funky-rat

Agreed. If someone did that to me, I'd tell myself that if they're that petty and pathetic, then they're not worth my time. The only one I've really understood is the guy who was closeted, and confused. I cut him some slack. I don't blame the girl who ghosted the comedian - he was all kinds of creepy - but I'd have told him off, then blocked him.

She was in one episode. She's a special needs girl who was a cheerleader, and got boys to date her by heavily photoshopping photos of herself, and then showing the other girls how to do it. It bothered Wendy, but she eventually relented.

I don't recall who all of mine were, but the biggest part was Clyde Donovan, and I was really disappointed.

I can see that. A lot of people sell them on eBay.

It was likely trashed on the inside. Usually ones that are that cheap need extensive (and expensive) work on the inside. One where I live that was small and old, and painted a horrible shade of Pepto Pink, but was halfway decent on the inside sold for $5000. I'm not sure where they live, but that's high for lot rent in many places. We looked at a place that had $600 a month lot rent with no utilities included when we were toying with the idea of moving, but that park was gorgeous, with huge lots, a swimming pool, and lots of other really nice amenities. Out of my range, but at least you got your money's worth. Ours includes some utilities. Our base rent is $240, because we have a singlewide on a non-corner lot. Rent for doublewides is higher, and corner lots for either are also higher because you have more land. We get charged $20 each for both of our cats (because irresponsible pet owners had to be reigned in), so that ups it to $280. They will then add on water and sewer, so our final lot rent each month varies slightly, but is mostly within $5 either way of $350. That amount also includes garbage/recycling, and lawn care. We pay electric (around $100/mo on a budget, because we have central air), cable/phone/internet (around $200/mo), and heat (whether electric, propane, or oil - we have propane and it's about $350 2-3 times a year - we keep our heat somewhat low in winter). One place we looked at was in the low $500 per month range, but it included what we get now, PLUS cable, and the park had some nice amenities, so that would have been well worth it. In a few years we may want to move, and we have that place on our radar (it's about 2 hours away from where we live now).

If I encounter someone in the wild (which is rare), then I will generally leave them alone, unless it's someone that I REALLY wanted to meet, and then I will be quiet and polite, and ask for an autograph, and try my darndest to not attract attention. But calling someone fat and ugly (even if alcohol is involved), or telling someone you'll sign something for them if you model the shirt you're wearing, hitting on someone when they've made it clear they're not interested and didn't put out any vibes to begin with that they were intersted, or calling security on someone who was polite (there was a show going on and no one else was paying attention) is uncalled for - a simple "I'm tired and really don't want to be bothered right now" would have sufficed. I don't feel celebs owe their fans anything, like some people do. I've been turned down for autograph requests many times over the years, and that's OK (I always sent a SASE for photos, and would get mildly annoyed if they didn't return it to me, but again, it's their perogative). And I get annoyed with people who do feel that way. But if someone is polite, they could be polite back, at least. Most of my experiences have been positive. I walked away from Micky Dolenz when he made it clear he didn't want to be bothered. My mom didn't yell or make a scene, but was firm in that she thought he was being rude. I was 13, and we came a long way for the show, and she was also a fan when she was younger, so she was probably in a bit of an odd spot and blurted it out. After talking to other people, I now know only to approach him if it's at an event he's agreed to do meet and greets, and would love to meet him at such an event. I make no apologies on calling out Davy Jones. I don't find DUI amusing, and he did it a number of times. Insulting people and their appearance is also not OK. Living in a rural area where most people likely aren't super fans and not getting fawned over ticked him off, but at the same time sending people away who do approach you made him a hypocrite. As for Gallagher, my friend said he might just be a hands-on person, but if you approach someone, touch them (it was not in an inappropriate place), they move away, and you go back in, then to me that's not OK either. Honestly you shouldn't be touching anyone at all, unless it's a photo op and you have to squeeze in. She was clearly uncofmortable and put out the uncomfortable vibe big-time. She believed we were being filmed for this DVD, so she smiled and was polite, but specifically stepped away from him. It's on record that he smacked an audience member a few years ago and yelled at a waitress at one of his shows, and he went on a profanity laced tirade at a family friendly show, with kids present. A fan of his once tried to tell me repeatedly that it wasn't Gallagher, but his brother, Gallagher II, but I know it wasn't, as he appeared on the local radion station to talk about his lawsuit against his brother, and talked about it during the show. Searching "Gallagher Is A Jerk" brings up numerous results. So yes, I agree that for the most part, leave celebs alone if it's not at a meet and greet, and be polite if you really want to talk to them, but some of their behavior is not OK.

I will say I work in manufacturing. It's a niche environment that we serve - people generally seek us out. We make highly customized items, but that's where I'll stop. Our owner doens't like us talking about work, except to stay in generalities when using the actual name or products, since we're such a niche market. And I need my job. 😉 As for years: Teller (2003), Brock Lesnar (2006), Billy Baldwin (2016), Pat Mastroianni (2004), Howard Jones (2004), The Osbournes (2003), Gordon Ramsay (2005), Brian Boitano (1989), Tracy Wilson/Robert McCall (1989), Prscilla Lopez/Baayork Lee/Thommie Walsh (1990), Ken Ober/Colin Quinn (various times 1988/1989-ish - lost the letters), Mike Nesmith (2018), Franco Harris/Mike Shanahan (2005), Martina McBride (1992), Charlie Daniels (3 times - definitely in 2006, and 2008 - the first time would have been before 2006, but I can't find the date for sure - possibly 2004), Jim Gaffigan (2008), Lewis Black (2013), Jim Belushi (2013), Mick Foley (1999), Harry Wayne "KC" Casey (2016), Gallagher (early 2000's - I want to say 2006-ish - I'd have to look for the ticket stub), Vinnie/Mikey/Cody/Campo from OCC (2004), The Ramones (1995), Weird Al Yankovic (1999), Gunnar and Matthew Nelson (2007 and 2010), Mark Slaughter (2010), Peter Tork (saw in 1987 but was too shy and 2013), Micky Dolenz (1987), Andrew McCarthy (saw in 1986, will meet in 2020), Davy Jones (can't recall all of the times I bumped in to him - would have been between 1988 and 2000-ish), John Valby (I can't remember anymore - one was a NYE show at Penn's Peak but I can only find a 2010 show, and it was before that as my MIL was still alive, and she died in 2007 - the 2nd time was at a dive bar that I can't recall the name of - the show was rescheduled and that night on the way, my husband found out he had skin cancer), and Brooklyn Brawler (1993). That's awesome! He talked at his show about how his parents were awesome, and they were academics. They would have liked him to go on to use his brains (Peter was very smart), but encouraged him to follow his dreams.

Orwigsburg is by Hamburg, Schuylkill Haven, Pottsville, etc. Right by where 78 crosses 61. Right near Cabela's, and that shopping center next to it. They bought their rings at a jewelry store in that shopping complex.

I put out a warning. I've encountered a lot of people in my day, and the post said they wanted stories. 😀 I knew I'd forget at least one. First one belongs on the UGLY Ugly list, lol. Gallagher (Comedian): Went to his show with a friend (tickets were buy one/get one). He was suposedly filming a DVD (which never came out). They asked us to remain in the lobby before the show. Gallagher came out and was milling about, throwing Hershey Kisses at us, and signing autographs (he was pushy). He signed my ticket stub. He was wearing his typical polyester jumpsuit, and it must have been one he'd had forever, because the BO on it was horrendous. I wasn't the only one who noticed. The show went on for hours because he kept stopping and re-doing jokes and things. Then he said he wanted to do some new stuff, but if it didn't go over, he'd just quit doing it mid-bit. He did the sledge-o-matic, and at one point, invited up anyone who had a birthday in that month to smash a cake. Every single time, we had to sing Happy Birthday. We were about to walk out when the show abruptly ended. He had smashed all kinds of stuff, including potato salad. It was nasty, and started to smell because of the lights. After the show, he was in the lobby and was hitting on my friend (who is young enough to be his daughter), and he kept trying to give us leftover potato salad, after it sat out under hot lights. We were at another show at that theater a few months later. They told us he was never allowed to come back because they were scraping potato salad off of the ceiling for weeks afterward (it's a beautiful theater on the historic register). He was made to sign a rider to clean up after, but apparently he skipped out. Jackass. This one is on the good list: John Valby, A/K/A Dr. Dirty (x-rated singer and comedian): as a kid, I had some of his tapes, dubed 10,000 times and poor quality, but we'd sit around and giggle at his off-color songs. I've been to two of his shows as an adult, and he's the kindest, funniest, most gracious guy. He autographed CD's that I bought with pretty filthy inscriptions, but that's the Dirt Dr. for you. 🤣

!!!!!!!! Flash Gordon is one of my favorite movies. "Oh well! Who wants to live forever????" I've met/brushed with a number of celebs over the years. This will be long. I sold Teller something at my job. I talked to him over the phone. He never gave his real name. But yes, he's very quiet and soft spoken. We saw P&T last year about 2 hours from my house, and they did a meet and greet afterward. The venue was the biggest cluster ever (will never go to another show there again) and we never did get to meet them afterward, because security made no effort to have people get in lines, etc. I left very frustrated. I don't blame P&T....I blame the venue. I thought I quoted the person who met Billy Baldwin. I sold him something at my job, and I talked to him a few times over the phone. Very nice and down to Earth. He met some of my co-workers at an event (I didn't get to go). I also sold something to Brock Lesnar (through a sales rep). He was very nice. He was more calm and laid-back than his persona on TV is. I told him my husband was a big fan, and he mailed him an autographed photo - personalized. As for famous-adjacent, I sold something to the mom of the oldest daughter on The Bernie Mac Show. She was a very sweet lady. I told her we loved the show, and that her daughter was a good actress (it was still airing at that time). I said that the episode where she was in Chicago looking for her mother made me tear up, and I don't normally get bleary at shows and movies. She told me that she bawled on the set, because as a mother, it was incredibly painful to watch. I've corresponded online with Howard Jones (at that time, he was 100% handling all of inquiries through his website - probably not anymore - this was around 2000), and Pat Mastroianni (Joey Jeremiah from Degrassi Jr High/Degrassi High/Early seasons of Degrassi TNG). He was a really nice guy. Sent me an autographed photo when I bought some of his home movies, etc, from when he was on Degrassi (he used to sell them on eBay). I've written to (at various times over the years) and received stuff from many people, but I'll stick to real or personalized stuff: Brian Boitano, Tracy Wilson and Robert McCall (Canadian Ice Dance Champs and Olympic Bronze Medalists - Rob passed in 1991), Priscilla Lopez (Broadway actress), Thommie Walsh (who has since passed away) and Baayork Lee (Broadway people - signed a book they co-authored), Gordon Ramsay (pre-all of his US TV shows - I watched him on BBC America, before they started showing mostly US shows), Ozzy/Sharon/Jack/Kelly Osbourne (while their show was still on - contacted their agent for my husband's 30th birthday), and Ken Ober/Colin Quinn when they were on Remote Control on MTV (Sadly, I have lost those letters), and Mike Nesmith when I bought his book from his website. We were at Dan Marino's HOF induction (my husband has tons of autographs but never met Dan, unfortunately), and we were seated in the VIP area (because they had a ticketing system crash, and my seats that I paid for went to someone else - sometimes glitches pay off). We got free water all day, which was nice, because it was HOT. Some guy started chatting with me. I was polite and made small talk. I remember thinking he was nuts because he was wearing a black long-sleeved turtle neck. When he walked away, I saw him pick-up a gold jacket. I was gobsmacked, but had to wait until they seated people on stage to find out it was Franco Harris. My late Grandpa Bill is rolling in his grave. I also noticed that we were seated behind someone who was sunburned to a crisp. I considered offering them sunscreen. The VIP people there for Steve Young's induction were all wearing hats with his name on them, so we knew he was there for Steve and he was a VIP. My husband started to freak. It was Mike Shanahan, who was coach with the Denver Broncos at that time. Steve pointed to him in his speech, and he left right after, because he had to get back to training camp. He took a photo with my husband and signed our program. I've met the following people, mostly at meet and greets (usually after a show), or events: Martina McBride (when she was opening for Garth Brooks in 1992), Charlie Daniels (a number of times - he and his wife are very gracious people), Jim Gaffigan (pleasant and funny - he graciously took a photoshop collage I did showing some of his bits - he signed our photos funny and our photos with him are funny too), Lewis Black (couldn't get photos or personalized signatures - it was the venue), Mick Foley (ditto - venue didn't want us to even really talk to him, but he was nice), Harry Wayne "KC" Casey (of "& The Sunshine Band - he was funny and chatted with my mom for a bit because she has the same first name as his mom), The Ramones (on their 20th Anniversary Tour, 1995 - they signed photos after the show but didn't really talk to us - I don't think they were rude, but just tired, plus Joey had anxiety and wasn't super outgoing, from everything I've heard/read), Mikey/Vinnie/Cody/Campo from Orange County Choppers (at a bike show - we went there just for them - Jr and Sr were there, but they were out at different times from the rest of them, and we didn't get to meet them - this was before everything at OCC fell apart - all were nice, but Mikey in particular was very nice and yelled at a security guard who put his hands on me), Mark Slaughter (we were there to see someone else, and he was the opener - story about the main act below, as it was cute)....I'm sure I'm forgetting someone here, but that's what's in my mind right now. As for stories...... The Good: Matthew & Gunnar Nelson (more than once, but my favorite time was when I had my husband along, and they asked for his name for the photo - he hesitated, then said "Um...Nelson" - they both got quiet, then laughed hard and said "Can you spell that? Just kidding!!" - they are very nice guys, and we met Mark Slaughter at their show), Jim Belushi (at an improv show he was doing - nice guy - when he asked for my oddball first name, he asked me to spell it, and said "I bet you've done that just about every day of your life, huh? Let me give you some advice! My first name is easy - J-I-M, but my last name was something I ALWAYS had to spell....until my brother got famous, and I've never spelled it again....so GET FAMOUS and you'll never have to spell your name again!"), Peter Tork (I'm a HUGE Monkees fan and almost got to meet him when I was 13, but was too shy to approach him, and then he left when I got the nerve up - I finally got to meet him 26 years later at a one man show he was doing - my husband chatted with the security guard and he put me first in line - Peter could sense I was nervous and almost star-struck, as he was my favorite - I told him about when I was 13, and he laughed and asked if it was worth the wait.....um YES!!! - he told me to take my time, and made me feel so at ease - we also watched him warm up in 1996 at a show because I was in a wheelchair with a broken leg and they sat us first - he hollared out if there were any requests and I hollared back for him to play Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor, and he did - he didn't know we were out there), Weird Al Yankovic (the only time I was ever star-struck - I couldn't talk to him, even though my husband and friend did - I only managed to say "Al", and gave a thumbs up - he signed the book for his boxed set, and continuted to talk to me, and I would nod back, unable to say anything). The Bad: Micky Dolenz - My encounter with him was out "in the wild", during the day of a show they were doing. My mom and I bumped in to him, and attempted to talk to him, but he waved us off. We only wanted an autograph - didn't ask for photos or anything to draw attention to him. He wasn't very nice. I just said "OK" and left, but my mom, ever the protective mama, said "Oh YEAH? I remember when you were CORKY THE CIRCUS BOY! You should be happy for fans! The kids her age are making you popular all over again!". He looked at my mom, decided it wasn't worth it (they're the same age) and he kept going. Later, I talked to someone else who had a bad experience with him in a restaurant - the woman he was married to at the time actually told him to knock it off. But I know people who have met him at meet and greets, and have nothing but good things to say, so I'm going to chalk it up to that he's nice if you meet him at an event, but out and about, he wants to be left alone. Would still like to meet him sometime, but at an event. The Ugly: Davy Jones (More than once) - I know how loved he was/still is, but he was never anything but ultra-rude to me, and my friends. He had a "summer home" about 30 minutes from where I grew up - he bought it in the late 80's, because he had a friend who lived in that teeny-tiny town. Honestly, people here left him alone - this is a rural area, and it's not like he was a mega-star. He built up a lot of bad will when he racked up a few DUI's, and escaped punishment on all of them, except for the last one, where he was sentenced to perform a show for the town at their fair.....and he then accepted money for that show. It came out after the fact, and he ticked a lot of people off. We bumped into him at the mall a few times, where he always told us to essentially buzz off. He told the daughter of a friend of the family that she was ugly and fat when she tried to talk to him at a bar (he was drunk). He was extremely drunk one night when he came in to WalMart. He was rude to everyone. My friend just adored him, and he couldn't have been ruder to her if he tried. He came in to develop some photos. They were of him and some current celebrity women at the time. He thought he was hot stuff, but he looked ludicrous in the photos - almost pervy old man level ludicrous. And the joke was on him, because the people in the photo center made copies and distributed them. He was only nice to me one time, and it was at an event he might have been sentenced to, to help out a local high school. And even then, I felt like he was just a few minutes away from being an ass. He would occasionally do a one man show at a local restaurant. A few times, people told me he was just jerky if the audience didn't fawn all over him. And whenever I mention that he wasn't nice, there's usually someone out there that chastises me. As if he just wasn't capable of being a complete and total ass. The Brooklyn Brawler - An old-time WWF "jobber" (someone who is basically there to lose....every single time - someone who will get beaten up by headliners, and generally made to look bad). He was at a house show I took my husband to -back when WWF would do shows in high school gyms, etc. This was in a HS gym. It snowed in the midwest, and the show was already a bust because some of the headliners were snowed in along the way. He did his bit, then showered, and was standing behind us, watching the show. My husband saw him, and said "I've been watching you since I was little. Can I get an autograph?". This fucker called security on him, who was kind, but asked my husband to go back to his seat. Seriously?? When they were ready to go to intermission, I turned around and said "Look, Mr. Brawler. I'm sure being a jobber sucks, and you've been one forever, but seriously? You think you're Randy Savage or something?? Thanks for being an ass." He walked away. The One That Got Away: Andrew McCarthy - When I was in 8th grade, they were filming part of "Mannequin" about an hour south of me. We were fresh off of seeing "Pretty In Pink" and drooling for Blane. My mom took me and a friend down to see if we could get in as extras - I can shop with the best of them - and possibly meet Andrew. We never got to be extras, and we only saw Andrew for a few minutes from a good distance, but we did see a little bit of filming, which was cool enough. I just bought tickets to go see "Weekend At Bernie's" next March. Andrew will be there to talk about it, and I'll FINALLY get to meet him. 😀 John Taylor - (Duran Duran basist, and the finest looking man I've ever seen) - My husband bought me his book for Christmas one year - didn't realize he was doing a book tour...until it was too late. 😔 Bucket List: Howard Jones (in person), John Taylor (see above), Weird Al (again, so I can redeem my idiotic actions), Mystery Science Theater cast (I can never afford the VIP packages at their shows), Pat Mastroianni (in person - they sometimes do Degrassi reunions in Toronto - I was the same age, so I felt like they were my classmates, almost), Sid and Marty Krofft (they do very few shows anymore), Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz (when he's up for meeting people), Jordan Knight (NKOTB), and I'd love for my husband to be able to meet Ozzy in person. We had tickets for him and Megadeth, but Ozzy got sick, and the show was postponed - and I'm not sure if Dave Mustane will be well enough after getting diagnosed with cancer).

Probably not an exaggeration. Trulicity is almost $2000 per month (that's 4 injectors). Insulin is about $500, or more, depending. And Eli Lily, who makes the majority of those meds won't do patient assistance if you have insurance....even if your coverage has no prescription plan (like mine). That super high amount is probably what they charge her insurance - if she self-paid, it would probably be less, but still in the thousands, or even tens of thousands. **ETA: Good RX is pricing Stelara - with discount - at around $25,000. Ludicrous.

Sounds like a "Go Bag" for a drug addict....

re: The "Gifting Group". There were a number of these in our area at one time on FB. They start out well, but the grifters/scammers get word, and they all go to hell quickly. Then all hell breaks loose when someone gave something to someone because they were begging for cell phones or stuff for their kids, and they then see the person they gav eto trying to sell the items. The ones here all said that there would be no asking for cash, but most of them have since shut down because they were an absolute cluster. There's a woman who is still floating around the groups looking for free stuff. She claims she gives it to others, but there's no proof. I won't give anything to her, because I suspect she takes the items to other areas and re-sells them. She's always whining that her disability doesn't go far enough and she doesn't know how she's going to pay rent, so I don't believe that she is also running some giving group out of her house/apartment/whatever, which she constantly says she's about to lose. She's ticked off enough people that she's been banned from a number of groups, and she started her own group so she can trash people. I joined by mistake, thinking it was a legit sale rating group (since I sell on FB Marketplace for extra cash, and occasionally buy things). Nope. She just trashes people who called her on her stuff. It's a good idea in theory, but too many people nowadays will take advantage. As for the "not a 'charity' charity", they would have to provide paperwork and stick to government regulations if they wanted to actually be a charity. They don't. re: 6 month babysitting job - I didn't really get it either, but I did hear there was a request from a church for her to provide emergency child care, but it was initially supposed to be for just a day or similar. The church involvement makes me wonder if the mother was about to be homeless, and they run a shelter or provide services. Dollars to donuts, I'd bet the Defendant never goes to pick-up her stuff becuase she just wanted cash. I doubt the kids ever had even half of what she claimed they did.

Was that the one where they owned a business, and the guy was surfing porn on his cell phone, and putting himself on dating sites? Or was that a different Amish murder?

Tabs would overturn the self waterer that our Shadow cat loved before she died. The fountains are heavy and she'd probably have a hard time overturning them, but if she likes to play, she might want to splash in them, like our Sylvester would with the Drinkwell.

But there isn't a Sandals resort in Orlando. There isn't actually one anywhere in the US.

I watched eps 3 and 4 over the weekend. The one with the 2 friends from Baltimore who met while clubbing were just exhausting. I was glad for that to be over. Nothing but drama from those two, and I was glad for that ep to be over. As posessive as the girl who was ghosted was, I wouldn't be shocked if they're fighting again soon. Maybe when the guy (can't remember his name) gets out of jail, since he seemed to like to play both sides. The one with the guy who moved to San Francisco, I got a feeling early on he was closeted, and moved to SF to try to make what he thought was a "normal" life, and if it didn't work, then he was in a much more gay-friendly spot than where he was living. The girl he was engaged to seemed like the type who figures that they can fix someone, and I think she sensed something was going on between the two of them, and figured if she pulled him away, it would change everything. Glad to hear they're taking it slow, and I would love to see the guy who was ghosted move to San Francisco, or an area where it's more acceptible to be who he is.

This weeks ep was with an audience, unless it was a laugh track.

Sylvester is 7, I think (I know, bad catmom), and we got him when he was 6 months old. We got the Drinkwell before we got him, so it held up pretty well. I just didn't want to reinvest that kind of money when Tabs doesn't really get much in acne breakouts anymore (save for some blackheads occasionally), and the Drinkwell had a bazillion parts to take apart, clean, and put back. Plus Sylvester liked to splash in the fountain, and the moat would get full of hair. We could get to the pump in the Drinkwell, and you could take it apart (they had a video that showed you how and how to use Q-tips to clean it out) but the design of putting the foam filter around the pump always boggled me. I get they wanted to keep it clean, but the filter itself was a magnet for stuff, and then water wouldn't flow freely (and mine would get gunked up quickly). We got lucky and got a Forever Filter for the cone before PetSafe sued the guy who made it multiple times. My dad bought a Drinkwell 360 for his cat, and I gave him my extra pieces, and my Forever Filter. He was tickled.

We have had several. The first one was an inexpensive one that had the reservoir on the top. Big mistake. Tabs thought it was her duty to try to flip it over. All....the....time. So we gave that one to my aunt - it was a little noisy, and she had a blind cat. It helped him find his water. The 2nd one was nice, but it had filters that looked like teabags, and they sat at the front of the spout (this one had a reservoir in the back, where she couldn't get at it). She wouldn't rest until she dug the filter out, and chewed it up (the vet said it wouldn't hurt - it was just charcoal). That one ended up going to a friend who wanted a fountain. Plus, we had also found out that Tabs had feline acne, and they recommended we ditch plastic things. The 3rd one we had a for a long time. A Drinkwell 360, stainless steel (the spout was plastic, but she seemed to be OK). It was heavy, and didn't make much noise unless the water level got low. We had it when we got Sylvester, and it bit the dust about 2 months ago. The pump just died, and when we moved, we had very hard water, so the whole thing had deposits on it that wouldn't come off. We opted not to go with another one of those because they've really gotten expensive, and the filters were expensive. We're on number 4. A Cat-it flower fountain (it has a blue base -they have a few different ones). It's all plastic, but Tabs doesn't get acne much anymore. I like this one because the water is in the base and unlike the Drinkwell, they can't really splash around in it, like Sylvester would do (that one has the water in a moat type thing, and it also runs out of the top). It also has much fewer parts to clean than the Drinkwell. They seem to like it, and there are a number of ways to configure it. Tabs doesn't care, but Sylvester doesn't like to get his whiskers wet, so we've had to fool around with it to make him happy. I think it cost less than $40 on Amazon (the Drinkwell is around $100 if you get the stainless), and the filters (which are hidden in the base) aren't bad either. We fill this one with filtered water, since ours is so hard. We rarely have spills, but even if we do, we always set the fountains on a small bound piece of carpet with a rubber bottom (like a kitchen mat). It helps quiet the vibrations, and helps with any spills that might happen.

People give us treats from time. We've tried the opposite when we run out of food - tried putting the treats in their bowl. They aren't having it, lol.

Yeah. It's a tough pill to swallow, but my decent co-workers are mostly gone, and I just won't bother anymore, since no one appreciates it, for the most part. I don't want a pat on the back, or anything, but I also don't need to be a doormat either (for lack of a better word) I just wanted to provide a fun thing for everyone, and it's different now. Times change, and not always for the better. We always do a work group picnic over the summer, when we reach a point where the rest of the facility is off while maintenance is done. The work group that organized the thing today didn't contribue to that either. The more that I think about it, they grabbed food and went in to their area, and watched TV. But as much as I try to not let it bug me, it does hurt. I'll get over it. I don't like being of the "all for myself" mentality, but as of late, it's going to be necessary.

Car insurance may have required it. I got sued when I was 16 for an accident that wasn't my fault. My parents insurance company said their insurance probably required it, otherwise they wouldn't cover their damages.

Ugh. The talk about school cliques makes me wonder about whether that kind of crap ever truly goes away. Every year, for the past few years, I do a thing at work where I make tacos in the crock pot, and share with the works groups in my vicinity. I can't feed the whole facility, but if anyone who isn't in our work group wants one, they can have one. I don't exclude anyone. I always did it as a morale booster and a teamwork kind of thing. I usually do it when we're at a low for morale, etc. It's always gone over well. I spend about $50 out of my pocket, and don't ask for reimbursement (because I don't think it's right to do that). I just ask people to bring a side dish or something to share, but stipulate that it's not necessary, since I know people are at various financial states (myself included). Since I started it, employees have come and gone. The group we have right now is not one of my favorites, but this year I did tacos anyway, just later in the year. Same spiel as every year - please bring something to share if you can. One of the work groups used to sit in my area, but late last year, they received a very fancy and expensive work space separate from everyone else. Most of us were left to scratch our heads as to why. Since they're now on their own and left to police themsevles, they waste a TON of time, but get tons of overtime complaining that they can't keep up with their work. They make these stupid flyers that they send around for bogus events. Some of us have brought up about how they seem to have time and use company resources for this stuff but can't get their work done, but no one says anything to them directly (like a supervisor). And it does no good to go to their supervisor because they will be vigoroiusly defended - even as I find more and more mistakes in their work (excuses are made). Nevermind that their mistakes directly affect me. If I don't catch them, it comes back on me. This year, I had no choice but to set the crock pot up in their space - the space I usually set it up was being used by someone else - a government representative who came in to do some audit stuff. When I sent the notice around, two people (out of almost 20) got back to me that they would bring something, and they did. I provided meat, various shells (including gluten free because of one co-worker), and cheese. One co-worker provided tomatoes, and another one provided a bunch of sides, like salsa, sour cream, etc, and a big bag of tortilla chips. No one else brought anything. Prior years, we've had desserts, drinks (non-alcoholic), and other things. Most people ate, but no one brought anything else. And some of that's on me - I did say they didn't need to bring anything, but stuff to share would be appreciated. The people in that workgroup said they'd bring drinks. They did not. Because everything was set up in their area, they ate TONS of meat. They bragged about how much they ate. They contributed nothing. As mentioned before, they post bogus flyers. A few weeks ago, they posted some Crocktober Fest thing. I couldn't decide if they were making fun of me, or what (since their flyers are always bogus). The bottom of this flyer said that they wanted people to bring stuff in (and says nothing about them making anything) and if you want to eat, there's a charge of $2.00 per plate. I decide it must be fake because of that, but still wonder if they're making fun of me. Apparently earlier this week, a 2nd flyer went around to other work groups, but not mine. This apparently is a serious thing. Today, we come in to find all kinds of crock pots cooking stuff. People are tripping over themselves to provide desserts, sides, etc. They're all hanging around talking about how awesome this is. I always did my thing as a morale booster. Instead, this all feels really "mean girl" to me, even though the people who dreamed it up are all men. I'm eating my frozen dinner. Someone asked us what we made - we all said nothing, because we weren't told about it. The one person in my work group was really unhappy about this, and she's not shy, so she called and told them it would have been nice if they told us, and asked what they provided. One made a small contribution, but otherwise, nothing. She kept on them in a jokey, but firm sort of way, and then he finally said he had to go, but grumbled something about people not appreciating what they're trying to do. I've made the decision I'm not doing tacos next year. I can put that $50 to better use. They all have the recipe. If they want to make them, they can. I'm not angry. I'm mildly annoyed, but more than that, I'm hurt. I don't like some of these people, but the rest I thought were OK. The one that I bought special shells for didn't eat anything. That was $4 down the drain becuase no one else wanted gluten free shells. I sent several reminders, and she brought a salad. I wanted to be sure she was included, because she's often not when people send us Pizza, etc. HR, who was in the break room as I nuked my lunch, said that she didn't realize not everyone was told about it. I said "My opinion is include everyone, or don't do it". She agreed. Our one younger employee said "That's kind of not very nice". I said no, it isn't, and I've decided against tacos next year. I said I couldn't help but feel that this was in some ways a thinly veiled stab at me (since I know two of them turned out to be not very nice - when they sat with us, they'd make fun of our one developmentally delayed employee, and make comments about other ones), and this past time, no one really bothered to contribute, so I didn't think I wanted to do it again. She said "I don't blame you". I would have never thought the many years ago that I started here, that it would devolve to crap like this. We always had a fun, upbeat, family type atmosphere. Disappointing. And they are supposedly doing this every Friday. My co-worker that called them (she's somewhat new here) said that a friend sent her coffee, donuts, and two tins of popcorn from the local gourmet popcorn place a few months ago. She said that work group took the donuts and popcorn back to their work area. One of them took the coffee. She got none of it. She said she would have shared, but that was incredibly rude. I will just be keeping to myself from here on out.

Some co-workers said that they tried it (they're not vegetarian or vegan). They said it didn't taste too bad, but had an odd texture. They also said the key was to have cheese on it (take that for whatever it means - I have no plans to try one).