Barefoot shoes convert since two years now. I have three use cases and also own three pairs of barefoot shoes.

1. Running. Wanted to switch, but I still use my classic running shoes. I mostly run on hard surfaces. It’s just too much wear and tear on the joints. Having said that, my running stride has changed, making me a forefoot lander instead of midfoot. I have also switched from anti-pronation to neutral shoes. Yes, I still pronate, but I have had no related injuries so far.
2. Hiking: I fully switched to barefoot. For any hike up to a few hours, both my Xeros and Vivos work well. The only issue I have with them is that they are not waterproof.
3. Business. I have Vivos that look slightly like moccasins. I have been assured that they look fine as well as comfortable. If I cared about looks, I’'d consider that a win.

I don’t, but if it is being served in a playlist or anything, I’ll skip it. They are so bland, it’s almost like easy listening.

I have a special hate for Phil Collins’s solo work. Take a decent drummer from a sort-of-interesting band and have them throw away all their talent to make drivel that has all sharp edges filed off. Also, I was forced to hear this throughout my teenage years all the time.

OP, did you read the books? By today’s standards, they may be a tad boring, but these were the books that created the clichhés in the first place. The movies were pretty decent for their time (although RotK was waaaayyyyy too long), but I did not feel that the books were done much justice. And there was too much ‘humorous’ dialougue shoehorned in. The Legolas-Gimli-Bromance was hard to watch, even then. That in and of itself makes the movies overrated.

Also, as for ‘there are no surprises’, the story of the movies differed from the books. LotR fans were unpleasantly surprised by that.

Off-topic: the Hobbit movies were abonimations. I fucking hate them.

Fucking cowards. I was already ashamed to be Dutch because Wilders, but I am not particularly proud to be European now either.

It depends who does the ridiculing, in which time period and where they do that. In the last quarter century, in Europe, Dubya has been a grateful target, although Trump makes him look good.

Stellaris OST

Another one I have not read in this thread yet: seek out (or organize) activities in your neighbourhood.

I’d love to give a helpful answer other than Kafka audiobooks (sorry, am dad, could not help myself), but what do you consider kafkaesque?

Dude! Congratulations! Mechanical?

As for the big ass enter key, when I bought my laptop, I specifically ordered it with ISO layout for my keyboard.

Dutch version? “Hoi, paard!”.

I had to explain it to my wife, both in Dutch and English. :-(

PS: Have your upvote.

Friends.

Shallow, punchable people who made being dumb fucks a virtue.

My problem with those series is that there is probably a decent story, but you simply get side tracked by exploration, multiple side quests and a main story that does not develop fast enough to stay interesting.

PS:T was a positive exception to that though. The substories of the party members were actually developed to help along the main story. If you were done explloring, you could just talk to one of your party members, and gradually unlock part of the main protagonist’s history. Very clever.

Baldur’s Gate, Elder Scrolls and Divinity series all spring to mind. I really want to like those games, but the story just progress way too slow.

I loved Planescape: Torment though.

Good idea. Maybe an NFC-readable tag with address information. If the owner lets their dog shit in the streets, we can deliver the turds at their front door.

I am not a fan of dog owners.

I am getting slightly off-topic here, so downvote me if necessary. When I buy new running shoes, they normally last ~1000 to ~1200 kilometers, with an occasional peak up to ~1400. The salespeople recommend replacing running shoes after ~800 to ~1000 kilometers due to the support wearing out.

Back on topic: if you know a good shoe cobbler, you may want to re-sole your boots.

I wish that I had the luxury to be bored.

And it’s only Tuesday!

Television and streaming services. Just not worth my time.