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

kristen111 · March 19

19 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

My ex-boss and her boss liked to chant: "Leave a spider alive and you will thrive."

And I used to do the glass/piece of paper thing for spiders and other bugs.

But spiders seem to like to nip me in my sleep, and I react with an itchy bump, similar to a flea bite.
Plus I have chronic eczema, which the bites just exacerbate.
So in my home it's the Swiffer.

The rest of you feel free to do what you want with spiders in your homes.

I wound up in the hospital with Cellulitis from a spider bite on my leg. On a drip penicillin for Seven days. No likey spiders.

Bastet · March 19

Most bugs I take outside rather than kill, but I kill ants because they're so tiny and numerous I can't even imagine trying to gather them up. And I kill cockroaches because they're disgusting. Thankfully, they are also rare (but I once found a family of them living in an unused drain <shudder>). Flies, if they're on or near a door or window, I'll try opening it to see if they'll fly out, but otherwise I swat them. I think that's it, though. Which is easy for me to say, because we don't have a lot of bugs here like in some regions, so I don't have much to contend with.

isalicat · March 19

I once heard something to the effect that spiders will only weave their webs in harmonious households, so if a spider is living with you, that is a blessing. I really love all living creatures, no matter how many legs they have, so I kill no bugs ...everyone is ferried outside the house if they are in an inconvenient place. Now when it comes to chickens - I used to have them (for fresh eggs) and they are mean, dirty beasties so killing them for food (as necessary) was not terribly hard (the de-feathering is the hard part). We also had rabbits that were supposed to be for eating, but I could not conceive of killing even one, so eventually they all got released out into a verdant canyon (where unfortunately they probably wound up being eaten by coyotes or cougars 😿 ).

Ohiopirate02 · March 19

58 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Which is easy for me to say, because we don't have a lot of bugs here like in some regions, so I don't have much to contend with.

I live in the South, bugs are a part of life here no matter how clean your home is. Most don't bother me. The only ones I actively kill are fire ants.

SoMuchTV · March 19

I can’t remember the context, but I recently saw the question “what’s the largest animal you could kill with your bare hands?” Well, I searched my soul and realized that it’s an ant. I’m okay with squashing them if they’re on my counter, but anything larger would require a swatter, a shoe, or a trap-and-release system.

shapeshifter · March 20

26 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I can’t remember the context, but I recently saw the question “what’s the largest animal you could kill with your bare hands?” Well, I searched my soul and realized that it’s an ant. I’m okay with squashing them if they’re on my counter, but anything larger would require a swatter, a shoe, or a trap-and-release system.

Having grandbabies late in life, I'd probably risk my own life to protect them against anything.

Edited March 20 by shapeshifter

EtheltoTillie · March 20

On 3/18/2024 at 1:51 PM, shapeshifter said:

.

That same teacher also explained to me patiently why the book I brought to share was not okay: Little Black Sambo. (I had thought it was about tigers turning into pancakes.)
ors

I’m amazed. Your teacher was aware that book was racist in 1960?

shapeshifter · March 20

29 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I’m amazed. Your teacher was aware that book was racist in 1960?

Yes. In Cheshire, Connecticut. There was one African American girl in the class, and, from what I recall 64 years later, the teacher explained that it might make her feel bad.

SoMuchTV · March 20

Just in case I’m not the last to notice… I went to report a post to get the mods’ attention about something, and there are now choices! Not sure how to interpret a lot of them, but there they are.

stewedsquash · March 20

Culture is for badges

Backend is for IT

Moderator is the CM’s

#spitballingbutI’mright

SoMuchTV · March 20

10 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Culture is for badges

Backend is for IT

Moderator is the CM’s

#spitballingbutI’mright

That’s about what I came down on. I figure the first is for things like typos in thread titles, pinning/unpinning…

Backend - so can we report tech stuff here rather than open a thread in the bugs forum?

Moderator - maybe report posts with spoilers? Obvious spam? In the wrong thread/forum?

Culture - a little bit of a head scratcher. Maybe low for posts with unintentional misgendering of a tv character or actor; high for calling a fellow poster a f$&&@ c@@&$? I don’t really want to think about that spectrum.

SoMuchTV · March 20

32 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

#spitballingbutI’mright

I hope I can post this without it getting merged, because it’s a separate question. In the last few days I’ve been seeing a lot of these hashtags in posts, if that’s the right term. #this, #that… They don’t seem to link to anything. Was there some directive in this new scheme of things to do this? Some kind of liferaft to a future forum if this one gets shut down? Something the cool kids have been doing all along and I just now noticed?

shapeshifter · March 20

8 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Something the cool kids have been doing all along and I just now noticed?

This one. 👆
😆

ABay · March 20

Don't you mean #thisone?

stewedsquash · March 20

8 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I hope I can post this without it getting merged, because it’s a separate question. In the last few days I’ve been seeing a lot of these hashtags in posts, if that’s the right term. #this, #that… They don’t seem to link to anything. Was there some directive in this new scheme of things to do this? Some kind of liferaft to a future forum if this one gets shut down? Something the cool kids have been doing all along and I just now noticed?

Ha, it is a directive from the two community managers/two mods:

So posters can get BaDgEs!!

#badgegoals #snarkbadge

Edited March 20 by stewedsquash

Yeah No · March 20

12 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I can’t remember the context, but I recently saw the question “what’s the largest animal you could kill with your bare hands?” Well, I searched my soul and realized that it’s an ant. I’m okay with squashing them if they’re on my counter, but anything larger would require a swatter, a shoe, or a trap-and-release system.

I've killed more ants in the past few days than in almost a year. They tend to come indoors in the early Spring. And I was out of ant spray so I had to run out just to get some!

Here in Northern CT, I live next to a nature preserve so we get our share of bugs. I pay to have outdoor pesticide sprayed to minimize the numbers that we get indoors.

We get a lot of spiders. I don't mind them that much but I do object to having to clean up their "mess". When I find a web in a corner there are often dead bug body parts on the floor. That's disgusting! Keeping up with getting rid of their webs helps discourage them from coming back I've found. But at least they get rid of bugs. I've also started using those blue light fly-paper things they have now, which are great for catching flying insects. I'm a magnet for mosquitos so I need to have that or I'm miserable.

Yeah No · March 20

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Yes. In Cheshire, Connecticut. There was one African American girl in the class, and, from what I recall 64 years later, the teacher explained that it might make her feel bad.

I was taught that certain books had racist themes and/or characters in the mid to late '60s in the Bronx. They had us singing "We shall overcome" in class! At that time my classes were about 10% non-white, although the percentage of non-white students in the school in general was probably greater than that.

stewedsquash · March 20

Don’t forget the rules for red light/greenlight:

#gentleremindersbadge

Yeah No · March 20

All this red light/green light/back end/moderator/hashtag stuff is making me feel like I need a Dr. Rick intervention!

shapeshifter · March 20

33 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I was taught that certain books had racist themes and/or characters in the mid to late '60s in the Bronx. They had us singing "We shall overcome" in class! At that time my classes were about 10% non-white, although the percentage of non-white students in the school in general was probably greater than that.

But was this in the later 60s?
My experience was in the 1959-60 school year, which seems early for a teacher to be aware.

Edited March 20 by shapeshifter

annzeepark914 · March 20

On 3/18/2024 at 8:00 PM, Quof said:

Oh, I'll get you started on gender (genital) reveals...Mommy tells the world her baby is a disappointment before it is even born

Whoever thought this would be a fun way for future parents to discover the baby's gender? One has to hope that the child of #2 reveal's couple never sees this reaction.

BetyBee · March 20

@shapeshifter- I'm an eczema sufferer too. You have my sympathy!

I relocate spiders or if it's a pretty big one, I ask my husband to! I do think sometimes I'm just delaying their death. I mean they must have come inside for a reason.

I just talked to a dear old co-worker/friend (well, she's not old, but I got old enough to retire). Anyway, she informed me that a drama queen co-worker resigned and I'm curious as to why because drama girl had a pretty meteoric rise at our company. Friend said it's a long story and she'll call me on Saturday. Something to look forward to! I didn't really dislike the young woman, but she was pretty hard to take sometimes. To be honest, I hope it was a dramatic departure. I think she has a lot of emotional issues 😢

graybrown bird · March 20

I have never done Twitter (now "X" according to its billionaire owner). But isn't that what a hashtag is for? It is strange to be expected to use this hashtag stuff if I don't use Twitter.

shapeshifter · March 20

5 minutes ago, graybrown bird said:

I have never done Twitter (now "X" according to its billionaire owner). But isn't that what a hashtag is for? It is strange to be expected to use this hashtag stuff if I don't use Twitter.

Yes, Twitter pretty much gave birth to hashtags, but read on, if you care to:
wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashtag

isalicat · March 20

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

All this red light/green light/back end/moderator/hashtag stuff is making me feel like I need a Dr. Rick intervention!

At the risk of being banned, I will comment that all this (especially the earning of "badges" for virtuous behavior) is so kindergarten level. If you give me dark chocolate, I will promise to do better though. 😸

Suzn · March 20

51 minutes ago, isalicat said:

At the risk of being banned, I will comment that all this (especially the earning of "badges" for virtuous behavior) is so kindergarten level. If you give me dark chocolate, I will promise to do better though. 😸

Exactly what I've been thinking. We are being treated like children and I'd been under the impression that it was varied group of intelligent, civilized adults. I seen very, very few people who didn't fit that description.

I seldom post and I have just been observing to see what happens next and waiting to see if there will ever be any clarity about rules, the reason for them and the object of the changes. Just why would there be the expectation of wider societal changes out of discussions of TV shows and general "chit chat"?

Edited March 20 by Suzn

SoMuchTV · March 20

1 hour ago, isalicat said:

At the risk of being banned, I will comment that all this (especially the earning of "badges" for virtuous behavior) is so kindergarten level. If you give me dark chocolate, I will promise to do better though. 😸

I’ve been on various forums that have had some form of “badges” and honestly it’s pretty easy to ignore. But it’s always for quantifiable things - visited xx days in a row, xx people marked your post ‘helpful’, that kind of thing. What I’m wary about is how this “hashtag” stuff fits in. Seems like at best it would be too subjective, or a popularity contest.

meep.meep · March 20

10 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I've killed more ants in the past few days than in almost a year. They tend to come indoors in the early Spring. And I was out of ant spray so I had to run out just to get some!

You don't need ant spray. Use windex. Kills them dead instantly. And it cleans!

I went for about three years with constant ant bombardments. Windex is my friend.

shapeshifter · March 20

15 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

You don't need ant spray. Use windex. Kills them dead instantly. And it cleans!

I went for about three years with constant ant bombardments. Windex is my friend.

Salt where the ants are coming in (window sills, etc.) helps too.

oliviabenson · March 20

I tried lemon Kit Kats. Wowwww so tasty! Need more!

chitowngirl · March 21

43 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

I tried lemon Kit Kats. Wowwww so tasty! Need more!

At first I thought you meant you tried lemon Kit Kats for invading ants! 😆 Then I kept reading…yes, they are tasty!

annzeepark914 · March 21

20 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

At first I thought you meant you tried lemon Kit Kats for invading ants! 😆 Then I kept reading…yes, they are tasty!

I thought the same!!

Cloud9Shopper · March 21

So I ended up going on Reddit with two weeks left of Lent. But I did not sign into my account or post and only viewed threads in the browser version. Not bad for breaking my promise although wish I had made it all the way.

I did learn with regards to fandom that it is ultimately best to just talk to people who share my opinions or are at least more open minded or not as emotionally attached to a show or a character. I will try not to let it bother me as much that I don’t feel welcome in larger groups, although it probably will always sting a little. But then again, I’ve accepted some people just want echo chambers, not discussion. And I’m not really all that eager to post in my subs at the moment anyway. When I do log back into my account, I’ll get back in touch with some old fandom friends who I know like me and clean out my subs a little.

In the meantime, the TPS light came on in my car and I tried to fill my tires up in the dark and the cold to not much avail, as the light is still on. I am going to run it over to a gas station tomorrow that also has a garage to have them put air in it. I think I have successfully filled my own tires one time and have struggled every other time since. So I end up just going to the pros. Seriously. Seeing the TPS light always gives me anxiety until I can get my tires filled properly.

Edited March 21 by Cloud9Shopper

SoMuchTV · March 21

Regarding ants, I’ve had good luck with Terro. It’s a thick liquid that you put out drops of. The ants are attracted to it, then take “something” back to the colony that makes them stop coming here. (I won’t think too much about how exactly that works.) You have to give it a day or two. First they all swarm around the tasty bait, then they’re gone. Recently I got a similar product under a different name that appears to work equally well.

My current cats have no interest in exploring the counter, so I’m not too worried about that. Wouldn’t put it on the floor though.

isalicat · March 21

5 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Regarding ants, I’ve had good luck with Terro. It’s a thick liquid that you put out drops of. The ants are attracted to it, then take “something” back to the colony that makes them stop coming here. (I won’t think too much about how exactly that works.) You have to give it a day or two. First they all swarm around the tasty bait, then they’re gone. Recently I got a similar product under a different name that appears to work equally well.

My current cats have no interest in exploring the counter, so I’m not too worried about that. Wouldn’t put it on the floor though.

Terro makes these little packets that contain the liquid but your cats nor any other creature that should not ingest the liquid cannot access. The ants go inside, get some of what is clearly a delicious (to ants) poison and take it back to their colony and then they all die there. Works really, really well, so look for the little modules (I don't know what else to call them) next time instead of putting out the drops (most all hardware stores sell them).

SoMuchTV · March 21

11 minutes ago, isalicat said:

Terro makes these little packets that contain the liquid but your cats nor any other creature that should not ingest the liquid cannot access. The ants go inside, get some of what is clearly a delicious (to ants) poison and take it back to their colony and then they all die there. Works really, really well, so look for the little modules (I don't know what else to call them) next time instead of putting out the drops (most all hardware stores sell them).

Oh, like a Roach Motel! They check in, but they never check out!

Jeeves · March 21

1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

In the meantime, the TPS light came on in my car and I tried to fill my tires up in the dark and the cold to not much avail, as the light is still on. I am going to run it over to a gas station tomorrow that also has a garage to have them put air in it. I think I have successfully filled my own tires one time and have struggled every other time since. So I end up just going to the pros. Seriously. Seeing the TPS light always gives me anxiety until I can get my tires filled properly.

Good for you for not ignoring the TPS light. I'm also not good at airing up the tires on my car. Thank goodness the local tire store will do it for me.

Yeah No · March 21

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But was this in the later 60s?
My experience was in the 1959-60 school year, which seems early for a teacher to be aware.

My first experience with that was in 1966. Still a little early but in NYC so understandable. Yours was very early especially for Cheshire, CT!

5 hours ago, meep.meep said:

You don't need ant spray. Use windex. Kills them dead instantly. And it cleans!

I went for about three years with constant ant bombardments. Windex is my friend.

I've tried all my cleaners including Windex and bleach spray cleaner. They kill them if I spray the bug with it directly, but for me they didn't work as a preventive. We have some tough pests around here. The ant spray works great and at least it's cheap at Walmart and has a pretty nice smell as bug sprays go. If I spray where I think they're coming in I don't see them for days. I might have to spray once a week until the weather gets warmer and they stop coming indoors.

2 hours ago, isalicat said:

Terro makes these little packets that contain the liquid but your cats nor any other creature that should not ingest the liquid cannot access. The ants go inside, get some of what is clearly a delicious (to ants) poison and take it back to their colony and then they all die there. Works really, really well, so look for the little modules (I don't know what else to call them) next time instead of putting out the drops (most all hardware stores sell them).

I tried the Terro packets but my ants ignored them and kept coming back so I knew it wasn't working. The only thing that's worked is that Raid ant spray. We have tough pests around here.

I tried the drops too but if they dried they were hell to get out. And I didn't see any improvement with them either. So weird.

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Salt where the ants are coming in (window sills, etc.) helps too.

I haven't tried that yet, thanks!

shapeshifter · March 21

50 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I tried the Terro packets but my ants ignored them and kept coming back so I knew it wasn't working.

There are different Terro products.
This is the one that worked for me for ants that appeared in the spring when I was renting homes built circa 1930-60:
terro.com/terro-liquid-ant-baits-t300

I think I just put 1 under the sink.

Bug sprays make me queasy, and the ants were mostly in the kitchen — sometimes in the bathroom — so this was a better solution for me.

But if it’s a serious-sized ant nest in your house, get a professional.

Edited March 21 by shapeshifter

Yeah No · March 21

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

There are different Terro products.
This is the one that worked for me for ants that appeared in the spring when I was renting homes built circa 1930-60:
terro.com/terro-liquid-ant-baits-t300

I think I just put 1 under the sink.

Bug sprays make me queasy, and the ants were mostly in the kitchen — sometimes in the bathroom — so this was a better solution for me.

But if it’s a serious-sized ant nest in your house, get a professional.

Yup, I tried those Terro baits. Nothing. That was disappointing! Interestingly, the Raid ant spray is the only bug spray I can somewhat tolerate. I don't think we have any nest in the house. We only see a stream of them coming in under the kitchen sink in the Spring for a month or so until the weather warms up and they find greener pastures outside.

ETA: I've also tried the Raid and Combat ant baits with no success. What can I say? I have picky ants, LOL. 🤷‍♀️

Edited March 21 by Yeah No

Yeah No · March 21

All this talk about ants is making me think of one of my all-time favorite Monty Python episodes, "The Michael Ellis Show", which has an ant theme running all through it. @shapeshifter, if you aren't already familiar with it, I'm sure you'll get a kick out of it, especially the poetry reading, LOL.

https://dai.ly/x6gf7qi

Edited March 21 by Yeah No
Had to share it as a link for some reason.

ABay · March 21

For several years after I moved into the house I live in now, there was an annual ant invasion. My ant abatement scheme involved spraying under the sink and putting down traps where the cats didn't go, moving the garbage can out from under the sunk, and keeping the sponge away from the sink when not in use. They still came in but not so many. What really killed them off was a snap frost. We had a really warm spring and then one night it went down past freezing and no more ants since then, except for a couple strays in the bathroom now and then. Diatomaceous earth around the vent takes care of them.

shapeshifter · March 21

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

All this talk about ants is making me think of one of my all-time favorite Monty Python episodes, "The Michael Ellis Show", which has an ant theme running all through it. @shapeshifter, if you aren't already familiar with it, I'm sure you'll get a kick out of it, especially the poetry reading, LOL.

https://dai.ly/x6gf7qi

That certainly does accurately depict the tedious process of dealing with ant problems.

oliviabenson · March 21

14 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

At first I thought you meant you tried lemon Kit Kats for invading ants! 😆 Then I kept reading…yes, they are tasty!

Lol that’s funny! No just eating for humans. Not sure if ants eat them? Very lemony!

shapeshifter · March 21

2 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

Lol that’s funny! No just eating for humans. Not sure if ants eat them? Very lemony!

But it would be amusing/cool/awesome if it turned out we'd stumbled upon a cure for springtime ant invasions.

Anyone got a spare lemon KitKat to put under the sink for their ants?

Mindthinkr · March 21

Changing the subject (I hope that’s ok)

Lately I’ve been getting into some Turkish television. It all began when I watched a series (The Tailor) on Netflix just to check it out. Well I just came upon a movie they recommended called Paper Lives. It is a tremendous film about street life in Istanbul. The scenery, music and acting help weave together a powerful story about a young abandoned boy who befriends a man who runs a solid waste warehouse. Also it doesn’t hurt that the lead actor, Çagatay Ulusoy is an excellent expressive actor and is very easy on the eyes. It has excellent reviews. It is worth watching if you’re in the mood to try something new or different.

SoMuchTV · March 21

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Yup, I tried those Terro baits. Nothing. That was disappointing!

I've used the Terro drops and they work like a charm. It's All You Can Eat Ant Buffet for a day or two, then they're gone for a good long time. I'd think the baits have the same stuff? Maybe your ants have evolved to be resistant!

16 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I tried the drops too but if they dried they were hell to get out. And I didn't see any improvement with them either. So weird.

Do you mean get drops out of the bottle, or get the residue out of where you left the drops? For the latter, they have you cut little target squares out of part of the glossy cardboard packaging, but when that runs out, we have no shortage of advertising flyers that are the right material.

stewedsquash · March 21

I use Terro also with no issues. I had a bad case of fire ants inside (which was very scary) and in three days they were gone.

I have never used bug spray again after the fumes killed a beloved plant I had nursed from a pinched off section.

Edited March 21 by stewedsquash
auto correct I swear I didn’t use Terri!

SoMuchTV · March 22

27 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

If you’re getting to this thread some way other than navigating through the main forum, you might not have seen this poll:

It’s polling whether we want the Pet Peeves and Chit Chat threads combined. I voted for keeping them separate, but if there were a way to add comments, I’d add, with a little bit of leniency if we stray a bit.

Oops, posted this in the wrong thread. Reposting here…

And adding, Yay! I made a suggestion that they should allow comments on polls like that, and my wish was granted!

shapeshifter · March 23

2 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Oops, posted this in the wrong thread. Reposting here…

And adding, Yay! I made a suggestion that they should allow comments on polls like that, and my wish was granted!

Thank you for posting this here. I didn't see it elsewhere.

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