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

[shapeshifter]

44 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

Is there a pending offer on it?

Yes. I have until Tuesday afternoon to back out.

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

 

Thank you for not just cheerleading.

Yes, I'd really rather have something newer
When I first moved to Rochester, the 1920s house I was renting had a new garage added. When I'd walk out to the garage I would take a deep breath because it smelled so clean and fresh.
But with housing prices having doubled in recent years, the unknown rising cost of living, and unknown life expectancy, I just don't want to risk having to sell a nicer home in 10 years to move in with my daughter when I'd be a physical burden because I've run through my retirement and inheritance funds.
For example, next week I am getting a tooth implant. When it's done it will be about $7K for one molar.
And my car is 12 years old. It's a Subaru with very low miles, but with luck, I will outlive the car. 😉

Similarly, the house I will be buying(?) was bought at about 30% of the current asking price in 2020. 
It looks a lot better than the Google Street View, which is from 2015.
From the ad:

— whereas my condo still needs new flooring, and some kitchen appliances, and I anticipate having to replace the furnace in a couple of years. The condo is 52 years old and hasn't had any updates in 20 years. The kitchen sink needs to be replaced for cosmetic reasons.

So, given all of the above, what do you think?

It sounds lovely and certainly promising. At this point you might be right that your condo. would cost you more in the long run. I hope you get it!

In my little corner, I've been struggling in my hotel suite to find quick, easy dinners to make in the microscopic kitchen. And boy do I miss my oven! The microwave here is great but it just doesn't do everything. So yesterday I googled on small, cheap toaster ovens because I didn't want to lug the big one from my house to the hotel. Walmart had one for about $22. Eh. I wanted something cheaper, so I got the bright idea to go to the Good Will just on the chance I'd fine one that wasn't in bad condition. I had a funny feeling that I just might find one. Sure enough as soon as I went over to the appliance shelf, there it was for all of $7.99! It was a little dusty and I thought perhaps it might not clean up so well but WOW, a few wipes and I was amazed at how it looks almost new! A new one of those costs about $60! And it even has an air frying function, LOL. Not a bad purchase and it works great! And the even better thing is that once I'm finished with it I can re-donate it back to the Goodwill. It's a win-win-win!!

The funny thing is that I used to work for the company, LOL.

 

[emma675]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Yes. I have until Tuesday afternoon to back out.

I say life is short, if the house makes you feel happy and excited, buy it! Joy seems few and far between these days, we have to grab it when we can. And no house, new or old, is ever going to be 100% perfect or not have any problems.

[Dimity]

23 minutes ago, emma675 said:

I say life is short, if the house makes you feel happy and excited, buy it! Joy seems few and far between these days, we have to grab it when we can. And no house, new or old, is ever going to be 100% perfect or not have any problems.

Total agreement!  We have friends who are in a relatively new house and it has been one thing after another.  Owning a house has its challenges but I'll take an older detached house over a condo any day and twice on Sunday!

Edited Saturday at 02:58 PM by Dimity

[shapeshifter]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. 
It is helpful.

30 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

It sounds lovely and certainly promising.

24 minutes ago, emma675 said:

I say life is short, if the house makes you feel happy and excited, buy it! Joy seems few and far between these days, we have to grab it when we can. And no house, new or old, is ever going to be 100% perfect or not have any problems.

In a nutshell, my should-I or shouldn't-I quandary is this:
100 steps outside of the house is this view:

But inside is:

and I keep thinking of how my Mom loved her home from 1986 to 2015 because of the view, and was utterly miserable her last 5 years without Dad and with increasing loss of motor skills, but also without her view.

And, conversely, my current home is mostly parking lot and brick building views, but it has more light and bigger windows than the house.…

Edited Saturday at 02:59 PM by shapeshifter

[Dimity]

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

And, conversely, my current home is mostly parking lot and brick building views, but it has more light and bigger windows than the house.…

I really miss the days when, not only could you get a home inspection done, but you could often go back and see a house you were interested in multiple times before making an offer!  When we bought our current house, while we were lucky in being able to have an inspection done, we also knew we had to make an immediate offer.  No time for second thoughts!  We offered the same day we saw if which was something we'd never done before.  But if we hadn't we'd probably have ended up in a bidding war.

[Yeah No]

6 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Thanks everyone for the feedback. 
It is helpful.

In a nutshell, my should-I or shouldn't-I quandary is this:
100 steps outside of the house is this view:

But inside is:

and I keep thinking of how my Mom loved her home from 1986 to 2015 because of the view, and was utterly miserable her last 5 years without Dad and with increasing loss of motor skills, but also without her view.

And, conversely, my current home is mostly parking lot and brick building views, but it has more light and bigger windows than the house.…

I hear you. Decisions, decisions. As I sit in this little apartment on a high floor I miss the days when I felt cozy in a small space with an interesting view, not just trees and sky. Here I see the pool, the tennis and basketball court and the opposite side of the open ended courtyard. Although in the Winter in my house the rear faces West and you see some beautiful sunsets when there are no leaves on the trees. We're on a high point so we have an expansive view then. But in the warm weather we only see trees.

From what you've said about the condo. the new place is much more upbeat, bright and positive, which will make you feel that way too. The condo. sounds sad and drab - no wonder you want to move out. That photo above speaks a thousand words. It's a bright and positive place and will likely make you feel that way too!

[emma675]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Thanks everyone for the feedback. 
It is helpful.

In a nutshell, my should-I or shouldn't-I quandary is this:
100 steps outside of the house is this view:

But inside is:

and I keep thinking of how my Mom loved her home from 1986 to 2015 because of the view, and was utterly miserable her last 5 years without Dad and with increasing loss of motor skills, but also without her view.

And, conversely, my current home is mostly parking lot and brick building views, but it has more light and bigger windows than the house.…

I mean, windows can always be replaced and expanded. It ain't easy or cheap, but it's possible. With that view a handful of steps away, I'd live with the windows. But that's just me.

[PRgal]

We are the only (or one of the only) family in my son's class who lives in a condo.  Unfortunately, many of the assignments earlier on this year involved going outside to explore nature.  It was okay when we could go to the park, but when winter came, it became something that required a backyard.  I messaged the teacher about it, asking for alternatives.  We're lucky to: 

a) only have one child

b) have a condo that is very sizable

 

There are next to ZERO family-friendly condos being developed in Toronto.  And by family friendly, I mean TRUE three bedroom (not two plus den) units that aren't super-tiny (ideally 1400 square feet or larger).  I'm sure more 30 and 40-somethings would be able to afford a home if there were.  I'm no developer/have real estate experience, I'd build a mid-rise, family friendly complex with both townhomes and condos as well as an elementary school with a daycare.  Oh, and with a good walk score as well.  Close to transit and a supermarket.  

[Browncoat]

I always say that buying a house was simultaneously the best and worst decision of my life.  I love my house!  It came with almost an acre, which was a saving grace for me in 2020, but it's also about 100 years old, and I'm having a lot of work done on it this summer.  Not as extensive as yours, @Yeah No, as I don't have to move out, but my front door is currently unavailable, and will be for an indeterminate amount of time.  Everything was going along swimmingly, but the contractor hit a snag, which requires a new and improved building permit.  The person in charge of approving building permits is on vacation until Tuesday.  Hopefully that will get approved without too much difficulty, but then there will be extra inspections as the work progresses.  What we thought would take a couple of weeks, might take more like a month.  

I feel like I'm breaking into my own house when I use alternate entrances.

[isalicat]

19 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

 

Thank you for not just cheerleading.

Yes, I'd really rather have something newer
When I first moved to Rochester, the 1920s house I was renting had a new garage added. When I'd walk out to the garage I would take a deep breath because it smelled so clean and fresh.
But with housing prices having doubled in recent years, the unknown rising cost of living, and unknown life expectancy, I just don't want to risk having to sell a nicer home in 10 years to move in with my daughter when I'd be a physical burden because I've run through my retirement and inheritance funds.
For example, next week I am getting a tooth implant. When it's done it will be about $7K for one molar.
And my car is 12 years old. It's a Subaru with very low miles, but with luck, I will outlive the car. 😉

Similarly, the house I will be buying(?) was bought at about 30% of the current asking price in 2020. 
It looks a lot better than the Google Street View, which is from 2015.
From the ad:

— whereas my condo still needs new flooring, and some kitchen appliances, and I anticipate having to replace the furnace in a couple of years. The condo is 52 years old and hasn't had any updates in 20 years. The kitchen sink needs to be replaced for cosmetic reasons.

So, given all of the above, what do you think?

This sounds great (the house itself and the location seems marvelous!), but one small caveat: at least around here (California) those HSA repair policies are not worth the paper they are written on - if you decide something needs fixing, they send out someone who generally can't get any regular work in their field (or they would be too busy to bother with the amount of compensation the HSA company provides for this) and the repair is done shoddily, if at all. This was my direct experience (with a washing machine that supposedly fell under this policy) and many of my friends in the past.

[oliviabenson]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

It sounds lovely and certainly promising. At this point you might be right that your condo. would cost you more in the long run. I hope you get it!

In my little corner, I've been struggling in my hotel suite to find quick, easy dinners to make in the microscopic kitchen. And boy do I miss my oven! The microwave here is great but it just doesn't do everything. So yesterday I googled on small, cheap toaster ovens because I didn't want to lug the big one from my house to the hotel. Walmart had one for about $22. Eh. I wanted something cheaper, so I got the bright idea to go to the Good Will just on the chance I'd fine one that wasn't in bad condition. I had a funny feeling that I just might find one. Sure enough as soon as I went over to the appliance shelf, there it was for all of $7.99! It was a little dusty and I thought perhaps it might not clean up so well but WOW, a few wipes and I was amazed at how it looks almost new! A new one of those costs about $60! And it even has an air frying function, LOL. Not a bad purchase and it works great! And the even better thing is that once I'm finished with it I can re-donate it back to the Goodwill. It's a win-win-win!!

The funny thing is that I used to work for the company, LOL.

 

you can make soup in a rice cooker. and steam tons of food. I just got 1!

great buy for $8! 

[Yeah No]

17 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

you can make soup in a rice cooker. and steam tons of food. I just got 1!

great buy for $8! 

Thanks for the idea. I have a small one in my garage that would fit here in the hotel. 

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I always say that buying a house was simultaneously the best and worst decision of my life.  I love my house!  It came with almost an acre, which was a saving grace for me in 2020, but it's also about 100 years old, and I'm having a lot of work done on it this summer.  Not as extensive as yours, @Yeah No, as I don't have to move out, but my front door is currently unavailable, and will be for an indeterminate amount of time.  Everything was going along swimmingly, but the contractor hit a snag, which requires a new and improved building permit.  The person in charge of approving building permits is on vacation until Tuesday.  Hopefully that will get approved without too much difficulty, but then there will be extra inspections as the work progresses.  What we thought would take a couple of weeks, might take more like a month.  

I feel like I'm breaking into my own house when I use alternate entrances.

I hear you. The long weekend is delaying an engineer from coming to our house to render an opinion on the work done so far. The building inspector asked for it. He says we may need to make some changes in order to bring it up to code. The contractor is disagreeing with the building inspector on what size wood planks should have been used to make the rafters in the new roof. I remember this discussion from months ago and I thought everyone was on the same page about what size to use back then. But now this new inspector is going out of his way to be a hard ass about that and every little thing. He has a hair up his ass about where to put light switches of all things. And there's really no need for what he's asking us to do.

Also he keeps changing on what he tells us needs to be changed and has one of those off-putting "gotcha" attitudes. Like he's not happy unless he invents a problem just so he can tell you you're wrong about something. And when I asked him some very pointed questions he backpedaled and fudged around. I know he's one of those guys that's threatened by an intelligent woman that doesn't back down. My husband told me he was cheering inside when I did that, LOL. We originally dealt with his boss, who's a nice person and we thought we would be dealing with him again, but I guess not. So it's been yet more aggravation and more delays. On top of that the construction manager was not at this meeting as he was already off for the long weekend. Hopefully when he comes back we can have another meeting with the architect, the construction foreman and manager, the engineer and the building inspector and reach a consensus. And hopefully it won't take too long to accomplish. This is going on for weeks now. I also hope my husband is able to be there when this happens because I dread being alone for these things. 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

when I asked him some very pointed questions he backpedaled and fudged around. I know he's one of those guys that's threatened by an intelligent woman that doesn't back down. My husband told me he was cheering inside when I did that, LOL. …Hopefully when he comes back we can have another meeting with the architect, the construction foreman and manager, the engineer and the building inspector and reach a consensus. And hopefully it won't take too long to accomplish. This is going on for weeks now. I also hope my husband is able to be there when this happens because I dread being alone for these things.

It sounds like you can handle it better than you think you can without your husband if necessary.😉🤞

[ECM1231]

I don't know if we can make broad statements about all older homes needing a ton of work immediately. Last year we sold my in-laws' home, circa 1899. A 2 family Victorian that had been in the family almost 80 years. The plumbing and heating had been updated over the years and the baths were probably updated back in the early 80s, as well as the kitchens, but all were in good shape. Even the wood flooring was in great shape. Yes, painting needed to be done, but that's true of anything. When it was appraised, the realtor told us not to bother doing any painting.

I think what these house hunter shows  don't show, and what is the most important, are the mechanicals of the house. How are the plumbing, heating , and electrical systems? How's the roof? The foundation? Etc

It's unfortunate that a seller's market discourages getting a home inspection and it's this way in my neck of the woods on Long Island, too. It's not that you can't get an inspection, but sellers are more likely to accept offers from buyers who forego inspections. Homes routinely sell for way over the list price, and I am not talking a few thousand over. I'm talking 50K or more. It's ridiculous! 

Personally, I'd take the chance @shapeshifter. 

Edited Yest. at 04:07 PM by ECM1231

[EtheltoTillie]

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

It sounds like you can handle it better than you think you can without your husband if necessary.😉🤞

Like the Cowardly Lion all @Yeah Noneeds is a medal. 

[Yeah No]

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

It sounds like you can handle it better than you think you can without your husband if necessary.😉🤞

Thank you. Perhaps. 😉I just hate doing it.

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Like the Cowardly Lion all @Yeah Noneeds is a medal. 

Thanks. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it didn't eat away at my stomach lining! The aggravation level right now is through the roof for both of us. Did I mention that we HATE dealing with contractors? Because of stuff like this. Ugh.

[nokat]

On 5/24/2025 at 10:58 AM, shapeshifter said:

Thanks everyone for the feedback. 
It is helpful.

In a nutshell, my should-I or shouldn't-I quandary is this:
100 steps outside of the house is this view:

But inside is:

And, conversely, my current home is mostly parking lot and brick building views, but it has more light and bigger windows than the house.…

I bought a house because of the light. It was a two story, so the view out one side on the second story was decent, but I loved how much light there was. 

[Mindthinkr]

I’ve been redoing my kitchen. All was going well until I needed the electrician to come back and put the box into where I will need to plug in the new microwave drawer. Well it’s been a month. The contractor can’t come back and do anything until the electrician is finished. The electrician also is my brother’s best friend and knows this is terribly inconveniencing me. My Mahjong group keeps asking when I can host again (I can’t with the new microwave sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor). So I feel everyone’s pain re: repairs and remodeling. 

[BooksRule]

I just learned an expensive lesson (that I already kind of knew, but didn't make it a priority -- like an idiot).  If you don't want your A/C condensation pipe to clog up with goo and algae and overflow into your hallway, you have to put a cup of vinegar into the system each and every one of the 12 months of the year, not just during the summer. I just had the A/C guy come out and unclog the pvc pipe leading from the unit to the condensation pump. Of course, I had to pay 'emergency' rates since it's Sunday evening.  But, with tomorrow being a holiday, those same emergency rates would have applied and I don't think it could have waited until Tuesday. I was happy it wasn't something worse (like getting a whole new pump or having someone go into the attic to replace the pump piping), so I said to myself 'screw it', went whole hog and added a nice tip to the total (and I'm still nice and cool).

Edited Sunday at 11:57 PM by BooksRule
typo

[SoMuchTV]

37 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

I just learned an expensive lesson (that I already kind of knew, but didn't make it a priority -- like an idiot).  If you don't want your A/C condensation pipe to clog up with goo and algae and overflow into your hallway, you have to put a cup of vinegar into the system each and every one of the 12 months of the year, not just during the summer. I just had the A/C guy come out and unclog the pvc pipe leading from the unit to the condensation pump. Of course, I had to pay 'emergency' rates since it's Sunday evening.  But, with tomorrow being a holiday, those same emergency rates would have applied and I don't think it could have waited until Tuesday. I was happy it wasn't something worse (like getting a whole new pump or having someone go into the attic to replace the pump piping), so I said to myself 'screw it', went whole hog and added a nice tip to the total (and I'm still nice and cool).

Okay, you have my attention. Tell me more about this cup of vinegar and where it goes. I don’t think I’ve ever heard this before. My units have pvc piping that leads to outside drains, but it’s a closed system - I’m not aware of any way to pour anything into it. Maybe it’s different because I have heat pumps, but in hot weather they function as air conditioners. 

[BooksRule]

19 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Okay, you have my attention. Tell me more about this cup of vinegar and where it goes. I don’t think I’ve ever heard this before. My units have pvc piping that leads to outside drains, but it’s a closed system - I’m not aware of any way to pour anything into it. Maybe it’s different because I have heat pumps, but in hot weather they function as air conditioners. 

I have a heat pump, too.  When I bought my house, I had problems every couple of years because the condensation drain would clog up (I was not regular with the vinegar treatment).  The A/C would drain into a pipe (original to the 1964 house) and just drain away into the sewer (I think?) system.  But, the aging pipes were slowing collapsing, and the A/C people couldn't use compressed air to blow out clogs any longer. So, I got a condensation pump that has flexible plastic tubing that runs from the inside unit up into the attic, through the attic and then exits though a little hole in the house soffit so it can drip into the flower bed. When the pump fills up it activates (I can hear it if the house is quiet) and sucks the water away. But, algae and gunk will grow and clog up the pipes if you don't put a cup of vinegar (some people use a bleach/water mixture, but I've heard that's bad for the pipes) into the pipes once a month.  Most systems should have a place somewhere where you can get access to the pipe to add the vinegar.  I have a joint in the pipe in the unit closet with a little stopper in it. I just remove the stopper, and add the vinegar using a funnel (or no funnel needed if you have good coordination). I know that for some people, they can access the pipe that clogs up if it exits out through an exterior wall somewhere. You can just use a shop/vac to unclog it. But I always had to call a professional, because I couldn't get to the pipe that was coming up from the house's concrete slab that the A/C pipe was inserted into. If you can get to where you can see the inside unit (mine is inside the house with a hallway closet that I can open and see the 'works', but I know that some have the units in their attic that might be harder to get to (and I would be unable to physically get up there to see it if mine was located there), you can see if you have some type of 'opening' you can use.

Edited Monday at 01:00 AM by BooksRule

[Dimity]

My husband got a registered letter today from the government of Quebec.  6 pages long and it sounded like he was being charged with some truly terrible crime.  They used words like defendant, court, trial, witnesses and charges... and  It was a ticket for a traffic violation.  What could have been summed up in a paragraph - at most - took 6 pages. 6.  I thought at the very least he'd shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.

[PRgal]

44 minutes ago, Dimity said:

My husband got a registered letter today from the government of Quebec.  6 pages long and it sounded like he was being charged with some truly terrible crime.  They used words like defendant, court, trial, witnesses and charges... and  It was a ticket for a traffic violation.  What could have been summed up in a paragraph - at most - took 6 pages. 6.  I thought at the very least he'd shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.

Is it legit?  Sounds a bit sketchy.

[roseha]

One of the staff guys just told me that the living room really looks cleared out!

Just in time for the painter on Friday.  I'm still finding things to trash or recycle but at this point I want to concentrate of making everything look as presentable as possible.   I haven't dealt with emptying out the closet but can do that after the job is scheduled.

My super and I did have a conversation about taking up at least part of the living room carpet - I bought a couple of area rugs two months ago at 50 percent off - and I wish we could do it now, the carpet is in such bad shape. But for now I guess I will vacuum as much as I can and see how the scheduling all works out.

Edited Monday at 08:27 PM by roseha
typo

[Dimity]

4 hours ago, PRgal said:

Is it legit?  Sounds a bit sketchy.

It's legit.  But as someone once said "you know the French".  Why use one word when three will do.  Example 'please' vs 's'il vous plaît.'

[StatisticalOutlier]

They make tablets to put in the air conditioner pan. 

At one place I lived, a neighbor would set the tablet on the end of a yardstick and insert it through some opening (maybe a vent?) and drop it into the pan.  I had an access door for mine so I could just reach in there and drop it.

This place had a funky arrangement, where the upstairs and downstairs units' air conditioners were above each unit's closet, and the drains were connected.  So when they came to blow mine out with compressed air one time, it blew through the line into my downstairs neighbor's pan, which was full of water that blew all over everything in her closet.  I warned them that I thought they might be connected, but they ignored me.

My sideways neighbor's bathroom sink drained into my bathroom sink drain, which I found out only because it developed a hole so I stopped using it, but water would still come out.  I don't know what my neighbor was doing in that sink, but when the plumber came he complained about how bad it smelled.  When a plumber complains about the smell, you know it's bad.

[Soapy Goddess]

12 hours ago, Dimity said:

What could have been summed up in a paragraph - at most - took 6 pages. 6.

Government waste at its best. Ask anyone in the U.S. with an Advantage Plan. You not only get your original EOB, you'll receive the same explanation twice, along with 6 pages of different languages. 

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Government waste at its best. Ask anyone in the U.S. with an Advantage Plan. You not only get your original EOB, you'll receive the same explanation twice, along with 6 pages of different languages. 

So much this. Obfuscation at its best.

[lookeyloo]

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Government waste at its best. Ask anyone in the U.S. with an Advantage Plan. You not only get your original EOB, you'll receive the same explanation twice, along with 6 pages of different languages. 

Again, you are making a generalization based on what?  A lot of real research or just a guestimation.  Ask me.  I am anyone in the U.S. I am on an Advantage Plan.  Our EOBs are in large print, very clear and since we usually only have a prescription refill, one page.  But now I get them digitally so no paper even comes here anymore. I don't think I am a unicorn in this regard.

[shapeshifter]

17 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

Again, you are making a generalization based on what?  A lot of real research or just a guestimation.  Ask me.  I am anyone in the U.S. I am on an Advantage Plan.  Our EOBs are in large print, very clear and since we usually only have a prescription refill, one page.  But now I get them digitally so no paper even comes here anymore. I don't think I am a unicorn in this regard.

Advantage plan here too.
I should probably switch back to all digital.
But it seems if I don't save them, they become very difficult to access online over time. No?
Maybe this could go to the Medicare, Supplemental, Advantage, and other Insurances, Oh My Aching Wallet thread?

[PRgal]

Someone in the Cantonese subreddit asked how one said "I'm proud of you" in Cantonese.  As in parents telling their kids they're really proud of them for their swimming achievement.  Nope, there's no direct translation.  You'll congratulate them or say that they were really good, but not "I'm proud of you, sweetie."  YouTube tells me that the formal way of saying it would be this:

It doesn't sound like something you'd tell a kid.  And trust me, NO ONE uses this.  I asked my dad and he said:

You are right though, a lot of the older parents never praise their kids. My dad never praised me.

I further commented that typically, parents would tell their kids that they were really good rather than being proud that they put in all the hard work.  And that first generation (and sometimes even second gen) western children feel like they didn't really do that well at all.  That that their immigrant parents were just "saying that."  It lowers their confidence.  I also mentioned how immigrant Asian parents love to compare children (e.g. "Jenny got an A+ in advanced calculus.  Try harder next semester to improve from A to A+!")  Dad's response?

That's because most Asians came from highly competitive environment. Thousands of kids compete for a couple of hundreds of openings. If you are not A, then A- or B or C are all irrelevant. 

Praising isn't a thing.  In fact, some believe it weakens children into not trying at all.  My son's first nanny made that comment to me.  She criticized how Canadians parent.  She said she never praised her daughters (now in their 20s) and that it helped them work hard to get the entire family out of poverty (the nanny was a refugee of the Vietnam War).  I wonder how the daughters are doing, mental health wise, to be quite honest.

Edited 18 hours ago by PRgal

[shapeshifter]

I wound up passing on the house. 
I was so conflicted about it that it seemed like the best course. Hopefully I won’t regret it.

But I have finally met a realtor with whom I feel comfortable.
If/when another place comes up, we will look at it earlier, and I will make a video of my walk through. I hadn’t thought of that before! Also, there will be time to hire a private appraiser the realtor works with, who walks through with me and points out stuff — which I would want since my son-in-law is not willing to go see any more houses with me — which, at this point, is a fair line in the sand for him to draw. He spent his holiday weekend assembling a large outdoor play-set for my grandsons and repairing a leaking pipe in their house, plus he cooks and changes diapers and works full time.

[PRgal]

@Yeah No:  Just curious why you didn't get an Airbnb/Vrbo?

[Dimity]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I was so conflicted about it that it seemed like the best course. Hopefully I won’t regret it.

Even if you do have some regret just remind yourself that there could have been issues with that house you might have regretted even more!  We bought a house when we first moved back to Canada, and even with a chance to see it twice and having a building inspection, we still ended up with a Money Pit.  Nothing catastrophic but a sequence of little things that added up.  I was never so glad to move in my life as I was when we left that place!

[annzeepark914]

@shapeshifter You made the right decision (since you were conflicted right from the start). Your new house-hunting plan sounds good!

[EtheltoTillie]

Good plan, @shapeshifter.  Sounds like you are relieved. 

[Dimity]

My grandson had a school assignment where they were supposed to look up a few words in a 'real' dictionary as opposed to going online. 

No one in our immediate circle of friends and family has a 'real' dictionary in the house anymore!  Luckily he remembered his assignment early enough in the evening that they could pop over to the library. Note: this is out of character for him, he's the kid who's usually saying, as they are going out the door in the morning "oh I forgot, I need a mason jar, some netting and a glue stick".

Anyway I don't know why this is bothering me, exactly, but let no one be surprised if I go out and buy a 'real' dictionary tomorrow!

[shapeshifter]

27 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Anyway I don't know why this is bothering me, exactly, but let no one be surprised if I go out and buy a 'real' dictionary tomorrow!

I wish I had a print road map of the area where I live, but I prefer the online OED when I need a dictionary. You should be able to access the OED and other research databases remotely through your local library.

[Soapy Goddess]

18 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

Again, you are making a generalization based on what?  A lot of real research or just a guestimation.  Ask me.  I am anyone in the U.S. I am on an Advantage Plan.  Our EOBs are in large print, very clear and since we usually only have a prescription refill, one page.  But now I get them digitally so no paper even comes here anymore. I don't think I am a unicorn in this regard.

This is fact. The next time I get an EOB, I will scan and upload for you. Please don't allow your bias to cross-thread.

Perhaps the outcome is based on the provider/company one is insured with. 

 

[lookeyloo]

3 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

This is fact. The next time I get an EOB, I will scan and upload for you. Please don't allow your bias to cross-thread.

Perhaps the outcome is based on the provider/company one is insured with. 

 

Yes I understand that yours and perhaps others are complicated.  I'm just saying my plan which is huge, isn't, so "all" doesn't apply.  My bias?  About generalizations? 

[shapeshifter]

On 5/27/2025 at 8:24 PM, PRgal said:

@Yeah No:  Just curious why you didn't get an Airbnb/Vrbo?

Just mostly bumping this for @Yeah No, 'cause inquiring minds want to know, LOL. 
Was it an insurance reimbursement issue?

[fastiller]

@Dimity's comment about a 'real' dictionary sent me looking for this photo of a dictionary that my Dad had for years, that he shipped out to my brother last year.  

[annzeepark914]

4 minutes ago, fastiller said:

@Dimity's comment about a 'real' dictionary sent me looking for this photo of a dictionary that my Dad had for years, that he shipped out to my brother last year.  

I used to have a teeny tiny dictionary. It fit into the palm of my hand & had a leather cover that snapped shut. It must've belonged to a grandparent as it was very old, but I definitely used it. Gave it to my sister's grandson who liked "old things".

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, fastiller said:

@Dimity's comment about a 'real' dictionary sent me looking for this photo of a dictionary that my Dad had for years, that he shipped out to my brother last year.  

I had one of those. I got it when it was weeded from the collection of the library where I worked. I gave it away in preparation for one of my many moves.

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I had one of those. I got it when it was weeded from the collection of the library where I worked. I gave it away in preparation for one of my many moves.

How many pages? And were the pages tissue thin?

[Browncoat]

Someone gave me a Dictionary/Thesaurus set when I graduated from high school lo these many years ago.  I might still have the dictionary.

Incidentally, the Scripps Spelling Bee finals are tomorrow night.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 5/26/2025 at 11:33 PM, Soapy Goddess said:

Government waste at its best. Ask anyone in the U.S. with an Advantage Plan. You not only get your original EOB, you'll receive the same explanation twice, along with 6 pages of different languages. 

On 5/27/2025 at 5:44 AM, lookeyloo said:

I am anyone in the U.S. I am on an Advantage Plan.  Our EOBs are in large print, very clear and since we usually only have a prescription refill, one page. 

11 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Perhaps the outcome is based on the provider/company one is insured with.

When you first described something an Advantage plan does as "government waste at its best," I was going to point out that Advantage plans aren't Medicare--they're a privately administered managed-care alternative to traditional Medicare.  But then I thought, "Who knows, maybe the government meddles into Advantage plans when it comes to formatting their EOBs."  Seemed unlikely, because the whole idea behind Advantage plans is having them, instead of the government, take care of all of their members' healthcare needs and claims.

But it turns out that not all Advantage plan EOBs are the same, and you muse that the outcome could be based on the provider/company.  If that's the case, then obviously it's not the government making them format their EOBs in the way you describe and object to. 

 

Edited 30 minutes ago by StatisticalOutlier

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Someone gave me a Dictionary/Thesaurus set when I graduated from high school lo these many years ago.  I might still have the dictionary.

 

Growing up we always had a set of encyclopedias in the house along with a huge atlas (I believe that came with the encyclopedias) along with a dictionary and several other reference books of one kind or another.  I know you can still buy dictionaries etc but I wonder if anyone is buying bound copies of encyclopedias anymore.

Edited 1 hour ago by Dimity