Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[kristen111]

10 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

At chez park914, each spring begins the "air conditioning wars" as I call them. I must have my AC. We finally settled on 74° (when he tries to sneak it up to 75° it triggers a hot flash & I put it back on 74°!!) Autumn isn't so bad as I can dress for the chill (which I like, wearing my beloved leggings 🎉). 

When first married, he froze me out.  Now, that’s all we fight about every year.  He says he won’t say a word, but as soon as he hears the “click” he contorts like a maniac.  He’s always cold .. i run warm.   He wore his pjs all summer with a flannel robe on no less.  Right now it’s on 71 in day, 69 at nite.  It will change tho.  We left a beautiful home in Florida for 18 months and came back to N.Y. as I couldn’t take the oppressive continuous heat 11 months a year.

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm the opposite.  I'm the one who's always cold.  We have this problem in my office too. 

Edited October 23, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[kristen111]

Just now, EtheltoTillie said:

I'm the opposite.  I'm the one who's always cold. 

 

Just now, EtheltoTillie said:

I'm the opposite.  I'm the one who's always cold. 

Better cold than hot.

[Bastet]

For years and years, my mom was always hot, but as of the past few years she's always cold.  She complains if my dad turns on the AC, but good grief, you can bundle up.  He can't cool down any other way.

Thermostat wars are one of the 873 (okay, I never actually made a list, but it would be a long one) reasons I do not cohabitate with anyone other than cats.  When I did have a roommate back in the day, we were on the same page, but pretty much everyone else I know who lives with another human being has this argument as a constant refrain in their lives.

My AC is set at 78 or 80 and heater at 68 or 70, depending on what I'm doing (for example, if I'm just sitting in my office, 80 is fine, but if I'm physically exerting myself in any way, even just cooking or cleaning, I want 78!), and they're off overnight (well, the heater always is, but sometimes I run the bedroom AC for a while [I have a mini-split system, so I don't have to cool/heat the whole house equally]).  What I really must have is a ceiling fan on, pretty much year-round; I like moving air.

[partofme]

27 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

 

Better cold than hot.

Everyone says this but I would choose to be hot every day of the week.   When I’m really cold I feel it in my bones and nothing helps. 

[peacheslatour]

41 minutes ago, partofme said:

Everyone says this but I would choose to be hot every day of the week.   When I’m really cold I feel it in my bones and nothing helps. 

Same. Being cold is somewhat debilitating to me.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, kristen111 said:

When first married, he froze me out.  Now, that’s all we fight about every year.  He says he won’t say a word, but as soon as he hears the “click” he contorts like a maniac.  He’s always cold .. i run warm.   He wore his pjs all summer with a flannel robe on no less.  Right now it’s on 71 in day, 69 at nite.  It will change tho.  

My Dad must've thanked me a dozen times over his last 5-10 years for suggesting he wear socks to bed. 

I now wear a hoodie to bed too except in the summer. 

[kristen111]

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

My Dad must've thanked me a dozen times over his last 5-10 years for suggesting he wear socks to bed. 

I now wear a hoodie to bed too except in the summer. 

You are right.  My husband wears his Hospital socks all the time.  He loves them.  Since he had triple by-pass heart surgery, he’s always cold.  I give him a pass because of that.  But, I also have five stents in my chest.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, kristen111 said:

You are right.  My husband wears his Hospital socks all the time.  He loves them.  Since he had triple by-pass heart surgery, he’s always cold.  I give him a pass because of that.  But, I also have five stents in my chest.

The hoodies I wear to bed are flannel with buttons rather than pokey zippers.
Maybe your hubby would like to try one? 
I think I got at least one from Walmart, and maybe ordered one from Amazon.
I also got some cotton knit pullover hoodies from Amazon, but I like to be able to unbutton them and/or slip them off without yanking something over my head when I'm half asleep, or even around the house.
Sometimes it's nice to have something half-off/half-on, especially if you tend to get hot and cold easily.
 

[oliviabenson]

I rather be hot than shivering from being cold.

Edited October 24, 2023 by oliviabenson

[Browncoat]

In the winter, I use cozy flannel sheets, made even cozier when I wear my flannel jammies.  Sometimes I'll add socks, but those usually come off in the middle of the night.

I can always add more covers to the bed if it's cold, but if it's hot, there's only so many covers I can take off, and I'm still sweltering.

[Laura Holt]

1 minute ago, Browncoat said:

I can always add more covers to the bed if it's cold, but if it's hot, there's only so many covers I can take off, and I'm still sweltering.

This is me.  I hate being hot and am not much happier being warm.  Must be my nordic blood or something.  I am not one of those people who goes out in a Canadian winter in shorts or without a coat but in the house I prefer it to be cool winter and summer!

[annzeepark914]

20 minutes ago, Laura Holt said:

This is me.  I hate being hot and am not much happier being warm.  Must be my nordic blood or something.  I am not one of those people who goes out in a Canadian winter in shorts or without a coat but in the house I prefer it to be cool winter and summer!

So "that's* why I prefer late autumn through early spring? It's my 💙💛 Nordic blood! Without AC & ceiling fans, there's nothing you can do to get cool. But in cold weather, you can start layering up, put on wool socks, and drink hot chocolate 🍁🧡☕🤎😸. Uh-oh... it's gettin' warmer all of a sudden. Supposed to hit 85° on Saturday 😲

[Laura Holt]

21 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Uh-oh... it's gettin' warmer all of a sudden. Supposed to hit 85° on Saturday 😲

Same here.  Dammit.  Autumn is already short why can't Mother Nature let us enjoy it instead of jamming in a few more days of summer???

[theredhead77]

13 minutes ago, Laura Holt said:

Autumn is already short why can't Mother Nature let us enjoy it instead of jamming in a few more days of summer???

Because of climate change. Autumn is going to get shorter and shorter. Winter and summer will continue to move to the extremes and the extremes will become "normal".

[PRgal]

I've approved the draft for my book!  We're now in the next phase, which I believe is prep for publication.  I did find a glitch, but it's small enough that I don't think people are going to notice.  My family, my illustrator and even some friends said just to let it go.  I'll likely just explain it in a follow up (it has to do with the colour of something).  Anyway, I'm hoping it meets the goal of being complete early in the 2024 at the latest!

[kristen111]

55 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

So "that's* why I prefer late autumn through early spring? It's my 💙💛 Nordic blood! Without AC & ceiling fans, there's nothing you can do to get cool. But in cold weather, you can start layering up, put on wool socks, and drink hot chocolate 🍁🧡☕🤎😸. Uh-oh... it's gettin' warmer all of a sudden. Supposed to hit 85° on Saturday 😲

Time to drag out the lighter quilt again.

Edited October 24, 2023 by kristen111

[JustHereForFood]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

In the winter, I use cozy flannel sheets, made even cozier when I wear my flannel jammies.  Sometimes I'll add socks, but those usually come off in the middle of the night.

I can always add more covers to the bed if it's cold, but if it's hot, there's only so many covers I can take off, and I'm still sweltering.

I think some basic logic should be applied in places that have 4 seasons. It's ok to dress in more layers in winter than in summer, especially now that we should really focus on saving the energy. I've had colleagues who wanted to have air conditioning in summer so cold you need a sweater but the heating in winter on basically the same temperature, if not higher. Because for some reason that I don't get they need to wear short sleeves inside even in winter and some would get this look like they've been insulted if you suggest that they could wear a warmer sweater because, you know, it's winter. And don't get me started on opening the windows. Why do companies force us to come back to offices again? It can't be to socialize as they say, because all of this fighting over temperature, windows or lighting doesn't seem very productive.

[kristen111]

5 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

I think some basic logic should be applied in places that have 4 seasons. It's ok to dress in more layers in winter than in summer, especially now that we should really focus on saving the energy. I've had colleagues who wanted to have air conditioning in summer so cold you need a sweater but the heating in winter on basically the same temperature, if not higher. Because for some reason that I don't get they need to wear short sleeves inside even in winter and some would get this look like they've been insulted if you suggest that they could wear a warmer sweater because, you know, it's winter. And don't get me started on opening the windows. Why do companies force us to come back to offices again? It can't be to socialize as they say, because all of this fighting over temperature, windows or lighting doesn't seem very productive.

I don’t even open the windows anymore.  Too many creatures coming in.  Crickets are coming in.  One was on my toilet bowl .. I freaked out.  He was an ugly big sucker.

[JustHereForFood]

5 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

I don’t even open the windows anymore.  Too many creatures coming in.  Crickets are coming in.  One was on my toilet bowl .. I freaked out.  He was an ugly big sucker.

I'm the window opener. At home, we have nets to prevent the undesirables from coming in (though somehow some manage to come in from time to time. I had to kill an ugly piece if insect I've never seen before today because I was alone and the cat just kept looking at it and didn't seem interested in disposing of it.)

[Bastet]

Unless it's raining or really cold (well, cold for L.A.), I have the windows open.

Just reading these tales of sleeping in socks, flannel, hoodies, etc. makes me feel like it's sweltering in my perfectly comfortable (windows open, ceiling fan on) office!

[kristen111]

30 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

I'm the window opener. At home, we have nets to prevent the undesirables from coming in (though somehow some manage to come in from time to time. I had to kill an ugly piece if insect I've never seen before today because I was alone and the cat just kept looking at it and didn't seem interested in disposing of it.)

 I don’t believe the cat didn’t go for it.  I do think they like mice best tho.

[peacheslatour]

23 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

 I don’t believe the cat didn’t go for it.  I do think they like mice best tho.

Thanks to our Maine C🐱❤️n, no bug can survive in our house, although we do draw the line at spiders and take them out of her range of attack. She goes berserk over the birds that hang out in our huge rhododendron in front of the living room window and has made it quite clear that any squirrels days would be numbered if she ever got hold of it but the rabbits? Meh, she could not give a shit. I wonder why?

Edited October 24, 2023 by peacheslatour

[Browncoat]

I love to open the windows, but there's a somewhat narrow temperature range where that is comfortable for me.  But it also gets pretty humid here in the summer, and often doesn't really cool off very much at night due to the humidity.  If not for that, I'd have the windows open all summer -- I mostly use the AC to knock back the humidity.

 

[Laura Holt]

I would open my windows more often if we didn't have a new development going in not too far from us.  Between the noise of the construction vehicles, the construction and the rerouted traffic I am happier with the windows shut right now!

[partofme]

Maybe I watch too much true crime but I would never leave my windows open.

[peacheslatour]

12 minutes ago, partofme said:

Maybe I watch too much true crime but I would never leave my windows open.

We have screens that an only be removed from the inside but I hear you.

[oliviabenson]

[kristen111]

WOW .. I’m some years late to the party, but I’ve just discovered “Grace and Frankie” on Netflix.  I’m still on about Episode 6, Season 1, and it is fabulous!  Jane Fonda looks gorgeous and Lily Tomlin also.  They are hilarious and so far have touched on lots of subjects of real life.  So well written and great acting.  I guess everyone has seen this?  Probably.  If not, watch it.  I don’t know how I’ve passed this all this time.   If anyone hasn’t seen it yet, watch it.

[Ancaster]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

We have screens that an only be removed from the inside but I hear you.

I don't think I've ever seen a screen that would stop a burglar and their knife.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, kristen111 said:

WOW .. I’m some years late to the party, but I’ve just discovered “Grace and Frankie” on Netflix.  

One of my favorites, and one of the few series finales I've loved.

I am highly irritated season seven has not been released on DVD; I was hoping for a complete series boxed set when the series wrapped, but not only do we not have that, we still don't have that final season on its own!

[kristen111]

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

One of my favorites, and one of the few series finales I've loved.

I am highly irritated season seven has not been released on DVD; I was hoping for a complete series boxed set when the series wrapped, but not only do we not have that, we still don't have that final season on its own!

 

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

One of my favorites, and one of the few series finales I've loved.

I am highly irritated season seven has not been released on DVD; I was hoping for a complete series boxed set when the series wrapped, but not only do we not have that, we still don't have that final season on its own!

OMG, I was watching all night.  They touch on every topic so delicately it’s amazing.  They both look so great at the time also.  Love it.  Hope Netflix keeps it on as I would watch over and over.

[Bastet]

10 hours ago, kristen111 said:

Hope Netflix keeps it on as I would watch over and over.

It's highly re-watchable; I've done a full series re-watch I think three times already.  With their own shows, Netflix seems to keep them around, so you should indeed be able to watch over and over.

I just like having favorite shows on DVD, first for any special features included, and second so that I always have them and can watch them anywhere, not just on the whims of a streaming service and only on my TVs that can stream. 

Edited October 25, 2023 by Bastet

[Laura Holt]

17 hours ago, Bastet said:

I am highly irritated season seven has not been released on DVD; I was hoping for a complete series boxed set when the series wrapped, but not only do we not have that, we still don't have that final season on its own!

This bothers me so much!  If they never release any seasons on DVD, ok, I can accept it - but when they release all but one season, or do release the final season at twice or three times the price of the others, I am profoundly not impressed.

 

5 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I just like having favorite shows on DVD, first for any special features included, and second so that I always have them and can watch them anywhere, not just on the whims of a streaming service and only on my TVs that can stream.

I am the same and also I will add so that I can watch shows without constant commercials (especially shows like Big Bang Theory that are basically 18 minutes of actual show and 12 minutes of adverts, promos etc).  

[oliviabenson]

I keep checking to see if I can subscribe to peacock for cheap. Nope not yet.

[Spartan Girl]

My friend who up until September has been living in Chicago moved back to town. She’s been going through a hard time and I’ve tried to be as supportive as I can, but it’s hard to do only from text. I’ve kept asking if she wants to get together, but it feels like she’s just coming up with excuses to blow me off. The latest one is her parents refuse to wear masks and get the new covid booster and because she’s stuck living with them for the time being, she’s worried it’s not a good idea. Believe, I’m all about being careful so while I understand, it’s hard not to feel disappointed and frustrated. Getting her hair cut was evidently her first big priority when she came back to town, but not seeing me. 

[annzeepark914]

54 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

My friend who up until September has been living in Chicago moved back to town. She’s been going through a hard time and I’ve tried to be as supportive as I can, but it’s hard to do only from text. I’ve kept asking if she wants to get together, but it feels like she’s just coming up with excuses to blow me off. The latest one is her parents refuse to wear masks and get the new covid booster and because she’s stuck living with them for the time being, she’s worried it’s not a good idea. Believe, I’m all about being careful so while I understand, it’s hard not to feel disappointed and frustrated. Getting her hair cut was evidently her first big priority when she came back to town, but not seeing me. 

Your friend could be not only down about her circumstances, but she may also be embarrassed about her situation as well (i. e., too embarrassed to face you). Maybe let her decide when to get together. I'm speaking from experience.  When I was in my 20's and returned home from a big city (broke and needing to recharge a year or so before being ready to take off again), I felt awkward.

[Laura Holt]

6 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Maybe let her decide when to get together. I'm speaking from experience.  When I was in my 20's and returned home from a big city (broke and needing to recharge a year or so before being ready to take off again), I felt awkward.

I just had a flashback to the summer my husband was between jobs and friends came to stay with us for a few days.  Before they left they filled the pantry - which would have been a nice gesture but instead only served to make me feel even more embarrassed and, awkward (excellent word) about our circumstances.  In trying to be helpful they had bought stuff like economy size containers of peanut butter, pasta, canned spaghetti sauce, tuna and the like.  All the things that you would be most likely to donate to a food bank.  I had been so happy to see them but them doing this didn't make me feel loved, it made me feel pitied.

I am absolutely not suggesting you would do this to your friend @Spartan Girl but maybe right now that is what she is afraid will happen if she reconnects with old friends.  Being pitied.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Laura Holt

[theredhead77]

Another major Costco win for me! I've been in my new-to-me house since July and while I have mini blinds (soon to be upgraded) my bedroom desperately needed curtains but the ones I like are so expensive and I couldn't decide what I wanted.

Long story short, I wandered into Costco for my weekly trip, saw a 2pk of 100% blackout curtains with magnetic closures in the navy blue I've been seeking for $24.99. WIN!

I picked up a third set today (I have 3 windows and each window needed two panels) and saw they went on sale. So curtains for all my windows in the right color for $60 (Costco price-matches themselves within 30 days of purchase.

Based on the other curtains I was looking at, this purchase basically paid for my membership in savings alone.

For those who are interested: https://www.costco.com/oscar-blackout-curtains.product.4000201260.html (note: items on Costco.com are typically a few dollars more expensive than in-store, as reflected in this item).

[luv2lurk]

Not to ignore the previous posts, but I wanted to share something.

Never underestimate the power and comfort that comes from picking up the phone and calling someone.

In this case I looked up the number for one of my father's former partners (my father passed away 30+ years ago). He was so happy to hear from me.

We shared stories. And I got the contact info for another person I wanted to reach out to.

[kristen111]

3 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

I keep checking to see if I can subscribe to peacock for cheap. Nope not yet.

Last month I got it for $5.99.  You want lower?

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

My friend who up until September has been living in Chicago moved back to town. She’s been going through a hard time and I’ve tried to be as supportive as I can, but it’s hard to do only from text. I’ve kept asking if she wants to get together, but it feels like she’s just coming up with excuses to blow me off. The latest one is her parents refuse to wear masks and get the new covid booster and because she’s stuck living with them for the time being, she’s worried it’s not a good idea. Believe, I’m all about being careful so while I understand, it’s hard not to feel disappointed and frustrated. Getting her hair cut was evidently her first big priority when she came back to town, but not seeing me. 

In addition to what others said upthread, I would suggest to keep inviting her to local events or just to get coffee or brunch. 
If she is feeling like she doesn’t want to go anywhere or do anything, some persistence will be necessary, but not too frequently, lest she shuts down further.

[theredhead77]

2 hours ago, kristen111 said:

Last month I got it for $5.99.  You want lower?

Several steaming services including Peacock will offer it for 99cents a month or $1.99 a month for a period of time. If you time it right and stack any available Rakuten offers and CC perks you can sometimes get it for basically free. Usually the specials start around Black Friday. Though depending on the outcome of the strike the greedy overlords will probably axe those deals in the name of profits. 

I have Peacock for super cheap until June or July 2024. When I subscribed there was a CC offer on my Chase card and also I think a Rakuten offer. Between both those rebates I think my out of pocket will be $2 for a year. 

[JTMacc99]

7 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Usually the specials start around Black Friday. 

Yes, I got Peacock at that time last year for like $20 for the year.

7 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Though depending on the outcome of the strike the greedy overlords will probably axe those deals in the name of profits. 

Greedy overlord here. (AKA: Financial Analyst who does the "Revenue > Expense math or we're all out of jobs" for a living.) TV is expensive to make. That $20 I paid for Peacock is a big money loser for NBC. The only way that makes sense for them is if a significant percentage of people who took the one year discount decide they like the service and keep it at the regular rate when the year is up.

Peacock is more like a $20 per month than $20 per year product if that were the only way to get NBC shows. 

[oliviabenson]

[oliviabenson]

11 hours ago, kristen111 said:

Last month I got it for $5.99.  You want lower?

I paid $20 for the year. I pay $2 a month for Hulu through the promotion too. 
 

I am gonna wait until Black Friday I guess. 
 

HBO was a few bucks for 3 months as a promo too. 
 

I am gonna go broke around Black Friday 🤣🤣🤣.

[partofme]

What is everyone watching on Peacock?  I don't remember seeing anything on there that interested me.

[oliviabenson]

5 minutes ago, partofme said:

What is everyone watching on Peacock?  I don't remember seeing anything on there that interested me.

Dateline, snapped, some movies, law & order. Gordon Ramsay shows. They have a lot of free content too. 

I’m into true crime haha.

[oliviabenson]

[partofme]

56 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

Dateline, snapped, some movies, law & order. Gordon Ramsay shows. They have a lot of free content too. 

I’m into true crime haha.

I am(or was) obsessed with true crime, but I watch Dateline on Friday's so they'd all be repeats to me, I've watched Snapped on cable, it was never my favorite, I used to watch ID all the time but I don't anymore.  I only really like early L&O (I hate McCoy) and I'm not into cooking shows.  I think the Housewives are also on Peacock and I hate them.