Random Thoughts with BFC, Volume 35

Remember that old SNL sketch “Fecal Matter with your host John Fecal”? No? Yeah I figured it was just me. It was a solid (heh) talk show format with a specialized host and topic. Well, we ain’t exactly doing Pod Flies Open around here, but what about in written form, maybe say like a mix between John Fecal, Jack Handey, Balls’ 25 questions, Rev’s take on Larry King, and I don’t know, my own fucked up mind? With that backdrop I present to you the thirty-fifth edition of a potentially sporadically recurring irregularly scheduled Random Thoughts with BFC! Now also (occasionally) in open thread form! If you want to make this interactive, drop a note/question/bon mot in the comments ala my old Mouth Flies Open  attempt at an advice column.

• No idea how I ended up with the regular Thursday morning slot, but if any of you are interested in pitching in or taking it, just let any of us know. I’m not used to having to be reliable lately and am happy to be let off  the hook. Plus this is kind of a Karen Carpenter job since I just got home from Europe this week and had a bunch of people over last night to play board games and drink copious cocktails.
• The silver lining for you is it means I don’t have the time for a political screed or some eggheaded nerd stuff for this post.
• You know you’re in Europe when you show up to check in for your severely delayed flight and without any prompting, the airline personnel apologizes and hands you a 20 euro voucher for airport food. In the US, you’re more likely to just get (metaphorically…or maybe also literally) kicked in the dick than compensation without asking for it.
• On my way back from the train station (don’t ask about the multimodal journey coming home) my Lyft driver had on a gospel channel with some music that absolutely slapped. You don’t have to believe in Jesus to toe tap along with some rocking gospel. They nailed that one.
• At the risk of being an old man yelling at a cloud, I was at a neighborhood restaurant the other day sitting at the bar, and the bartender was hitting their vape pen behind the bar. I actually had a moment where I was like am I being weird or is this ridiculous? Given that it was distracting and detracting from the job of bartending (read: I couldn’t get another beer or my check promptly), I think it was ridiculous.
• Just go the fuck outside to vape or in the break room or whatever.  Not just for me, but for yourself, a break at work should be an actual break. That was like half of the point of that longform piece on smoking RTD shared the other night. At least I think it was, I only read the first third because the internet has broken my brain.
• As with my time in London, how about some random pictures from the French leg of the trip? No objections because this is a one way conversation? Splendid.

• As you may or may not be able to tell from those pictures, it was an incredible trip. It was a long time away from home, but every time I get the chance to visit some place new I’m so grateful to see a new part of the world and meet new people, and I’m reminded how important it is to get out there and experience other things to learn about others and yourself.
• Plus we brought back some really good wine.
• I’m sure you have many questions, and I’m open to potentially answering some of them.
• In my last few random thoughts posts, I haven’t been including a fill in the blank. So sorry. But now that I’ve remembered, let’s close it out with that interactive bit.
• It’s often said that tumultuous times lead to really good art. Given the current state of America (and some of the rest of the world), I’m really hoping we get _____________ out of all of this.