isalicat
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Posts posted by isalicat
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You all are so industrious! (I mean that as a compliment, not snark!) I deliberately never acquire any clothing that might require ironing as I am just too lazy. I had an iron but we used it to put hot wax on our cross country skis, so as you might imagine, you really did not want it anywhere near any clothing. 😸
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1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:
Thanks for this! I'm actually looking for a legitimate WFH side gig and this would be right up my alley.
Glad to be of help! One big tip: Take the time to watch some of the free podcasts that are available on the Grantsmanship Center every three months: They have 3 guests who are the grant givers at big foundations and I found it really helpful to understand what these foundations are "looking for" (partners, not supplicants, to be clear). You also need to be very detailed oriented and supply precise facts and data (like a budget) for each organization that you are applying on behalf of (sorry for the mangled English there). It gets easier as you go on; the first ones will be challenging!
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8 hours ago, kristen111 said:
@stewedsquash .. I went into settings. No more clicking.
@OliviaBenson .. thanks for everything. All in working order.
Technology is a bitch. Don’t get old .. everything is a hassle. 🥰
God, yes! I went into full meltdown yesterday when my office computer was turned on and I had entirely lost the tool bar, could not get into Firefox (because the icon had vanished), and despite restarting twice and turning the whole damn thing off entirely and then starting back up from scratch it still wasn't going back to normal. I finally called my kid at his work (which I really should not do unless its truly an emergency) and about the same time he said in a wonderfully soothing voice "Mama, calm down..." it finally went back to normal mode. What was going on is beyond me and the timing really sucked (I am in charge of a major fundraising event and needed to process and acknowledge reservations and donations). Sometimes I think I will "blow a fuse" well before the 'puter does.
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22 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:
What would make me happiest is working in marketing or even doing some kind of professional writing (as in, proposal writing or grant writing, copywriting, just as some examples). I’ve written Intranet articles at a past employer and did a couple of volunteer writing projects that I enjoyed. That said, marketing and writing are absolutely saturated.
Just a suggestion: There are a number of on-line resources to learn how to write grants (The Grantsmanship Center for one), and then once you feel ready to try it, find an organization that needs money (and would qualify for a grant) and do it for them on a volunteer basis (you can sign up for a three day vetting stint on Grantwatch to find applicable grants and then unsubscribe). Do that again, rinse and repeat. Once you get the experience you can sign up with Grantwatch.com as a paid contract grant writer for organizations looking for someone to do this for them. This would be a side gig at first, but if you build a successful track record it could evolve into a real career, and it would all be working from home.
I did all this without any prior experience because the food pantry I volunteer at was in dire need of money so I started small (local grants from city and county organizations) and then went up from there to larger commercial organizations offering grants (like the Albertsons Foundation - they gave us $10K and another one gave us $20K). I have no plans to try doing this for pay, but its definitely a possibility.
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2 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:
Bucks pulled that one out of nowhere. NBA off-season, it's faaaaaan-tastic.
Yah! Giannis and Damian on the same team! It should be fun to watch!
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23 minutes ago, Bastet said:
That's why it's delicious. 😄 It's something I crave a handful of times in a year, so it's not an issue.
Which I totally get! My "crack" would be a freshly baked baguette of sourdough with a stick of butter (and yes, I would probably eat the whole damn thing). Unfortunately since I am 4'11" and 67 years old, I have to choose between being entirely rotund and unhealthy vs. slim and still moving around with alacrity, so carbs have been (mostly) jettisoned. To get back to topic: I keep trying these low carb pizzas made with cauliflower crusts and they are all nasty. Anyone have a recommendation of one that actually tastes good?
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21 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:
Yes...Reduced Guilt (sorry!). The package is the same size as the regular mac & cheese. IMO, it's a lot better than other brands of reduced calorie mac & cheese. I add seasonings before I do that stir & nuke another minute.
I had a feeling that would be it...generally less fat/calories means more carbs and chemicals. I avoid all foods like this as (a) fat is your friend and (b) if its hard to pronounce, its not natural, Gary! (that last is a British-ism that may be unfamiliar to the 'murricans hereabouts 😸). Then again, I can't remember the last time I had mac n' cheese. It always seemed like filler food to me (fills you up but with little long lasting nutritional value).
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On 9/24/2023 at 4:54 PM, annzeepark914 said:
Trader Joe's sells two kinds of frozen mac and cheese. One is regular, the other is called "Guilt Free" (that's the one I buy to keep on hand for a day when I'm too lazy to cook). I just add paprika and ground pepper. It's not bad.
Okay, gotta ask. What makes it "Guilt Free"?
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10 hours ago, luv2lurk said:
Just to chime in on the eyeglass conversation . . .
Since the pandemic started, I mostly function without glasses unless I drive or watch TV. It is true vision changes as we get older. The last time I was at the eye doctor she could not get my contact lenses correct - said get the 1.0 from dollar store. But doesn't that defeat the purpose of contact lenses?
So I have been using a probably a 20 year old prescription on the glasses. I accidentally sat on them last year so keep having to tape them up. I have to take them off if I want to read prices at the grocery store. And they and the mask fight.
As for the contacts, I am having problems getting them in. Lower back pain makes my hand shake. When I do get them in ok to drive, but eyes water.
probably cuz of infrequent contact lens wearing for 3 years (and yes they are fresh lenses). Plus I can't read well with them.Anyway think I will get new glasses just for distance.
If anyone has a suggestion on how to stop hand trembling from back pain - would love to hear it!Unfortunately I can't help with your back pain/hand trembling issue, but frankly I would get a new eye doctor. No reason any competent optometrist can't get you a correct contact lens prescription with all the great technology they have now. One suggestion: Think about monocular lenses, which is one eye is for far seeing and the other eye is for close up. No reading glasses necessary! I've been wearing them for 15 years now and they are brilliant (I'm 67 so not a young un and I had no adjustment period - your brain just figures it out).
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On 9/18/2023 at 7:13 AM, Cloud9Shopper said:
I wish I could understand what was going on with me. I know they say not having interest in hobbies is a sign of depression but I otherwise feel OK, except for the fact that I’ve gained back almost all the weight I lost a few years ago because my job has been so miserable that I eat sugar to stay awake or eat out of boredom and stress and I’m panicked that I can’t get anything better. But that’s my fault. And it doesn’t help when nobody talks to you and you’re lucky to get an emoji response, if that.
A few suggestions:
(1) I have no idea what the weather is where you are right now, but I would guess part of your mental condition is a lack of exercise. Since you gave up ice skating for understandable reasons, I would recommend regularly scheduled long brisk walks (or runs - I don't run as I'm allergic to it, but some people seem to like it). Being outside (without an electronic device, 'kay?) is very therapeutic on its own, particularly if you can find a place with lots of trees to be in. Look up! My son once saw a wise therapist who said that a lot of people constantly look at the ground when they walk and they entirely miss all the wonder that surrounds them.
(2) Find something to volunteer for - work at a food bank/pantry or volunteer at your local library as it fits your schedule, or something. Nothing will make you feel more positive than "giving back", even if it is only for a couple of hours a week. It also gets you out of thinking about your own situation.
(3) Ditch the sugar. Substitute fruit if you need something sweet (whatever fruit you like is better than anything with sugar/processed grain in it). Not for weight reasons (although you may lose weight) but because you are jacking up your insulin, and then experiencing the inevitable crash, rinse and repeat. This is not helpful for mental equilibrium.
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I had a friend who had carpal tunnel surgery done on both wrists, two weeks apart. He reports a tiny incision, almost no pain the next day, and no pain at all after that. No therapy, fully cured!
Then recently I have another friend who has had carpal tunnel surgery done on both wrists and the first one required a two inch long incision and she was in a lot of discomfort...they finally approved the second wrist and the same story with her having to keep the incision site dry for a couple of weeks. Now she is in physical therapy but still reports swelling and pain.
I really don't know what to think - whether it was the doctor or the condition going in that made the difference in their respective experiences...
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21 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:
Random thought: does anyone else feel like they don’t have a career and just have jobs?
I've given this some thought since you posted it, Cloud9Shopper, and want to give you this reply:
I had every intention of a career in academia, and went as far as to get a M.A. and then three years into a Ph.D. program. My parents paid my tuition for my B.A. and gave me $500./month for living expenses; after that I was on my own, so was working full time through all the graduate classes except for my three month honeymoon trip in Europe which overlapped with a month spent doing research in London for my masters' thesis (on the $5 per day plan...the opposite of lux travel!). I literally fell into a job (technical recruiting) that I proved quite good at in the first year of my Ph.D. program and after the end of the third year realized I was amassing a lot of debt with the prospect of considerably more before I had my doctoral degree, and the end result would have been (at best!) a move to some place outside of California to claw my way up the tenure track (at best!). So I left the Ph.D. program (in good standing - I could go back - right...) and focused on the job, which turned into 40 years of making a very good living and the flexibility not only to work remotely, live in the mountains where I could ski out my front door, raise my kid without childcare issues in a very healthy environment and have time for all my other pursuits. Eventually I realized that these "other pursuits" were a way I could contribute my time and talent to God and to the people around me far more effectively than having a Ph.D. and teaching at the university level. So my job facilitated the perfect life (for me). I say all this because I would urge you to focus on what you want to do with your life and what really gives you joy. If your way of supporting yourself aids and abets that adequately then who cares if its a "career"? Our title at work should not define our self worth, right? And if other people's opinions or choices give you that impression, that is their loss, because careers always have an end and life is incredibly short.
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Official Birthday Photo from the Court of Iggy and Hilda:
(We are proud to announce we are four years old. The world is our playground and we are well pleased with it.)
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20 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:
All the kneeling and standing and kneeling....
We call that "Catholic calisthenics"! 😸 (look....you get your soul fed and your body exercised! Its a full service religion!)
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2 hours ago, supposebly said:
My Catholic mom prefers to go to the local protestant service. She says it's better and shorter.
This is remarkable because most Protestant services are usually much longer than a Catholic mass, which if there is no long hymns, can be done in about half an hour, maybe 40 minutes. And if your mom is Catholic, doesn't she miss receiving communion? Interesting!!
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2 hours ago, PRgal said:
Once again, DON'T TEXT AND WALK. A young woman just in front of me was walking so slowly because she was typing on her phone. If she wants to chat with someone/look for a location/whatever, she should stand aside. It's only proper phone (and pedestrian) etiquette.
Not to worry, these are eventual winners of the Darwin Awards. They will classically fall down open man holes or get hit by a bus....not that I wish them ill, but stupid is as stupid does, eh? As long as they are not driving a car (which is a major peeve - I would be in favor of some sort of "zone" that disables all cell phones that were not entirely hands free for drivers), I'm good.
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Just now, Zella said:
Thanks--that really intrigues me! If I'm not mistaken, I think the author plans to cap it off at Book 10? I tend to get bored with series that just keep going on, so knowing there's a definite ending point in mind also helps for me.
I'm loving this series (both the mysteries that are specific to each book and the incredible character development and relationships of the ongoing principals that make up Department Q) that I would be happy if it continued on, but I get your point.
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With my two, the brother cat (Iggy the orange tabby) is twice as big as his sister (Hilda the gray and brown tabby), so if he wants her spot, he just basically throws himself down on top of her. Since then she can't breathe, she squirms out from under him and huffily departs. He is such a lug! 😸
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On 9/16/2023 at 2:13 PM, Zella said:
I don't think I got to Book 7, but I think I've read through the first 6 and enjoyed them. I tend to like Nordic Noir better than American or British mysteries, though I enjoy them too.
If you can find it, do read Book 7 - its all about Rose. And Book 8 is all about (finally!) Assad.
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2 hours ago, PRgal said:
Speaking of weird grocery store names, there's a chain here called Metro. When I think Metro, I think transit or a city.
It is *so* generic. They might as well name it "City Market" or "Town Market"...very depersonalized, which probably is the point...
My main market is El Rancho, which I appreciate as it reflect the strong Hispanic heritage of my area! Pet peeve: We really don't have a first class Mexican restaurant around here (I suspect all the great cooking is going on in people's kitchens...).
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3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:
Our Elizabeth's mother was feral and we were her only real socialization. She took to it like a duck to water. She was a bit wild at first but no more so than any other floofy little criminal.
Yes, I had a wonderful calico girl (Kali - guess why she was named that?) who was dropped off with her all black brother (Krishna) by a feral mom at my back door when she was eight weeks old (we were feeding mom outside and had a new set of two kittens the next year as well - they were Durga and Ram but we were never able to get them inside to socialize them.) Kali took to domestic life extremely well and so far has been my longest lived cat (23! she went over the Rainbow Bridge about 15 years ago and I have a painting of her in my office).
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Circling back around to strongly recommending the "Department Q" series by Jussi Adler-Olsen. This is an incredible set of murder mysteries that just gets better book by book (so start at the beginning if possible with The Keeper of Lost Causes), all set in Denmark. I'm halfway through book 7 (The Scarred Woman) presently. These are very adult and a little gruesome (not at all "cozy") and absolutely brilliant.
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16 hours ago, Cloud9Shopper said:
This is the same person who also posted a picture of a spreadsheet over the summer showing off all the schools Daughter was applying to, complete with each school’s application fee and their tuition costs. I think she just wanted to brag that Daughter is smart enough to apply to top schools like Cornell, NYU and UPenn and show off how much money she has that they can afford near $800 of application fees. Weird flex, as we say these days.
This is ridiculous! Especially if Daughter's acceptance turned out to not be at a "top school", but even if she got in someplace "top" what a strange exposure of one's finances. So not anybody else's business and kinda embarrassing...
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Food Chit Chat
in Food & Drink
I (a woman!) use a paper list because (a) I don't use my phone for anything but calling/receiving calls and texts and (b) scared of dropping my phone on a hard grocery store floor while juggling a big container or whatever; if I drop my little paper list its no problem! 😸