frenchtoast

I saw that on the Weather Channel yesterday morning! It's unreal. Had to show my husband who is big into trains.

I love Dr. Kat. Her history of the month round is probably my favorite thing of 2021.

The couch we had before we bought these LaZBoy couches were loose and I hated it because they moved. Both the seat and back cushions are attached in our current couches and that has its own issues--can't always get what drops in there and I know there are crumbs that I'll never get to. As for getting used to a dog, @laurakaye, I second the walking and feeding. Especially the walking. And toss treats as you're walking and hopefully seeing how thrilled the dog is (most adore walks and treats) it might make you more comfortable? You're also moving, the dog isn't solely focused on you but it knows you're there, and you can get closer or increase distance as you feel necessary. And maybe play outside a bit, too (with your daughter around). Something that you can do where you're not in a confined space and the dog is doing something it loves will hopefully create a positive feedback loop.

Three years ago we bought new couches from La Z Boy. Initially I was pretty sure I wanted leather but we were shown a fabric made from recycled plastic that we liked a lot and it was easier to care for than leather. I needed something that had recliners and these function in such a way that you don't need much space behind in order to deploy the footrest. I don't know that I'll be able to find the information but I'll see if I can dig it up. The couches themselves are pretty plain and bland looking, but I do like that I can vacuum under the couch without having to move them. The recliner is electric and is sooooooo slooooooow and the vacuum grabs that cord so that can be annoying, but overall, I'm very happy with the couches. And they are very easy to clean.

Yes, I knew they were linked with some pretty terrible stuff, including being assholes about health insurance, too. (There was a Supreme Court case and they can deny birth control coverage to their employees. Assholes) And I also avoid WalMart if I can (and I usually can) and never eat at Chick Fil A either. Or what @jcbrown said. It's a shame because there is a yarn I would like to try that is a Hobby Lobby brand but I will not step foot in the store.

Yeah, it would be great but this neighborhood and our former neighborhood are full of kids having so much fun there is just no way we could do that. Not as many people decorate here and I don't know if it's an HOA thing (they'll ding you for decorations too early) or just a low interest thing. We did a lot with our old house but we cut back significantly here. We still had decorations and Mr. Toast could not resist using the fog machine but it was definitely less.

I bought 4 bags of candy and we are nearly out. We may run out this year. Ugh.

I have a Nespresso Vertuo machine with a separate Aerosomething or other. It heats and "froths" the half n half. (I don't have that milk frother that it lists in that link) It was pricey and the pods are pricey but I prefer the flavor to a Keurig. I had no luck with French press but I have used a normal drip coffee maker but I like the option of brewing just one cup. I have run into the occasional issue of it not opening sometimes. I've had it two years come this November. Also, the pods are recyclable but it's a program that you get a free bag and bring the filled bag to UPS to ship (free) it to Nespresso for recycling. There are not many choices as far as pods/capsules go and you can't really find them in stores, you have to order online. And looking at a box of 10 pods for $10/$11 compared to a bag of coffee and a normal drip coffee maker makes me question my choice of convenience. But I do like the coffee, I find it's better than running to the local coffee shop.

I remember and miss that game.

We were refused care because we were five minutes later for check-in. Not the appt, but for the check-in. We had waited 2 months for a doctor to see the rash on my daughter's hand and were five minutes late. (Mistimed how long it would take to pick her up from school). And we were refused service and turned away, told to go see Urgent Care. It kind of pisses me off that someone who was defiantly not following procedure was given care and my daughter wasn't.

When my kids were little and not able to do their laundry (it was down two flights of stairs and those basement stairs were a doozy with a sharp turn and a half step) I would either mix the kids clothes together or just do a big load of all our clothes. I did the laundry so I would sort and fold and put it on their beds and they would put it away. (Even now, husband's gets placed on his side of the bed) Once the kids got old enough they just do their own. Including their own towels and sheets. I do wash my and my husband's clothes together. On a funny side note, there was a sign in the laundry room of son's college instructing students that the laundry pods go in the tub. (Hahahaha!)

When I first watched the episode I felt a little let down, it felt a little anti-climatic. Giving it some thought, I was being unfair because I think I was expecting a big emotional punch like from the end of Clone Wars. But that was seven seasons, and Ahsoka and Rex had had long character arcs. The first season of Bad Batch wasn't going to be able to do that, and on top of that, I think it was supposed to show them being off-balance, and struggling to figure out who they are now in this very new world with no missions and no purpose. And after watching the season again, it feels better. And I'm looking forward to another season. What I really appreciated from this episode specifically, it wasn't easy for them to escape. I think that would have annoyed me the most. It should have been difficult and dangerous and I appreciate that it was. That being said, holy shit turn off the flashlights. And screw you, Crosshair, you were shooting at them. They didn't leave you behind, you were shooting at them.

Also, the percentage of protection was only ever around 90-95%. That means that some vaccinated people could end up in the hospital, it just greatly reduces the amount of people. The number I have seen thrown around is 99.02 of the people dying are unvaccinated. The breakthrough infections that happened in Provincetown MA, nobody vaccinated ended up on a vent, though of the number (and I think it was around 100) only 2 ended up in the hospital and it wasn't requiring ICU. The short version of this: The vaccine was never ever touted as 100% prevention with 0 risk for Covid or hospitalization. But the efficacy is still high enough to warrant vaccinating in order to relieve pressure on hospitals and masking to prevent spreading. It will never be a 0 but it's still better than not getting vaccinated.

You can also hover your mouse on their avatar and there should be a choice to ignore user. (I never use the mobile site, so this is desktop only.

I'd be more than happy to get a booster shot. I also have no issue wearing a mask while out in public. I was already planning on masking while at Universal Studios Orlando, especially for the indoor queues. My hope is that if they do announce a booster, it includes the "pediatric" cohort of 12-16 year olds as well. She'll be attending school here in TX where cases are definitely on the rise and policies are in place to make it difficult to curb. (I'm actually more concerned that she won't be allowed to wear her mask at school. She was already planning on it and I am probably hoping against hope it won't be a problem) I would like her to get the booster should it become available.

We came home from a recital with our daughter and there was a hawk munching away on a squirrel in our front yard, completely unfazed that were walking into the house. I used to try to make sure the yard was clear of bunnies and squirrels because greyhounds are fast enough to catch them and it's gross. I was not always successful and squirrels are stupid and would go up on the fence and then try to race across the yard to their favorite tree with the dogs in the yard. Even so, Raz got quite a few rabbits. In our new home, there are no wild critters that I've seen in the yard. Other than big ass bugs that hit the window.

In both of my houses I've had essentially two attics. In our current house, there's a big closet upstairs that has a door that opens to the space above the garage. Husband put some floorboards in and we use it for A LOT of storage. We also have a pull-down ladder attic that we barely use or access. We sometimes call that space over the garage the upstairs attic to distinguish it from the pull down ladder attic. And now I would swear attic is not a real word. So upstairs attic did not ping as strange to me.

As a former moderator I would notice patterns. It helped me handle situations better knowing the patterns of how poster talk about the subject and with each other. But seeing the patterns help incorporate the granular into the bigger picture. And absolutely we are under no obligation to read, react, agree, interact, commiserate, advise, believe etc with anyone.

Snakes and crocs and spiders are why I won't visit Australia. I'll go to Florida to go to Disney and Universal, though. @Scarlett45 are you still planning on visiting WDW this year? My DVC friends didn't renew their annual pass this year. We are hitting Halloween Horror Nights at Universal this year. My daughter and one of the friends went in 2019 and loved it. I'm a big scaredy cat but I still really enjoyed it. We had such a great time we're bringing the husbands along this time. Which, thinking about it, may be a mistake.

I had bunion surgery when I was 37. I have orthotics for my shoes that are not Vionic. They are definitely worth the price. I inherited bad teeth and feet from my maternal side. (All the talk about a Rod kid not having her two front teeth--I went 18 months before mine came in. My mom even asked the dentist. But my teeth are awful. Palate expander and braces and they're still not great) I've been debating whether to get a pair of sandals but I can't justify it because I don't like having my feet exposed. I would be so worried about that snake because my dogs love to sniff things and I wouldn't be able to see it before I let them out. One of our dogs loves to really get into the long grass on the walk and I would not be able to see a snake. So scary.

I always assumed that's why everyone got all nasty with each other when Loki was imprisoned. They were all around the scepter and arguing in small groups. It wasn't outright stated, but as the fights progress, the camera flips and focuses on the scepter as if to point out that the scepter was the source of the conflict. It would make sense that it was also affecting Loki.

My husband helped his mom clean out his grandmothers (mom's mother) condo in Florida just before Memorial Day. (Was supposed to happen last Spring but as we all know the world closed down). He got super frustrated with all the stuff she wanted to keep. We've done two big moves and I've definitely learned to cull mercilessly. When we were talking about it later I mentioned (trying not to be morbid) but it kind of sucks that he and his sister (who was begging from afar to throw stuff out) will have to go through all of that and have to clean out so much. She was saving take-out containers, broken funnels and loads of stuff and my husband was pulling his hair out. I do think his mom was irked that we didn't take things but I put my foot down that we are not taking anything, we have more than enough as it is and we have no place to put it. He did throw out a ton of records. One of them was West Side Story one of the few musicals that he actively despises that I enjoy. He took a lot of gratification throwing that out.

I moved to north Texas last year after a lifetime of living in the Northeast. The past few days have been stormy but also delightfully cool. But dang, here I was expecting near 90s because I know I've seen it get that hot here in May but it has been lovely. I have a feeling it's an anomaly but I am loving it--cool, rainy, gray days are my jam.

@Tikichick I was trying to explain in general that yes, children are different. There isn't really a good understanding but it's hard because infants, toddlers and children aren't really great at communicating either. The rest of the post was not directed to that question and I'm sorry I didn't delineate.

There are few things about pediatric studies. Many times parents don't want to have their children in studies. Informed consent is hugely difficult. But also, a pediatric system is different than an adult system so it's not so much a smaller dose. As for following the science, I'm well versed in how FDA works, thank you thanks to my job in Reg Affairs. It's not random and there's a reason things move slowly. Vaccines as a class have been very, very well documented and it's not new. There's more danger from daughter getting shot in a classroom considering her school announces that there are firearms in the school than she is being harmed by a vaccine. I wish you understood how those deaths are rated. FDA considers any death so whether the person was in a car accident it will be listed. Whether it can be contributed to the vaccine or not is another question and there have been no deaths attributed to Pfizer. A car is more dangerous than a vaccine. I understand fully risk to benefit and I don't need a stranger that does not know me offering ill-informed advice regarding my child. (I'm so glad Primetimer has the Ignore feature.)