Some people have an interpretation that the devil wins anyway, either because of the sin of pride or because Johnny is gambling with his immortal soul.

That’s not in keeping with hopeposting though, so let me offer an alternative interpretation.

The devil sees this good ol’ boy playing fiddle in the woods and thinks he’s an easy mark. He proposes the wager, and then in true devilish fashion immediately cheats.

Johnny’s unbothered by this. He’s just that good, and he schools the devil through skill alone.

Johnny’s a force for wholesomeness. He’s just happy to be sawing away at the fiddle in the woods, singing songs about chickens and petting dogs. He’s talented, but he’s also incorruptible.

Because of this, the devil can’t swindle him. He truly is a good ol’ boy. And when you think about it, wager or not, there’s nothing damnable about playing good tunes.

Usually in these Faustian tales, the devil offers a wicked person a bargain, and then that person uses the bargain to perform more wickedness. I posit that the devil doesn’t win souls just because of the contract, but because the person damns themselves through their actions after the deal is struck.

If Johnny was a wicked person, maybe he’d waste the golden fiddle on hookers and blow and end up damned anyway. But Johnny doesn’t seem like that guy. He probably keeps the gold fiddle on the mantle to tell the tale of his jam session. There’s nothing wicked about that, so Johnny is safe

Cooking from scratch is almost always going to be less expensive, better tasting, and healthier.

Cooking with pre-made ingredients is often faster and easier.

For me, the decision is often predicated on how much energy I have. Sometimes prepping all the ingredients and the resulting cleanup feels like an impossible undertaking. Which is a shame because I’m a good cook - but sometimes I hate cooking.

Meal prepping or making batch meals is often a happy medium. Homemade food that you can later just reheat. If anybody has tips for making it feel less like I’m eating leftovers all the time, I’m happy to hear them

I have a friend with one of those automatic food dispensers that releases food at set times

The cats hate the time change (and I mean, fair). They’re probably screaming right now

My wife would probably do the same, because if she expected me to keep a real plant alive I’d surely disappoint her.

This feels weird.

Like, I get it. Having a Hammer documentary without Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee would be like making a sandwich without bread.

But using a simulated likeness and voice to push your narrative into a dead man seems wrong. I’d even go so far as to say it undermines the credibility of your documentary.

Cushing was hugely prolific and starred in so many of these films that I have a hard time believing they couldn’t find contemporary interviews to use instead of making something new.

I think there’s a difference between saying, “This is my name and I work here for the city,” and, “This is the home address of my opponent whom I’m sharing lies about and threatening violence towards”

Especially when you consider that it’s not just the officials, but their families who are exposed too

Subway has previously made headlines in legal news because their footlongs were under a foot long, and because their 100% chicken was half soy. If anything, they deserve some extra scrutiny.

Love to see this

Bringing protection to the first date might be presumptuous, but hey, sometimes that’s the vibe

Some produce does surprisingly well at room temperature. Potatoes, onions, and gourds can last for months if stored properly. We keep our tomatoes on the counter and they’ve lasted for weeks at a time. As a general rule, if it’s found on a shelf rather than a cooler in a grocery store, it’ll be good for at least several days outside the fridge.

Everything I need to make rice or noodles is shelf stable. Pasta’s probably your friend here too.

Beans can be kept dried or canned. Dried is far cheaper, but can be more labour intensive for cooking. So if I’m just making something for myself, canned is a good choice too.

Lots of seafood is pretty good canned. Fish and crackers is something of a lazy/comfort food for me.

I had some fridge trouble in the recent past, and it was super lame. Good luck, and I hope you get a replacement soon

I’ve lived with the snow all my life, but I can probably still offer some tips that people get caught on.

Snow removal is a bastard. Snow’s often heavier than it looks, especially when it’s wet. If you’re doing it yourself, make sure to stretch and not to attempt it if you have a heart condition. The low temperature makes the exertion more difficult on your heart, lungs, and muscles. It’s a fantastic way to stay in shape, but I often pull something in my back with the first major snowfall.

Winter driving bears some special consideration. Your car might need more time to warm up before it’s good to drive, and freezes will kill low batteries. Traction is poor, and even with a light layer of snow it can be very difficult to drive uphill. You often need a running start, and around here sometimes you just can’t make it to the top. Be prepared by knowing alternate routes, and by keeping an eye out for other drivers that might start rolling back towards you.

People often get stuck in the snow, so it’s important to be prepared. There’s two types of roadside emergency kits that you should be prepared to use. One is for attempting to get your car out of the snow, and the other is for survival if you can’t get unstuck. People more qualified than I could tell you what should be in them, but warm clothing and blankets are a must. If you have enough fuel, you might think that you could run the car all night to keep warm. But be warned that might not always be an option, and if the snow is piling up it can cause your exhaust to back up and asphyxiate you.

Walking in snow requires a higher level of exertion. It’s harder on your muscles, and stabilizing on packed snow might cause you to use some unfamiliar muscle groups. Again, it’s a great way to stay in shape, but if you’re not prepared for it you can quickly have a bad time. If the snow is particularly deep, you might be interested in snowshoeing or skiing. These are easier than clomping through the snow, but again, they’ll be unfamiliar muscle groups and require some practice.

I would do some research to see what level of snow removal your destination city does. Some places are super accessible, some plow only roads and leave sidewalks buried, and some places you’re snowbound for months at a time. I personally find it quite cozy to be snowed in, but it can become a serious problem if you’re not prepared for it.

This one’s probably subjective, but I find it important to keep separate Winter and Autumn outerwear. We’re at the time of year now where we’re starting to see some freezing temperatures, but it’s nowhere near what it’ll be in a couple months’ time. If you’re coming from a hot climate, you might be tempted to put on your warmest clothes as soon as it’s colder than you’ve been in your life. But then when it gets even colder than that, you’ll be happy to have something warmer to add to it.

Find something fun to do in the snow. If you’ve never seen snow in person before, I understand it’s often a magical feeling. But once you live with it for a long time, the magic can fade, and the inconveniences can mount. Having something to look forward to with the snow sometimes makes all the difference between Winter Wonderland and Frozen Hellscape. Whether that’s tobogganing, skating, or snowball fights, you’ve got to do something to keep up the morale in the winter months.

So I guess the thinking is that things get trapped under the contact lenses. When you blink or pour water over your eyes, you would normally flush nastiness away from your eyes. With the lenses on, it blocks the flushing action, which gives the parasite more time to establish itself.

I suppose this is probably also true for most bacteria or foreign particles too. I imagine it’s also one of the risks of just wearing contacts for too long without changing them.

Hermes would be proud

It feels very weird that you can gamble on election results.

Like, casinos have deep pockets, lobbyists, and are in bed with politicians. It feels like it would be easier for them to influence an election than, say, sporting events.

Not to mention that providing odds for the election results is also something of an endorsement for who they perceive to be a favourable party.

There’s a famous example of one of these bulbs that’s been in operation since 1901

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Light

Oh I love that!

Vikings are great. Pig tails and horny helmets, what’s not to like?

I’d be interested to see an analysis with more data.

Like, the article mentions that 90,000 restaurants closed in the US due to fallout from the pandemic. Then they cherry pick examples of vegan restaurants in three cities, adding up to about just under a hundred closures.

New York is specifically mentioned as losing forty restaurants in 2022. My cursory research suggested that more than 4500 restaurants closed in New York in 2022, which means that vegan restaurants represent close to 1% of the closures.

So I guess what I’m interested in is if vegan restaurants are being disproportionately affected by closures. If they make up about 1% of the market then this is something of a non-story. In fact, if they make up more than 1% of the market then that means they’re actually performing above the average. However, I admit that I have no idea how much of the market vegan restaurants actually operate in.

Before using a straightener (or a curling iron, but that’s like the opposite of what OP wants), check out some videos of people straight up burning their hair off by using them wrong.

That’s not to discourage anyone from using them, they’re great tools. Just like, be careful

Over the past three weeks, members of the group, which falsely claims that Helene was caused by a “weather weapon,” have been making conspiracy-driven claims that the U.S. military is attempting to kill U.S. citizens with “directed energy weapons.”

I’m directing some energy at them right now, let’s see if they can pick up on it.

You want to pour sugar in tanks, like whatever. I’m not sure North Carolina has a legitimate need for armoured vehicles and the military industrial complex is pretty whack. But they also want to destabilize the cellular and electrical infrastructure which would be essential to provide relief for hurricane victims.

Doxxing elected officials and threatening the police is a bold choice. Usually these nutcases are making allies with the police.

By golly, this almost seems like it could be terrorism.

I like to think they plugged in two inputs and now it’s not working.

Bonus points if they have both VGA and DVI and had to get an adapter so they could plug one cable into both ports. That sounds like something my grandma would have done.