Thinking about it, there are so many things that can annoy a person, it just might be difficult to decide which is the most annoying.According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, when asked which of 21 complaints was the most annoying, hidden fees and not getting a human on the phone when calling your cell phone or cable tv service provider topped the list of gripes.
And women were more irritated than men by speeding drivers, having to remember passwords and PINs, and products that have shrunk in size,but still cost the same.
Those over 50 were more annoyed by speeding drivers, discourteous cell phone users, e-mail spam and using a cell phone while driving. (one of my favorites)
Those over 50 were more annoyed by speeding drivers, discourteous cell phone users, e-mail spam and using a cell phone while driving. (one of my favorites)
So what's yours?
134 comments:
Here's the Consumer Reports List of Top Gripes
Top Gripes-Consumer Reports
Here's some of my pet peeves....
in addition to not being able to talk to a
human when you are trying to get help say with
an internet/computer problem, after waiting
an eternity, the person who answers, while speaking english, the accent, most often indian, is impossible to understand, leading to even more frustration....
And not only the drivers on a cell phone,
but those who walk around a store like a
supermarket or sitting in a restaurant, talking
away on their cell phone, usually so loud that
just about everybody nearby can hear
them....
My pet peeves are people who complain all of the time and people who use the victim excuse. Drivers talking on the cell phone while driving in the fast lane are up there too.
Good morning Don,
Liked your tv show explanation about google...
My wonderment comes from the idea that for the most part, once your site is created, it can
be accessed for such a small cost...still trying to figure out how google & its brethren
make $$$....
I'd be interested to see if you can access my
website by using some of the keywords the
webperson used to get it up & running.
Would you try this in google, or it should be
in the other popular search engines as well...
chapter 7 bankruptcy attorney trumbull CT
(there is no other attorney advertising on the
net with my first name so it should come up easily!!!!)
FYI, the photos, the captions, the text in my
site I found & wrote, the hardest part was
the 'movie scroll'?....
Just so you know, most lawyers websites are
made & kept on the internet by FindLaw, part of
Reuters & they get anywhere from $500-$1,000 per month to keep the site on there... I know
since I was going to go with them, until they
gave me an application to fill out wherein they
wanted me to let them do a credit report on me...when I was giving them use of my credit
card in advance to bill it monthly for a year...well, needless to say, I said not a chance, you aren't lending me money so there
is nothing a credit report would give FindLaw
that would in any way be relevant to me paying
them to provide a website.....so I refused....
After that I found a woman who creates sites &
we worked on it & hopefully you can find it
& let me know what you think...
Going in late today. No security for medical. They
are out for meetings. They wanted me
to stay home but didn't want to waste a vac day.
At my house washing clothes and warming it up for
any mice that might have moved in.
Of that list my biggest peave would be not talking to human and having
to push all those number to communicate. I usually screw up almost at the end and have to start over.
On Iphony if you can't tell.
Great post Coreen! And I love the pictures.
My pet peeve is people who always have an excuse for anything that happens - and blaming their problems on others. So I guess it's real close to Don's.
Almost forgot...Add this to my latest pet peeve. (Just went to make a phone call)
Now in CT we must dial an area code to call local phone numbers (as of about 3 weeks ago) &
everyone I know is annoyed....
Apparently we have too many numbers not enough
area codes, so now local calls need the right
area code.
Do any of you have to dial an area code to
call locally?
Coreen,
I got to your website easily thru Yahoo search. That's a very nice website.
"President Barack Obama kicked off a White House jobs forum on Thursday by saying he's "open to every demonstrably good idea" to reverse the worst job losses in decades. But Obama said the government's resources are limited and that growth ultimately must come from the private sector." http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fiw-obama-jobs4-2009dec04,0,1984483.story
Solar, I think that you'll be a little pissed off about this one: "But Obama said the government's resources are limited and that growth ultimately must come from the private sector."
... I don't remember him saying that when he was bailing out 'big business'.
Laurence Linsey (economic advisor) "I don't think there is a moment to lose. I think we have to move aggressively toward policies that actually promote jobs. And so far what's been tried hasn't worked very well..".
... Well, I think we can all agree with 'that' statement!
Coreen, We changed over to 10 digit dialing many years ago, here in Texas. The more crowded states probably ran out of numbers sooner.
Hi Carol, My daughter just called and said it's snowing over in Klein, which is probably about 20 miles from us. Dry and cold her though.
... 39 right now, but now it says 24 tonight. It keep creeping downward.
Oh, Mary, thanks for looking me up so to speak...I am proud of the website result &
have positive responses from it.
Since for me it is a way to generate new business, when you are self-employed you always
need more clients, I am pleased when those
who actually call me from it say it made them
feel confident & comfortable enough to call.
"Obama: Don't expect additional stimulus spending from feds" No more stimulus spending
"Before kicking off a summit meeting on job creation, the president said the federal government can't be counted on for most of the money this time. The two-year, $787 billion economic stimulus package he signed in February won't be the model for the next round of initiatives, he said.
He ruled out an immediate effort to reduce the $1.4 trillion budget deficit until the economy rebounds further and the 10.2% unemployment rate begins to decline. Focusing on the deficit too soon, he said, could risk a "double-dip recession.""
Nice site, beautiful attorney, Coreen. Can I use the contact us form to send you my comments? Not everyone may be interested. It's really well done, easy to understand, and very clearly laid out. There's only a couple of things i might recommend to improve it, but they're minor.
Google makes its money on those little ads on the side. It can make between $.05 and $5 per click, but when you multiply that by 100s of millions of clicks per day it adds up pretty quickly. Not everyone will click on an ad, but enough do. Of course, they have web publishers displaying their ads as well. I've made a couple of hundreds of dollars a month on my little fun sites for years. So they're like tv shows, they attract and audience and then sell ads. They have subsidiaries that do similar things as well.
FindLaw is just trying to use their name to charge you more. Your site would probably cost them $2,000 at most to put together, hosting it maybe $1 a month. So they're making a pretty good profit if they're charging that much. Most of their cost is probably in overhead, sales and marketing.
Just curious, you advertise Chapter 7 but not Chapter 13. Any special reason? Elizabeth Warren says 120,000 families a month file bankruptcy. I feel bad for the families, but I wish the Fed would stop bailing out the banks long enough the banks were forced to redesign their usurial policies. Now, all the banks have to do is borrow at the 1% overnight rate and then turn around and purchase higher interest rate Treasury bonds to make money, they don't have to conduct efficient business.
OK, my big pet peeve. Credit card banks and their cozy relationship with the Fed and Congress.
Coreen, can you link your site here. I'm not sure when you mentioned it, but I'll go check the last thread.
Chloe,
Carol ended up going in to work earlier. I hope she doesn't get held hostage by any of those inmates since there's no security. I told her to hurry up and get out of there.
You can keep me posted on the weather because I'm off today and will be checking in.
Mary, I will keep you posted, if anything happens here. I think the real weather in my area will be tonight.
Why is there no security at the prison?
Mary, How did you search for Coreen's site. I missed the post she made about it.
Chloe,
Go to your search engine and type in "chapter 7 bankruptcy attorney trumbell CT" and you can get to it.
Chloe,
Carol said that all of security were in a meeting and they wanted her to stay home but she didn't want to use any vacation time.
Don, Would welcome any observations you have,
if you send it through the web site it comes
to me at my email through consetta solutions,
somehow, don't know how.
If it includes your email, which I think it
does automtically I would love to know more
about using the website to earn some extra $$$,& if you would ever want to 'talk' I have
no problem with using that old-fashioned
invention--the phone, I can call all over US
for a flat fee so I would be glad to discuss
anything you would want to offer.
Oh, hope you didn't think I was in any of the
pics on the site, any beautiful persons found
are from shutterstock!
I don't advertise Chapter 13 in particular because, the time needed to go
to & wait in court, to produce the plans needed, are more than a solo like me can handle.
I have a close relationship with 2 other attorneys, went to law school with one & they
do lots of Chapter 13s, (well actually Chapter
13s here are way down, we are not sure if it is because people are waiting, hoping to solve
their mortgage problems by the so-called make
homes affordable, etc...so if for some reason,
a potential client would need that rather than
a 7, I would send them to the other attorneys.
Chloe, was about to give the words so you could
access it, when I refreshed & saw Mary had
given you some of the keywords to try.
Thanks Mary....
About to go off to the office for awhile..not
too many calls for bankrutpcy counseling between the holidays though...
If any of you want to bookmark my website, you
can always find me there....
BTW, the best way to get your site found easier is to go out and find places to put links back to it. Don't exchange links or buy link placements, but there are plenty of forums where you can ad comments with links back. Press releases that are shown on the internet, friend's sites, a twitter account, a facebook page, etc.. The more links that go to your page the higher Google ranks you, and for more key search terms.
A blog helps too, because it's updated often and creates a lot of rich textual content.
Thanks Mary, I just found it on my Yahoo search too. I can only assume Carol knows what she's doing, but it sounds pretty scary to not have any security around. I assume she won't be taking any patients. (?)
Coreen, That is a really beautiful site. Good work and 'very' effective.
Not cought up..cos I got caught up over at TM...don't think that many are going to like what I said.!!
Coreen, there are only a few things that are pet peeves..cos im probably guilty of some of them...but not these..
Drivers that don't use their directional...and those that tail gate...A big yes to those hidden fn tax bills...there are so many in a comcast billing statement that it doubles your regular bill
Don,
Not boring..explain any thing about the web here,,if you want too..I have had the same questions that Coreen had...thanks
Chloe, I haven't read everything yet...but will...yes it is not going to get better for some of the people..some idiots..just thing morning..is saying that the recession is over now....will read the rest so im not lost..
I liked your site Coreen; right away..when you sent it to me via e mail...I didn't want to put Don on the spot..but I knew that he was a web pro...not that he is sharing info..it is answering some questions....
Looks like I chased everybody away..ok, ok, I can take a hint...
Magic Jack Phones for long distance calling are great, and local's also....20 dollars per year..and could use your own biz phone or home #..it saves me about 85-115 per wk
oops that should be per month..
The text is easy to read, there's good contrast, the font is consistent, and the key search terms you want to show up high in results are repeated in both the header and through out the body.
Location is easy to find, which is really important when you're selling a personal service. I hate going to sites for professionals and you can't find out where they're located.
Name, address and phone # are located on every page so you don't have to go hunting. There's an easy to use contact form.
Lots of photos with people that make the site more personal and friendly.
You can use the Google webmaster tools to see people that link into you and popular search terms used to find you.
google webmaster tools
The alt tags on your images would make the site really hard for sight impaired people to use, they're just a repeated list of your header keywords. Most experts recommend keeping your keyword list to 5 -7 terms.
I'd put a little shadow around the whitespace. That would give it a little bit of a 3d feel and adds a bit of "pop". It would also separate your center navigation bar better
You could do that to the images too to lift them off the page. That's a preference thing, and I like to use it.
In the code, or html, the use of tables and divs is very confusing. Tables are recommended for just tabular data, not for general layout. Inside she uses divs for every line, which seems like overkill especially since ID and Class tags aren't being used. Styling should be moved to a separate css file, and ID and Class tags that add meaning should be used.
In other words, the navigation area should look something like
<div id="navigation" >
<div id="nav-header" class="navigation-element"> Knowledge Center</div>
<div id="bankruptcy-nav" class="nav-element">Bankruptcy</div>
.
.
</div>
This is called semantic web, and it lets search engines and sight impaired people understand the layout of your pages better.
And of course, going out and creating link backs and using social media like linkedin, twitter, and facebook to connect. Obviously with law and medicine you have to be more careful than the rest of us.
Told you it would be boring.
Looks like blogspot allows link html. The format is:
<a href="www.something.com">text name</a>
I'm home and home to stay. I turned off the heat in the lower section, space heater heated, when I left this morning and when I came home it was 51. Now 51 might not sound like cold but when it is 37 and rainy, nasty outside, that is cold. You ought to try sitting on a 47 degree toilet. Turns the water right off.
And Mary was a little misleading. We do have security in the jail, it's just that our secretaries/security for medical were out today. I did see a few patients but had to have them send in a guard from another area. I knocked out all the charts I had and home I came.
Coreen, great post and especially for this time of year. It is so easy to let the little annoyances ruin our days. I think all of my annoyances have been mentioned.
Carol, so glad you are getting some time away from work. I was a little worried about you and lack of security there - happy to hear it was not as bad as it seemed.
I took the morning off and took care of some personal business. I will be working this afternoon. Just heard that I can get the H1N1 shot this afternoon -its available to health care providers- so I am going to get it. I have my routine appt on tues morn so need to go get some lab work done today.
Hooked up 2 humidifiers today. The air is so dry now with the heat on - and we have so little humity here anyway. We have been waking up with sore and parched throats. Crackers and chips stay crisp even if you leave them open to air.
By the way our temp was 12 this morn and now its about 27 - high is predicted to be 32. We do have good heating though. Lobie did not take us for a walk this am.
Carol, It's been snowing pretty steadily here, but it's not sticking to the ground, although I do see it is starting to stick to my balcony banisters. I saw a post by Jax over on TM this morning, where he said they were getting more snow down south (does that make sense?), his way (which is south of Houston too).
Let us know how it's going your way and how you and Maggie are doing. Warm that place up!
Whew Jan, 12? Now that's cold. I saw the post where you said that it is so dry, you can leave the crackers open and they're still crisp. That's how it was in Ca. Here, they're not even crisp when you first open them. It took me a while to get used to this humidity. It's surprising, but it even affects baked goods, like cake and donuts - they're not as light, ever.
Chloe,
I saw pictures in Houston on the news at noon where it was snowing a pretty good amt.
I'be been LMAO(laughing my a_ _ off) here because they are all but rolling the sidewalks up because it MIGHT snow later today. They have closed everything. Solar would probably get a kick out of that.
Maria,
Como estas? Yes I did get a kick out of your post; about Houston. Texans...funny no?
Chloe,
Also just saw on CNN the Houston snowfall...
Hope you guys are tucked in safe & warm, since I know that often driving is pretty troublesome in places that are not really prepared for measurable snowfall & its removal.
We had another really nice day, especially for
the beginning of December.... Solar, what about
you...pretty sure you get snow before we do
in CT, in the winter our snow usually comes from the west & down from Canada...so are you
still having a really pleasant fall to winter.
Chloe, trust me, I don't mind sharing the snow with you guys in the south.....
Don, quickly read your observations & will
ask you about some of it later, but am glad
to know you liked the visuals & the simplicity.
Not sure I could even attempt to explain your technical suggestions to the web person since I don't know what it means, so maybe at some
time, I could go over them to better understand
before any attempt to enhance the site with her. Would not want to make her feel that I
did not have confidence in her abilities.
Carol,
Not sure what space heaters are, but just yesterday, one of my friends showed me how
he has 2 very small heaters in 2 of his rooms
that he is using to reduce the need for the
electric heat to turn on so often. They were
both about 12" x 12" (little, light boxes with
thermostat & shut off, that blows heat really
quickly & my friend says warms the kitchen &
living room really fast & effectively & as I
said is keeping his electricity bill lower.
I thought of you when he was showing me how they work, & would ask him for particulars if you think it may be of interest.
Coreen,
Just yesterday, and little snow flurries for a cpl of hrs today.
Not much to brag about.
I don't consider any winter weather as being bad until January, and February; that is when it gets a little nippy.
We have had a very easy transition from fall so far...psst some of the animals did have their winter fur on...I grew a beard and a stash...well a little gotee, any way.
Bet you 100 to one what your response is going to be; hahaha
I have a peacoat (an original-navy issue) that was given to me, from a splendid gal named Sue, while I was in N.C. )It still is in like new condition, and I wear it when it does get cold.!!) It gets to be a little bit of a different cold there..sorta like it will never end, and a little like hell...
I told you it was really boring Coreen. But Solar just had to know....
Not a big deal for a small site, but when you're a $120 million company in a very competitive market it can make a difference.
Carol, ROFL. "You ought to try sitting on a 47 degree toilet. Turns the water right off. "
Here in NC they panic and clean the stores out of milk and bread if there's a threat of snow.
"told you it was really boring Coreen. But Solar just had to know...."
HA.!!
Go head, blame me for that boring post HA.! again...thanks for the information..some stuck to the inside of the ol cabeza, and some to the outside...will read it again..to see if some more will stick....sometimes it takes a few times....cos it's so thick...my cabeza that is....
The swamp should make a little bit of money; and send it to toy's for tot's or the red cross, or something like that; even a little is a lot; no?
Again, it happened..I get on here, and you all vanish; stop talking...I can take a hint...ok.!
Sure Solar, complain so you can get sympathy from all of the ladies.
I'm sure Carol could add a widget to show ads on the side. When people other than the account owner sees an interesting ad and clicks on it, the account owner makes money. Then she can do whatever she wants with it.
Thanks Don, I was going to mention it sooner; but did not want to seem pushy.
Oh and about getting a soft( or a lot) shoulder to cry on---what's your point?:-))
Hi folks, just getting in from work. I look forward to a little chat with friends. It is a little after 5 pm here. I like that when I come on, I have not missed anything - Its all here.
Chloe, so you are getting some snow. Has Emma seen snow before?
Hi guys. It finally started snowing here. The steps look a little slushy now. I'm afraid to go down them to take the Magster out later. Can't afford to ski anymore. I wish I had my golf shoes out here.
The porch is covered with those cypress nut shells. I can't keep them cleaned off. That might help give me some traction.
Mary's power is out for some strange reason. She doesn't lose power even when everyone else does because her power lines are underground. I'm watching the Entergy site to follow progress. Not scheduled to come back on for a couple of hours. She's not a happy camper right now.
When I went by my house earlier this afternoon I saw that Fiddler was using the little cosy Kitty Cube I bought for her. Makes me feel better. I tried to stuff her in it this morning and she had all four legs spread out fighting me. I tried forward and backward. May need to go buy Mary one.
Carol, what kind of space heaters do you have. Those little electric ones warm up a small space pretty well. I hate it when the furnace runs at night so we turn the temp down to 60. We have a down comforter but it is cold when we get in at night. I wear socks and my robe to bed. In a couple of hours the body heat has warmed things up pretty well. I may get an elect blanket.
Carol, I remember it snowed one time in the nine years I lived there. I have a picture that Steve drew of me looking out the window in the liv room and the snow. He drew the pic from the perspective of being outside. He was about 6 years old. I think one of the natives said it snows about once every 12 years. Be careful and don't fall.
Carol, it is funny but as I was writing the last comment Steve called from Ark.
Fiddler is a smart cat. She knows when to get in the cosy cube. I can just see her fighting you when you were trying to put her in it.
Ivy, how are you feeling today?
I tend to sleep cold and have an electric mattress pad. It's wonderful.
Cat's will usually do exactly the opposite of what you want them to do. I like the line:
"Dogs think they're people. Cats think they're God"
Chloe, that is how it was in LA too - everything gets soggy. I can keep chips here for months and they stay crisp. Of course, the dry air is bad for your skin. I put lotion on all day.
If anyone is interested, tonight is the last show for MONK - The show is not on the major channels. It is on USA network. They are showing last Friday night's episode again. Tonight they are going to reveal who killed Monk's wife 12 years ago. It has been one of our favorite TV shows for several years.
Don, I have not tried an elec mattress pad. We used to have a water bed - that was nice to get into and hard to get out of - in more than one way.
I have a radiator type heater in the bedroom and I have one of those electric throws on the bed. I also have a down comforter. I'll be plenty warm in bed. I have another radiator heater for the kitchen and a little blowing heater for the bathroom.
I have an big, thru the wall, AC/heater in the big room and that works really well in there.
My biggest problem is when I leave. I don't feel comfortable leaving those space heaters on when I'm not here. Afraid I'll burn the place down. It takes a while to warm the place up when I get home.
When I got home, I made myself a big pot of chicken, sausage and okra gumbo. Yummy. It really warmed the inards. I sprinkled it with some chopped jalapenos peppers and that kicked it up another notch. I had to step outside to cool off.
Ivy watches Monk too Jan.
I don't like to sleep with those electric blankets on. Remember years ago when they said that sleeping under an electric blanket could cause cancer. Of course, what doesn't.
jan,
I loved water beds. Except when earthquakes hit, then I felt like I was body surfing. Water beds are great for lots of things.
I liked monk better as a taxi driver.
I really like gas heaters. My grandmother used to have a stand alone stove with mica windows so you could put your feet up by the flames and you could watch the shadows dancing around the room late at night. Great on a snowy nights.
Carol,
I'm old enough now I'll take comfort over caution. :)
I had a great doctor that was I loved for a couple of reasons. He knew a lot about herbal supplements, which I'm really into, and he took my lifestyle into account when making recommendations. Being 50 and single, my life choices are a lot different than a guy with 4 kids with one in college and 2 grandkids.
Jan,
Thanks for reminding me about Monk. We got it on now. Good idea for them to rerun last week's prelude to the finale. People might have missed it due to Thanksgiving.
A gruesome train-wreck chase scene is coming up. I will leave the room for a bit while that plays. I was on a train once that ran over a person. You could definitely "feel it." I don't think the body turned out in as good shape as this bad guy did.
Not to dispute you, Don, but Monk is every bit as good as Antonio. Now, Lowell may be a different discussion.
Jan,
My post-op instructions advised not to drive up to 24 hours after the procedure. I probably could have gotten away with it, but I figured, what the heck, a legitimate excuse to say home for a day. So I used the time to drag out my Christmas decorations. I thought I would skip the whole ordeal this year, but now I pretty much got it done.
I thought I would use the fasting to jump start a pre-holiday diet, but that plan fell through when intense pangs of hunger struck at 5 pm. I phoned Hubs to make a stop for Chinese, and by the time he arrived with the food at 6:15, I jumped him at the door, grabbed the food, and devoured steamed dumplings, shrimp fried rice, and moo-shoo pork with plum sauce before he even changed out of his work clothes.
Ivy, I remember being ravenous when my test was done. We taped Monk and finished the movie I rented last night I stayed up too late talking here to watch the movie. I think I will cry when Monk is over. I love his little eccentricities. Maybe it would be hard to live with though.
Don, I can imagine a water bed would be scary in an earthquake. The last one we had was one of those with the stuff in it. We had it in an upstairs bedroom. John and I are not too good with "machinary" and to get it started draining John went downstairs and sucked on the hose to get the water started - he still tells about that and how he almost aspirated. We never could get all that junk out and had to have help dragging it down the stairs with some water still in it. I think we finally just ripped it up with a knife to get rid of it. We decided against another water bed after that. But every so often we have a longing for a water bed.
Carol, I think you are wise to not leave those space heaters on while you are gone. Have you thought about getting you a furnace put in there. You need to be comfortable and safe.
Carol, your gumbo sounds good.
Well, off to watch the last of Monk. I hope he finds what he has been poisoned with so they can give him an antidote.
Catch you all later.
Jan, all I need to do is get another one of those AC/heaters for the lower section of the camp. I have just procastinated. My bad. After this weekend I think I'll be a little more motivated. It's at a decent 59 down there now. I'll see what the early morning brings.
Mary just got her power back. She was out for a little over 4 hours.
Randy Newman composed a new song for the Monk finale. Perfect.
Randy Newman, Monk finale-When I'm Gone
Carol,
What is your assessment of "Dragonfly in Amber?"
Odd that I chose the word "assessment." I have no idea why I wrote that. There was a course I took in "assessing things." To assess something, you have to "gather data." Data is the four letter word I dislike the most. I'd rather gather flowers and just "feel." I'm sure that makes no sense to some. I loved the course I took, but I'm sure I relied more on intuition than data.
I like this one:
In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of Poop.
However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine (or rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.
Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health
Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.
Ivy, this was one of the best of the Monk series. I love the new song. You are so right, it is perfect. We are going to miss Monk now that he's gone.
It was hard to see "coach" as a murderer.
Carol, is that a window unit that is both a heater and AC? Those are great.
Hi Mary, so happy you have power again.
Jan,
We thought that too...did he redeem himself with his last words, "Take care of her." ??
Ivy, I think he did. A good ending. Sometimes these series have crappy endings. This was one of the best.
Good night Irene, Good night Irene, I'll see you in my dreams.
We're supposed to get an inch of snow tomorrow morning? Unreal. Strange that the last two times we had snow, it was on a Saturday which is the least disruptive to school.
SEC game fans are gonna be heading over to Georgia asap, no doubt.
Thank you so much Jan,
I'm just starting to thaw out. I've been trying to gain weight so I have a little extra meat on my bones but for some reason I can't. You probably wouldn't recognize me now, Jan. Last time you saw me was not long after Jeremy was born. I weighed the most I ever have. Now I probably weigh the least I ever had.
I feel sorry for my sister-in-law. She and my brother went to Houston this week to see their grand-kids and for some "better weather." lol
Solar,
I loved that last comment. Sounds like a good enough reason for me to start drinking (alcohol that is). I laugh so hard at your comments. Keep them coming.
Maria,
And I thought that you liked me for my body...
Nite Jan. I just got my bed warmed up. The heating throw took too long so I warmed it up with the blow dryer.
I'm leaving my little heater on in the bathroom so I'm afraid to keep my heating throw in the bed on. I don't want to overload the circuit since the plugs are close. Maggie is under the covers. She probably puts out about as much heat as the blanket anyway.
The wiring out here was probably done by some drunk river rat. It looks a little scary.
Ivy, I don't think I heard more than a couple of minutes of Dragonfly in Amber before I was fast asleep. You would have to ask my subconscious what it thought or ask me after I'm asleep.
That too, of course.
Guess it's time for me to go nite,nite also. I have to get up at 4am to get ready for work. Have a great day tomorrow.
Carol,
I used to record lectures and listen to the tapes in bed. I'm sure I accumulated a lot of knowledge in my subconscious while sleeping.
Carol,
Before I go. Do you have one of those electrical safety power switch..it connects to the wall outlet..and then you attach all of what you want to run. How about timers for some of them?
Carol,
Now that U have made up your mind to rough it out there. Please get a licensed electrician to check all your electrical wiring ..sleep well.
My fortune cookie that came with the Chinese..."Remember three months from this date. Good things are in store for you."
Do you believe in fortune tellers?
21,20,19
Ivy,
Glad that everything is back to normal. Drop that 2nd piece of pie; and give it to Mary. She is wasting away from us.! She is down to wearing doll clothes..nite
We "chunky monkeys" are always jealous when we hear someone needs to gain weight. We think, oh, you think you got problems? But I know the truth is it can be a very serious issue to be underweight. My sister-in-law (the same one I referenced above) has always had an issue with under-weight.
Oh wow...it's snowing now!
Morning, I'll have to say we kinda got ripped with this snow stuff. I was excited that it was coming. It didn't start until after dark so I had to turn on some lights outside to even see it and then I was really afraid all it would do is slush up the porch and stairs, which it did. Not enough even stuck to where it will leave any traces. Snow here, was just a concept. And a reminder, that it is too coooooold outside, huh Chloe.
I have a dragonfly thermometer in the bedroom here. It was hanging on the inside wall where my radiator heater is, the one you like so much Don. It said 59, didn't sound bad. I was wondering why I felt so cold on the other side of the bed. I moved the sucker to my side of the bed and closer to the floor and it says 46 and hasn't stopped dropping yet. Now thats a little cool for a bedroom. Maybe not in Russia, but down here in Cajun country, way to cool.
Let me tell you guys that think I'm roughing it, it is not a lot warmer at my other house. It is on piers also, half of it is old, built around 1927. It's quite breezy inside also. Always feels cool and damp. But that central air does make a difference. When it is cold outside, everytime the central heat stops at my house, you can feel a 10 degree or more temperature drop. Then it kicks on again. No sh--.
Any you guys who are supplementing your central air with these space heaters, that a entirely different thing. They ain't worth shi-- as your only source of heat. Promise.
And this has given me a real sense of empathy, forced if I wasn't already an empathetic person, for those who are without heat this winter. I've always felt sorry for the little animals outside. If I let myself think about it for any length of time, it would worry me senseless. I'm just glad I found Maggie. It was late Sept when I found her in those woods. I shutter to think. Well shuttering comes pretty easy right now.
Speaking of worrying about the little critters outside, the birds were chowing down out there in the rain yesterday. I have lots of little birds out there now. I was filling up the feeder fast yesterday and they were sucking it down almost faster than I could fill it up. I hope they have a good feather coat.
Yes Carol, It is too cold outside: 24 here this morning. But we're going to have sun today, and I can tell you I'm ready for it. Sun makes all the difference in the world. We didn't see snow where we are like you saw on the news either - it never stuck to the ground here, but still colder than .....
I'm the same way as you about worrying about the little animals outside Carol. I can't let myself think about it for long, or I'd worry myself sick too. Been known to do that in the past. There is NO way I'd ever be able to live in a northern state, ever.
ps Man, cold weather makes me so much hungrier than usual. This is crazy how much more I'm eating.
pss You need to be under an electric blanket.
"I'd rather gather flowers and just "feel." I'm sure that makes no sense to some"
Ivy, that makes 'complete' sense to me. I 'feel' the same way.
"..... I'm sure I relied more on intuition than data."
Yes, I do too, at times. But as far as I'm concerned, intuition takes into data into consideration. I think it's a form of deduction.
" Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health
Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit."
Now, here's a perfect example: Was Solar's statement that I just quoted intuition or deduction. Now, I do realize that he took data into consideration, but was he looking for a 'specific' result? Ha!
Mary, I hope you let us know what your 'power outage' experience was like. There's nothing more frustrating, especially when it's cold.
I can't imagine what it's like to 'not be able' to gain weight Jan. I keep myself thin, but I have to be conscious of it all the time, because I love sweets so much.
"My fortune cookie that came with the Chinese..."Remember three months from this date. Good things are in store for you."
Do you believe in fortune tellers?"
I don't believe in fortune 'tellers' Ivy, but I do believe that we can take fortune cookies and horoscopes, etc., and make them come true. So I believe your fortune cookie. Good things coming your way Ivy!
Ok, finally caught up.
I moved out of the bedroom to the big room where it is a toasty 67, and that thermometer is on the outside wall by the windows. That big AC/heater makes a lot of difference.
Yes, I am starving this morning and want something with plenty of fat content to it. I just made myself a toasted cheese and bacon sandwich.
I only believe in fortunes or horoscopes if they say something good. I hate to read the horoscopes because they often tell you something you don't want to hear.
" I hate to read the horoscopes because they often tell you something you don't want to hear."
Carol, That's superstition. You're giving those horoscopes more power than they actually have. When you give things outside yourself more power than you have, then you are weakening yourself. What you do is ignore the bad ones, and enjoy the good ones. That's how you take control. Since it's all 'make believe', use it to your benefit. Make believe is never dangerous.
But even if you try to ignore them Chloe, I'm afraid there is always a little something that may stick in my head and influence my day.
Oh.... well then, I get 'that'. You want to focus on positive things. That's always what I'm trying to do too.
These digital TVs leave a lot to be desired, especially for those of us who use an antenna to get our Network TV.
My local channel went out this morning for some reason so I ran another channel search. It says you ought to do that off and on. It just took that channel out of my channel options. I will have to run another one later to get it back when it comes back. I can't just change to that channel to see if it's back. The TV won't let me.
Now whose brilliant idea was this digital TV. It's great for cable or satelitte even though the pic quality isn't that much better unless you purchase the HD package. I think that whoever came up with this idea was looking at all that people would have to spend to make it worth it and I'm sure they all have stock in those businesses.
I just checked my bathroom temp, where the little blowing heater is. It's 46 in there. I guess I won't be taking a shower until it thaws out today.
And the signal has to be perfect to get the channel, unlike old analog. I spend a significant amount of my time standing at my window with my, best I can find, antenna trying to find the perfect position. I have it now on a tv tray with 7 books under it. Not 6 or 8, it takes 7 today for CBS to come in. Give me that idiot's name.
Glad to hear that those tv reports of snow
in your areas was a big tease....but sorry to
hear that is so cold for you guys...
I know that relatives/friends who have moved
south & come home to visit always complain that
their blood has changed & they can't stand the
cold anymore.
It is a cold, overcast morning with the forecast for rain changing to snow later, with
little accumulation if any...its 40 right now,
& even if it gets colder overnight, any snow
will not stick, since the ground is still warm.
And so far this a.m. did not see any trucks riding around with their snowplows attached, which is a sure sign that winter has started.
I have adapted some Coreen because now when it gets to the upper 60s, I feel too hot. We just don't enough time to get too adapted to anything down here.
We did get some snow Coreen. It just didn't start until after dark. It would have been cool if it would have happened during the daylight.
My river rat neighbor called last night and he was standing outside looking up in wonder. He was so excited. He said the river would probably be frozen over by morning and we could walk across it. I said yeah, you can go first.
Picked up my greens, wreath & Christmas tree
yesterday, I get a Frasier fir, its
6', all that I can handle, itson the back porch
in a bucket of water. Today's chore is to
get in standing in its stand & see how it falls out, before I string the lights.
Hoping to get my driveway poles done this weekend but not today, since it it much to cold
to try to wire the greens to the poles, fingers
don't work so well in the cold...
Off to start bringing down decorations..will keep you tuned in to check in during the day...
And Chloe, remember I once mentioned Martha
Stewart & the word 'perfect' well, when it comes to Christmas decorating, I am pretty good
at it, equal or even a little better then MS,
& I do it myself!!! & pretty close to the "P word"....
Enjoy your day everyone...
Carol, as you were explaining the anticipation
of having snow last night, I was feeling that
you were all a little happily excited about
its prospect, even if it proved to be an
inconvenience.
I do know that here everyone wishes for just
a little snow for christmas eve to make it seem
welll christmas, & there is always a sense
of anticipation at first. Its when we get clobbered with 6" plus that things get unpleasant...and once Christmas is over the reality of snowcover is only a reminder of how
long winter will last.
"Chloe, remember I once mentioned Martha
Stewart & the word 'perfect' well, when it comes to Christmas decorating, I am pretty good
at it, equal or even a little better then MS"
That's great Coreen. Hoping we'll be seeing some pics, and I know that will help us keep the Christmas spirit going around here. I need to get moving in that direction myself - get things a little more Christmasy looking around here for Emma. Let us know how your decorations are going today! I need the inspiration.
No snow here, but lots of rain. They say there's a big snow storm over Texas but I can't see it on radar. We'll see 31 degrees and rain on Sunday but I doubt we'll see flakes.
Stay warm Carol. Though it sounds like you're pretty experienced at adapting.
I've always wanted my palm red. I mean read. It's been proven that certain health problems show up in the hand, I'd wonder what a real palm reader would say.
Let me see what this transition to digital TV has caused:
Created a tremendous quantity of garbage for the planet when we are already overloaded with it.
Cost for new TVs, converter boxes, antennas. I wonder what the total cost of that was in a day where we are all already hurting.
Decreased reception of TV channels and more difficulty getting them to tune in unless you have the perfect signal.
More people had to transition to cable or satelitte.
People who want to listen to TV on their radios at work are out of luck now. Can't get it yet. Those little portable digital TVs are crap.
So much for innovation!
It's always funny to hear people say it's just not Christmas without snow. I'll guarantee the first Christmas had no snow.
My first Christmas away from home and family in Colorado was in Turkey. It seemed so odd to be decorating the palm tree.
We're all cleared out down here Don. Refresh your weather source. It's over your head now buddy.
I was just sitting in the room that has the sun from the south shining through the windows, and I have to say it is 'breathtakingly' beautiful today. A ever so slight breeze, leaves dropping from trees ever so often, and clear as a bell. It's almost worth the weather we just went through, to get to this point.
Carol, It reminds me of that perfect winter day you mentioned liking a while back. Remember? You described it as clear, crisp... well, I can't exactly remember your words, but it's just what I pictured, when you described it, today. (problem is, one day and then rain storms, oh well...)
Chloe, it's nice as long as you are inside. Step outside and it may be just a hair too crisp right now.
I need to take a shower but it will have to top at least 50 in the bathroom before any of my clothes are coming off. I'm not sure it will get there unless I set the bathroom on fire.
Well, one of my SFs friends just called and he moved my SF's birthday dinner to today at lunch. I have to be 20+ miles down the road by 11:30 so I guess I will be getting undressed in the cold.
Cleared out here too. We just have some clouds, but no precip. I hadn't realized it was the same storm, tv made it sound like simultaneous storms.
It's funny, digital tv has allowed even more channels of crap all over your dial (tip of the hat to George).
OK whiz kids, just wondering....who thought of these great ideas (& hope they made lots of money)
And Don, the tree tag says it is a North Carolina Fraser Fir....
My tree is standing, water in the base, will let it stretch out before placing the lights & while I was standing it up, I was remembering what it was like when we were kids, it was a real adventure, first just getting the tree home, most of the time it was too big & was only tied with some twine rope, tieing on the
car, finding a tree stand to hold it, sometimes
the trunk was too big, sometimes the branches
needed to be cut from the bottom, a lot of
silent cursing by dad getting it to stand straight & securely so it wouldn't tip...
So now, when you go to pick out a tree, (many
here go to cut your own, we have a few christmas tree farms just up the road, cars,
lots of NY license plates are already coming
down the hill & that will continue for the next
couple of weeks, sometimes they have more than
one tree on the roof) the tree guys use a chain
saw to cut a flat piece off the bottom of trunk for a fresh cut, remove any bottom branches to be sure to fit in the stand (I bring the stand cup with me to make sure the trunk fits) then they put it through that machine to wrap it with the plastic casing....and off you go... luckily my 6' tree fits in my trunk, the back seat can be pushed down. (don't need any bungee cords, & who thought of those great items, which I always have a couple in the trunk just in case)
So here's what I was wondering, who came up with that machine to pass the trees through to cover it with the plastic wrapping? & I have this great swivel tree stand that allows you to be sure the tree stands straight.
It has a separate cup that the trunk is put in, 3 screws to tighten & then you stand it in the stand, which has a swivel base with an extension that once the tree is in the stand, you step on until the tree is straight, lock it in place & no problems...another great invention...removes lots of that old frustration getting the tree to stand up straight & securely.
New Thread
http://ct-carolssouthernspice.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-life.html
I just put up a new post - so sorry Don and Solar - its a pretty female thing - but hey maybe you guys could broaden your feminine sides.
Coreen, you are next with your baby afghan.
Carol, I remember about 2-3 months ago, you predicted this would be a cold winter.
Carol, you are living pretty primitively with those indoor temperatures.
Mary, I remember you as thin when I knew you - except of course during pregancy.
Well, that was an invigorating experience. I betcha didn't realize that taking a shower could be an aerobic activity. Really got my heart rate up.
As I was showering I thought that it is interesting that even though I am very fortunate to have my nice camp, by living here I'm getting an opportunity to experience some of the things that those who aren't as fortunate as us, have to experience, like not having adequate heat and having crappy TV.
I could well afford to remedy these situations, as my sister and friends constantly remind me, but for some reason I haven't. Maybe I really want to have these experiences.
As for TV, like Don says, there is nothing worthwhile on those 200+ channels the mice at my house are getting to watch. I would have liked to have seen my Saints beat those Patriots last Monday.
And Coreen, I'm happy you are sharing you Christmas prep experience with us. It does remind me of my childhood. Our family, along with another family, went out to the woods to hunt a tree, mistletoe and holly. It was usually cold and rainy. It was a great experience. Daddy then put the tree together, usually had to add limbs.
My father was the one who made the Christmas season special. That was the best things I remember about him. He loved Christmas.
Gotta run.
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