're supposed to be good, right?


Anyone know how to get rid of that laquer off baking and fry pans? How to keep from it getting ON baking and fry pans?

Am I off topic?

Cast iron... may be overrated. Depends on how strong your back is and how much time you want to spend coddling your cookware. Lots of "how to season/clean cast iron" sites online will give you the basics. Read those carefully before you invest. Good cast iron isn't cheap. Even at yard sales I've seen the rusted out ones at premium prices.

Though I'm a borderline hoarder and hate to throw things away, I'd say that once the nonstick stuff has started to come off the pan you'd best pitch it. Or turn it into a plant stand or something. The coating will continue to come off-- sometimes in your food. You don't want to eat Teflon.

If you buy a new Teflon pan, use only plastic or wood utensils in it to protect the coating. Clean it only with plastic scrubbers or a sponge, and don't stack other cookware in it when you store it.

A good compromise is a stainless steel pan. I swear by the old-time (made in U.S.) Revereware. It's what Mom used. (I scored mine at various Goodwills before I learned that Goodwill = Satan.) Its only major drawback is that you have to polish the copper bottom every time you wash the pan. Otherwise, it will darken and not heat evenly like it's supposed to.

I was nodding along and then got to Goodwill=Satan (or possibly Stan as I typed first before correcting it). What's that about?

I've a mix of cast iron and stainless pots and pans. I have both for pans, although I lean to using the stainless one most of the time, as it's just easier going.

Mmmmmm Teflon!

We used to have a pan like that. It became so difficult to use that I finally convinced my folks to toss it.

to '50s ad jingle...

It's the tasty treat for tots and teens. It's Teflon!

Funny, you don't look Bismollian!

[snip]



I have a good friend who's slaved away there for a decade or so. He could tell you some amazing stories.

Also, they've really jacked up their prices. I go to the indy thrift stores whenever I can, or I buy new. Goodwill is overrated. Of course, so are a lot of "vintage" stores these days. Selling used stuff that's not old enough to be truly "collectible," but priced as if it is.

Yeah, I made mr_cleome throw out his stash, because I didn't want him to become Teflon Kid.

Once in a while, a stainless steel pan will get burned, nasty stuff on it, but not too often. You can buy Naval Jelly in the auto dept. at the supermarket and take that stuff off without actually hurting the steel. It just takes patience.

I am convinced!

Climbing the corporate ladder can be overrated. Not everyone is made for that life.

I'm already having premonitions of the new Star Wars film being overrated. I don't know. Blockbusters and franchises in general just aren't that appealing to me. I always wonder about the other authors/creators who are kept out of the spotlight when they might deserve it: all because marketers just want to feed us the same type of thing we were consuming 30+ years ago.

I especially dislike prequels. Well, I don't automatically dislike all of them, but there are only so many things that can be done with a prequel because they are bound by the confines of the original movie or work.

That's how I feel, too. Of course, when it comes to Star Wars, a lot of younger fans did get to watch the prequels before they saw the originals. I never even made it through the first prequel. It looked pretty, but I was bored to tears.

Indeed. The Star Wars prequels took place enough time before the original movies that many surprises could still have been sprung; and Anakin's journey to becoming Darth Vader could have been an intriguing story. I lay the blame for the prequels' lack of success on other factors besides them being prequels.

I actually saw the The Phantom Menace in theaters when I was 3 years old and remember actually enjoying it a lot.

Obviously, when I rewatched the prequels when I was older, I saw how bad they really were, especially when compared with the original trilogy. I imagine many kids who grew up watching the Star Wars prequels might have less disdain for them than someone who watched the original trilogy as they came out in the 80's.

As far as the new movie, I'm pretty apathetic toward it so far. What I've seen isn't bad per se, but nothing about strikes me as something I absolutely must see. As is typical of any J.J. Abrams project, it looks flashy, but feels so empty.

3 years old!

I feel old.

This discussion makes me realize - good special effects are overrated when not accompanied by a compelling story or good directing and acting.

Geezer!



I actually find the original trilogy's effects hold up better than those in the prequels. Practical effects blend into a scene better than CGI in most cases.

Thirded, and add Wilco to that list.

I swear, I remember nothing about Wilco, except that they're less memorable than The Killers. But only because The Killers have a much more annoying lead singer.

Someone must remind me: Did the prequels keep that sort of muddy, dirty look in any of the design? That was one thing which made the original movie so refreshing to watch. Critics commented on it, and even ten-year-old me noticed that Luke's landspeeder looked as aged and dirty as my Dad's beloved Studebaker.

I remember the prequels being a bit "shinier".

Add My Chemical Romance to that list too.

My Chemical Romance is the only act I am familiar with, and I strongly agree they are overrated.

I have a cousin who loves them, though. But then, our musical tastes are worlds apart.

I hope Pov doesn't read the last two posts. He loves MCR. LOL

Then again, it'd serve him right. Damn hippie.

Oops.

I have to agree to disagree on that, Cleome. I think Brandon Flowers's Bowie/Ferry imitations are the lesser of two evils, compared to Jeff Tweedy's All-American little-boy whine.

I think Lady Gaga was one of the most overblown pop acts of the late 2000's. I remember how people said she was the next Bowie or Freddy Mercury.

Gaga is damn talented though. I think we might still see her very best in the years to come.

I like MCR and the Killers. I don't love them like some people, but a lot of their songs are solid.

I have a hard time connecting with any new music honestly. There's probably about 3-4 songs a year that I actually go out of my way to listen to. Lately Chris Stapleton has been a pleasant surprise.

My two cents on Gaga:

I freely admit I fell for the hype and ended up witnessing an artistic trainwreck. That said, her first album, "The Fame" and the EP that followed, "The Fame Monster", both hold up well. Even her next two albums each have a few diamonds among the dreck. What finally turned me off for good was her reinvention as an old-standards singer. I understand she was deeply in debt and had to do something to reverse her commercial fortunes, but to me it betrayed her as a philistine.

Funnily enough, I feel the same way about Bowie's mid-70s cocaine phase -- "Pin Ups", "Diamond Dogs", and especially "Young Americans" are all shitty, overrated albums IMO; ironically, though, the album that resulted from the peak of Bowie's coke consumption, "Station to Station" is a near-masterpiece, the only duff track being "Golden Years", which sounds like an outtake from "Young Americans". From there came the often-brilliant Berlin Trilogy, and the musically excellent but lyrically suspect "Scary Monsters", after which he went totally mainstream with "Let's Dance" (talk about overrated) and he lost me forever.

I actually thought MCR's early stuff had potential, back when they had more of a punk rock/90's hardcore influence. They became too pop-rock though and that wasn't my style.

The thing is that they were all saying that before anyone here had heard a thing. I've made a point not to have heard anything of her at all, simply due to the pathetic hyping.

Good point, Thoth. Hype can, indeed, be counter-productive. Ironically (but thread-appropriately enough), I resisted listening to Wilco for years because of all the hype they had in the early 2000s as being noble suffering artists who stood up to the big, bad music industry machine...and when I finally gave them a fair chance recently, their music turned out to be pure self-indulgent, pretentious, art-hole studio-wank. Which was exactly what I assumed it had to be in the early 2000s.

Same. I find that a lot of "artists" now have songs with vapid, shallow lyrics, which make it hard for me to fall in love with them. I prefer songs I can really relate to on an emotional level

My problem with modern pop music is less with the shallow lyrics (pop music has generally always been somewhat vapid) and more with how dull the actual beats and melodies are. If The Weeknd is what the epitome of 2015's pop scene is, that's frankly depressing.

Good point, Stalgie. I find a lot of songs now to be sort of interchangeable.

Oh, is that what Flowers was trying to pull off? I wish every Killers song I heard didn't sound like somebody composed the lyrics on a deli napkin five minutes before entering the studio. Feh.

Ha! I happened to be listening to the Killers when reading the above post.

I'm going to say that modern video games are overrated - for all that spastic manual effort, it's like masturbating without knowing if you're ever going to get to come...

I think modern video games have just become player controlled summer blockbusters. The simplicity of the gaming experience is lost to an emphasis on increasingly photorealistic graphics and squeezing every last dollar out of the customer by forcing them to constantly buy DLC and expansion packs.

Yeah. Where's the good gameplay, compelling characters and fascinating plot and setting?

Can't help you guys with this one. The last time I paid attention to games, it was all about PacMan and Qbert.

Diablo 3 has loot! Shiny loot!

Material wealth.... nah.

Wearing closed toed shoes is overrated! Flip flops are where it's at!

Shaving facial hair is also overrated!

Paying rent is completely overrated

Climbing the corporate ladder, in the sense that is isn't for everyone

No Shave November? Psh, how about No Shave Never?

I would but some of my clients can be pretty stuffy

Is there a corporate ladder in taxidermy?

Ibby can get promoted from small fowl like pigeons to bigger beasts like lions and tigers.

Actually, I heard that cats are at the bottom rung.

lions and tigers...and maybe even bears oh my!

Bears aren't meant to be stuffed... at least, not on a wall...

I'm actually happy about the rise of the bears in the gay community because the Chelsea Boy clone look from the 90s/00s was fascist and completely overrated

I'm just happy that different "types" are being celebrated now. Not everyone has to fit into the same mold to be considered attractive.

Okay this is gonna' cost me all my friends, but... [clears throat]

Girl Scout cookies suck. I'd rather gnaw on the empty packaging, or The Sid's cat kibble, than eat those things.

I have the most incurable sweet tooth of anyone I know, so... if you hold out a plate of sweets to me and I say, "Uh, no thanks," you know those are some seriously Z-Grade sweets, okay?

Flame away, Family.

I don't think they're the best cookies by any stretch of the imagination, but I've always enjoyed the shortbread-y ones (Trefoils?)

And the S'more ones they're introduced this year -- I love 'em to bits.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, when it comes to food, I'm generally easier to please than with, say, entertainments and/or arts.

I fully respect your opinion on this, Cle, and don't feel that strongly one way or the other.



But catharsis, that's always good. And necessary. So I'm glad you got it out in the open.

Thin mints are the only girl scout cookies I eat.

Most podcasts could be pruned by 2/3rds if the speakers avoided laughing at their own jokes and rambling on about nothing in particular. Or about things relevant only to their immediate circle of offline friends.



I never knew how much I liked mainstream radio slickness and routine, impersonal patter until friends started recommending various podcasts to me.

Yeah, I guess the shortbreads are okay... but Lorna Doones are about the same, just without that plastic-y glaze on 'em. I just don't get the enthusiasm and excitement so many people have when they appear. (Also, they're made by Kellogg's these days, and screw Kellogg's for perpetrating crimes against humanity like Special K. )

Aside: made some soft spice cookies on Thursday, with the odd name of "Tijuanas," and they turned out pretty well. You were supposed to finish them with a vanilla glaze and pecans, but I didn't bother. They were fine as-is.

Speaking only for myself, though I imagine a lot of people would concur, part of the reason I get excited is simply because I think it's so cute to see how happy and grateful the little girls are when I buy a box.



LOL Yeah, Special K is even worse than Hershey's Special Dark chocolate, and that's saying a lot!

I'm sure the cookies are also so celebrated because they are only sold for a short time every year. If they were always available, no one would give a ****!

I personally don't care. The quality is questionable. The boxes are small. The prices are high. I don't usually buy things under those circumstances, so why make exceptions with Girl Scouts?

Because I'm a sentimental fool?

Having ruminated for a couple minutes, if someone had asked me 10 years ago if sentiment was an overrated concept, my answer would have been an unconditional "YES."

But today? I dunno, I guess my blood has changed to syrup. Really, I'm such a softie these days, sometimes I worry I'll end up melting into a pile of sugary goo.

...and that was the Secret Origin of Confection Queen! Next on LW TV "My Favourite Crowd" with WalkswithCrowds...

ROTFLMAO

thoth lad, you totally should draw/write some fandom stuff for Confection Queen! This is hilarious.

Overrated Concept: Bacchanal Buffet. It looks very overpriced to me from the reviews I have seen. I think the buffet at Aria is better (it is also cheaper).

Thoth, I'll second what Emily suggested.

Overrated Concept: Comics as Art (I know, I know, more of a Gym'll's forum thing, but the coffee's just kicking in.)

My classmates and I were discussing over lunch, but overly-perfect partners. You know, the ones with gorgeous model bodies and perfect faces, and some amazing career (math teacher, lawyer, consultant, doctor...) Like, everything seems effortless for them and they are so perfect, and it might be really tough to keep up with them in a relationship.

I definitely found Art Adams overrated when I first saw his stuff. Same with Paul Smith. They heralded what, for me, was the beginning of my disenchantment with shininess, slickness, and tons of rendering in comics art. I stopped feeling any emotional attachment, especially as regards the faces, which always just seemed flat and cold. My immersion in alternative comics like Los Bros Hernandez was just around the corner.

LOL

Oh, Cle...don't ever change.

Moving on to the animation greats, I find Art Davis as underrated as Chuck Jones is overrated.

Definitely agree about Davis, oh and McKimson, too. I don't think he gets enough credit for some of the cool things he did, either.

Jones had some great moments, so I totally forgive him for the number of Road Runner cartoons he perpetrated.

Getting drunk. I mean, I like drinking a little alcohol to loosen up, but I hate getting drunk and having a hangover...

But getting drunk and NOT getting a hangover is amazing!

Happy, zesty people after you've had a night out and a hangover are very overated.

You're safe with me, thoth. I've been 95% sober for a year now, and not for one day's worth have I been accused by anyone of being happy and/or zesty.

Living together before marriage... Studies show that couples who do that are more likely to break up...

I think allotting each couple enough money for a duplex where they each get one floor to themselves could turn this situation around.

I would take the top floor, since mr_cleome has a bad knee. I'm nothing if not generous.

Anyway, you know what else is overrated? Social media that's not set up like Legion World. I'm just too much of a stick in the mud to enjoy the newer stuff as much as I do old-fashioned boards.

And it feels decidedly weird to type "old-fashioned" in conjunction with the internet, but there ya' go.

Going to the beach.

Hot pavement, filthy restrooms, creepy people screaming at their kids, getting salt water in your hair, eyes and mouth, and getting sand in every pore of your body. And, as the coup de grace, showers that don't work.

This post turned out to be prophetic for me.

Fun in the surf with friends is cool but even better a quiet peaceful beach where you can sit and watch the waves forever.

Mmm that sounds lovely, stile86.

Having many admirers. It can be tiring getting attention from too many people who think they own you and your time.

What is NOT overrated though... is cuddling can be nice just holding someone who holds you back...

Overrated?

Mornings. As the saying goes, I wouldn't mind them so much, if they didn't come so early in the day.

I don't have my shit together until noon. Don't even attempt to converse with me before then, and don't blame me if what I do say makes no sense...

Also super-overrated?

Morning people who are all like 'it's 6 AM, why are you still in bed? Are you going to sleep the whole day away? I've already done X and Y and been to the gym!' Ugh. Go back to the gym, already and let me sleep some more!

Nightlife.




I think these lyrics from the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now" sum up my sentiments better than I could:

There's a club if you'd like to go
You could meet somebody who really loves you
So you go
And you stand on your own
And you leave on your own
And you go home, and you cry, and you want to die

Having had more life success when he changed "who really loves you" to "who fancies a quick shag" a much happier Morrissey left the Smiths for a solo career.

You know as well as I do that's not the way things really happened, Thoth.

Speaking of overrated -- any and all rock guitarists who combine stuffy old retrograde sensibilities with a shallow facility, *especially* Johnny Marr...

...but also including Jack White, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, John Squires, and lots of other critics' favorites whom I don't even know by name (I certainly can't tell their playing styles apart.)

Tee Hee

Liam Gallagher was on the radio earlier as part of a plug for something or t'other. As with every other interview with either of them over the last decade, they are baited into talking about the other sibling and neither of them are able to stop themselves prattling on about the other one, while saying that they've moved on. Except, if they'd moved on, it wouldn't still be coming up after a decade. >Yawn<

Johnny Marr has helped Oasis along on a couple of recordings somewhere along the way.

I AM THE SAME. I you Set!

U2.

I have to admit to a certain amount of Schadenfreude at seeing the Gallagher brothers increasingly become the butt of the joke over the years, especially considering their own attitudes towards other artists when they were at the height of their popularity.

I can just imagine Ray and Dave Davies listening to Liam and thinking, "When we were lads, we *earned* our infamy through *proper musical talent*, when we were lads."

Being nice. Sometimes you just have to rip into people who are being obtuse, annoying, rude or obnoxious.

Ain't that the truth.

The meek shall not inherit the earth. They shall inherit the filth from the soles of the feet of the people who walk all over them.

Right? Being nice is great as a general rule, but not everyone deserves to be treated nicely

Wealth.

I went to school with rich kids. They were no happier nor more fulfilled than anyone else. Certainly not nicer. And *definitely not* more enlightened.

At the opposite extreme, too many middle-class dummies (and I used to be one) see poverty as some kind of ennobling thing. Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, who grew up in a poor neighborhood, once noted, "Noble savages? If you walk around the place I come from, you'll see a lot of savagery and very little nobility."

Yeah, I think it's pretty well established that wealth contributes to making you happier up to a certain point, but beyond that the returns diminish pretty quickly and it can even become a negative.

I shall selflessly take any wealth that is making someone even slightly less than fully positive and fulfilled. Please send you Venturan Walking Money to the following...

It may take them a while to get there.

Being a worker bee / working more hours. After a certain point, you simply stop being productive. The Dutch and the Germans do not typically work long hours but they are very efficient.

I remember hearing of a survey once that asked people from all different economic levels how they felt about the income they were earning. (This is in a reasonably well off western nation.)

Apart from the very lowest levels most said that they weren't doing too bad but would be really satisfied if they just had about 10% more income. The same answer no matter how much they actually were earning.

One's lifestyle tends to change with one's income level. Then there's Keeping up with the Joneses, where one tends to compare to those slightly better off than they...

Neil Young.

In recent years, I've just found it harder and harder to shut out this feeling that he's a mediocre talent, and a calculating hypocrite who's had a lot of lucky breaks.

He's no Crosby, Stills or even Nash!

So Neil Young is an overrated concept? Maybe.

I've found him to be better as a music technician and activist versus a performer, to be honest.

And did this get split from the other thread somehow? I figured Ann was talking about Grohl

Young and Grohl both have annoying voices and hideous overbites.

I beg your pardon, I resemble that remark.