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

[Quof]

6 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Interestingly, 39 years ago, at my office a group of the women somehow got to measuring everybody, and noting who had the smallest and biggest waist, hips, etc.

I once worked in an office in which The Powers That Be decided to order branded golf shirts. One of TPTB sent around the manufacturer's size chart and asked each  employee to indicate their size.  I said "You realize you just asked every woman in this office her bust size."

[SoMuchTV]

3 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

One thing I do miss about the age of smoking indoors, the smoking section at a restaurant. That section served another purpose, most of the time it was the "no kids section." I have no issue with parents bringing their children to dining establishments. I am not one of those militant childfree people who think children should never be out in public. But, sometimes I want to go out and enjoy a meal without having to deal with other people's children, and the smoking section was a way to accomplish that. 

LOL, I'll take second-hand kids over second-hand smoke any day!

Edited July 17 by SoMuchTV
didn't post, then double-posted )-:

[shapeshifter]

55 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

LOL, I'll take second-hand kids over second-hand smoke any day!

I agree. When you leave the restaurant or plane, the screaming kids are just an unpleasant memory, but smoke follows you home and requires extra laundering, extra shampooing, etc. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Quof said:

I once worked in an office in which The Powers That Be decided to order branded golf shirts. One of TPTB sent around the manufacturer's size chart and asked each  employee to indicate their size.  I said "You realize you just asked every woman in this office her bust size."

After the college library's $18 million reno and expansion was complete, we were asked what size t-shirts we wanted ordered to wear to advertise our pride in our new facilities.  I requested the smallest size (a men's small -- which is still roomy over my chest), but when the t-shirts arrived, the tech services got to them first (the reno was when tech services was moved into the library) all the small ones were given away to their student employees. I think I was offered a men's large or extra large, and said no thanks. In hindsight I could have altered it, but I'd given my sewing machine away a few years prior, and the amount of necessary hand-sewing and Macgyvering of t-shirt knit still seems insurmountable.

Plus, I was fed up with the working conditions of the reno at that point. One coworker wound up in the hospital with breathing issues. They were removing asbestos with us in the building. Where's OSHA when you need 'em?

Edited July 17 by shapeshifter

[Caoimhe]

4 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

One thing I do miss about the age of smoking indoors, the smoking section at a restaurant. That section served another purpose, most of the time it was the "no kids section." I have no issue with parents bringing their children to dining establishments. I am not one of those militant childfree people who think children should never be out in public. But, sometimes I want to go out and enjoy a meal without having to deal with other people's children, and the smoking section was a way to accomplish that. 

It was also a good way to jump the queue and get a table sooner if you asked for smoking!

[Dimity]

1 minute ago, Caoimhe said:

It was also a good way to jump the queue and get a table sooner if you asked for smoking!

True!  I remember though when things started to change.  A Tim Horton's coffee shop we used to go to had a small glassed in section that they used as their non-smoking section, a year or two went by and that got turned into the smoking section.  Restaurants here went nuts for awhile insisting that the smoking ban, when it finally came in, would mean the end of their business.  I don't think that actually happened though.

[Bastet]

32 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

When you leave the restaurant or plane, the screaming kids are just an unpleasant memory, but smoke follows you home and requires extra laundering, extra shampooing, etc. 

And then there's the potential lung damage.  But, on the other hand - kids.  So, yeah, bring on the smoke!

CA was the first state to ban indoor smoking in restaurants (among other places), back in 1995, so for a while, when restaurants in other states still had smoking sections, it was jarring to walk into one while traveling and be hit with the smell (because it's not as if the smoke ever actually stayed in the smoking sections).

I had coworkers who were livid not be able to smoke at their desks anymore.

The ban on indoor smoking in bars followed a few years later, but the dive bar in my old neighborhood was still flouting the law and allowing it when I left in '05 and I would not be surprised if they're still doing it.

[Mondrianyone]

One of my favorite New Yorker cartoons showed a couple about to be seated at a restaurant in Paris, and the maître d' was asking them, "Madame et monsieur, would you prefer smoking or chain-smoking?"

[SoMuchTV]

Regarding smoking indoors… I went through three pregnancies between 1987 and 1994. Same workplace, and I was a contractor so no option of going to HR. First kid, breathe it all in. Second, my smoking cube neighbor was considerate enough to turn on a fan when he lit up. Last one, nobody was smoking indoors. Sometimes things do change. 

[Yeah No]

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

When I retired with a Masters degree-level job in a female profession in 2019, my salary plus retirement benefits was under $60k, in part because I didn't work full-time outside the home until my last child was was 8. A full-time nanny makes about $75k. To be fair, I think at least some nannies have Masters in Early Childhood Education or in Child Development.

I don't think the children should have had that much of an impact on your much later salary, but what do I know? But that's one reason I never stayed in higher education - even with a master's degree the salaries sucked, especially in traditionally "female" jobs. I got a job in the corporate world and never looked back. It wasn't my career of choice, but I couldn't argue with the money and benefits. And as an executive admin. I was still underpaid compared to other corporate jobs.

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

And then there's the potential lung damage.  But, on the other hand - kids.  So, yeah, bring on the smoke!

CA was the first state to ban indoor smoking in restaurants (among other places), back in 1995, so for a while, when restaurants in other states still had smoking sections, it was jarring to walk into one while traveling and be hit with the smell (because it's not as if the smoke ever actually stayed in the smoking sections).

I had coworkers who were livid not be able to smoke at their desks anymore.

The ban on indoor smoking in bars followed a few years later, but the dive bar in my old neighborhood was still flouting the law and allowing it when I left in '05 and I would not be surprised if they're still doing it.

I have to say it would be a tough choice for me - kids or smoking....Kids can be carriers of disease so they can pose a health threat too. And considering how easily I catch every cold that comes along it's a real issue for me.

I had to look up when NY and CT banned smoking indoors in restaurants. It was 2003. I had yet another moment of disbelief that it was that late. And yet now that I think about it, yeah, I remember it now. I remember being asked "smoking or non smoking?". It's weird how we filter these things out after so long.

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Still, over the 34 years since I've been uncoupled, married women who are uncomfortable about their weight tend to treat me with suspicion.
It makes me want to say: Honey, you can keep your stinky, farting snorer all to yourself.
It's all very subtle, so I say nothing. 
But it makes me feel like my body is being measured, and I hate that.

I've found insecure married women will also treat married women with suspicion. I was always a target for that. I couldn't even be friendly with male classmates at reunions without getting the "evil eye" from their wives, even with my husband standing right there beside me.

[shapeshifter]

Have you ever felt like you reached the end of the internet?

[ebk57]

5 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Have you ever felt like you reached the end of the internet?

Sometimes I wish there was an end of the internet.

[bluegirl147]

14 hours ago, ebk57 said:

Sometimes I wish there was an end of the internet.

I remember back in the 90s when I first started going online and you had to seek out what you wanted to do.  It was a tool for information or shopping or communication with emailing. Now you are bombarded with so many things as soon as you log on.  Everything we do is monitored and interpreted and sold to other people so they can monitor and interpret it so we can be shown ads for potato chips with the hope we will buy that brand of potato chips.  As with most things bad actors came in and ruined the internet.

Edited July 19 by bluegirl147

[Yeah No]

55 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I remember back in the 90s when I first started going online and you had to seek out what you wanted you to do.  It was a tool for information or shopping or communication with emailing. Now you are bombarded with so many things as soon as you log on.  Everything we do is monitored and interpreted and sold to other people so they can monitor and interpret it so we can be shown ads for potato chips with the hope we will buy that brand of potato chips.  As with most things bad actors came in and ruined the internet.

I pine for the days before the internet became commercialized and was mostly made up of academics sharing theories and discussing research.  

[bluegirl147]

4 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I pine for the days before the internet became commercialized and was mostly made up of academics sharing theories and discussing research.  

And now so many theories and research are behind paywalls. I guess the internet being an information super highway just isn't important anymore.

[PRgal]

Speaking of the internet and computers:  Holy wow, that Crowdstrike glitch has even caused issues for Starbucks.  I can't order ahead from my app - many stores are listed as "closed" until tomorrow morning!

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

And now so many theories and research are behind paywalls. I guess the internet being an information super highway just isn't important anymore.

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I do not mind paywalls when the money goes to those who did the research and wrote it up first. I may grumble about newspapers like the NYT or the LA Times having a paywall, but journalists do need to get paid. I also understand the related costs to operating a database, and do believe those costs should be borne by end-users; but, no database should be a for-profit company. 

[bluegirl147]

21 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I do not mind paywalls when the money goes to those who did the research and wrote it up first. I may grumble about newspapers like the NYT or the LA Times having a paywall, but journalists do need to get paid. I also understand the related costs to operating a database, and do believe those costs should be borne by end-users; but, no database should be a for-profit company. 

I was referencing (no pun intended) research done at colleges and universities that isn't made available to the public but only to who can afford a massive amount.  People who have actually done the research aren't allowed to have access to it once it's completed.

[Ohiopirate02]

4 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I was referencing (no pun intended) research done at colleges and universities that isn't made available to the public but only to who can afford a massive amount.  People who have actually done the research aren't allowed to have access to it once it's completed.

Yeah, Elsevier can rot in hell. But, a nominal fee for access to help cover the costs of creating and maintaining the database said research is found is something I find acceptable. Though, it would be nice for some billionaire to create and maintain a free database for all of this research. 

[Ancaster]

6 hours ago, PRgal said:

Speaking of the internet and computers:  Holy wow, that Crowdstrike glitch has even caused issues for Starbucks.  I can't order ahead from my app - many stores are listed as "closed" until tomorrow morning!

OMG, the horror.

5 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Yeah, Elsevier can rot in hell. But, a nominal fee for access to help cover the costs of creating and maintaining the database said research is found is something I find acceptable. Though, it would be nice for some billionaire to create and maintain a free database for all of this research. 

"Crowdstrike"?  "Elsevier"?

 

Edited July 19 by Ancaster

[GHScorpiosRule]

9 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

"Crowdstrike"? 

There was a global IT outage today, and Crowdstrike is a cybersecurity company and according to its CEO, a technical issue within its company caused the many disruptions, but emphasized it wasn't a cyber security attack.

In addition to software interruptions, multiple flights have been cancelled/delayed due to the outage.

 

[PRgal]

53 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

There was a global IT outage today, and Crowdstrike is a cybersecurity company and according to its CEO, a technical issue within its company caused the many disruptions, but emphasized it wasn't a cyber security attack.

In addition to software interruptions, multiple flights have been cancelled/delayed due to the outage.

 

It also affected 911 in some places.

https://www.wsj.com/tech/microsoft-reports-major-service-outage-affecting-users-worldwide-328a2f40?st=lmzubkwd0xlpqgs&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

[emma675]

7 hours ago, PRgal said:

Speaking of the internet and computers:  Holy wow, that Crowdstrike glitch has even caused issues for Starbucks.  I can't order ahead from my app - many stores are listed as "closed" until tomorrow morning!

It's crazy how many businesses and industries utilize Crowdstrike! With all of the testing they supposedly do before pushing updates, it's amazing one small bit of code caused such havoc. What a mess.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

It also affected 911 in some places.

I just did a quick search to answer @Ancaster who was asking what Crowdstrike! was and just gave her the gist.

1 hour ago, emma675 said:

It's crazy how many businesses and industries utilize Crowdstrike! With all of the testing they supposedly do before pushing updates, it's amazing one small bit of code caused such havoc. What a mess.

We don't, but it did affect the software we use to ask for vacation, our timesheets, etc. But it was restored around 6 this evening EST.

Edited July 19 by GHScorpiosRule

[ABay]

One problem with journals putting research behind pay walls is that often the research was funded by public money via grants or other support. So the public is paying twice for access that should be open. There's a movement in higher ed for open access publishing but publishers are now charging authors if they want their work to be open access. Another hold up is ancient faculty and administrators who don't consider oa as legit as traditional publishing even when the oa is peer reviewed.

[Blergh]

13 hours ago, PRgal said:

It also affected 911 in some places.

https://www.wsj.com/tech/microsoft-reports-major-service-outage-affecting-users-worldwide-328a2f40?st=lmzubkwd0xlpqgs&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

That's infuriating that these often literal life-and-death emergency services got messed up (in addition to the airlines,etc.)!

I was very lucky in that all that happened re my workplace was that we were told to write down our clock in,lunch times,etc. because there was no access to the 'Net time clock for a few hours. However, by the time I clocked out, that had been resolved (and I'd written down the times prepared to email the supes with it).

But how many times has some kind of essential 'Net service crashed, been hacked or otherwise failed- and there wound up having been no back up plan or alternative (much less any means to at least protect individual functions,etc, from being effected)?  And yet instead of at least individual safeguards or alternates in place or being considered, the consumers from individuals to corporations to essential services are strongly encouraged to not consider using any option BUT the 'Net- regardless of how frequently these egg baskets get scrambled because WHY?!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I

Edited July 20 by Blergh

[Dimity]

Everyone I know seems to be going on road trips this summer.  PEI, Maine, Massachusetts. even Newfoundland (which is one heckuva road trip from here!).  We made the decision to not go away with summer and we had good reasons but everyone seems to be having such a good time.  Maybe we need to rethink things and head to the Maritimes in September!

I need to see the ocean!

[PRgal]

1 minute ago, Dimity said:

Everyone I know seems to be going on road trips this summer.  PEI, Maine, Massachusetts. even Newfoundland (which is one heckuva road trip from here!).  We made the decision to not go away with summer and we had good reasons but everyone seems to be having such a good time.  Maybe we need to rethink things and head to the Maritimes in September!

I need to see the ocean!

Since I'm recovering from surgery, we didn't book any vacations this summer.  But I've recovered enough that I'm able to do something short and not too far.  We tried to book a place in eastern Ontario for August, right before school starts, but the hotel we wanted was completely booked.  You need to book that place months ahead to get a room!  So we're all stuck in Toronto.  The good thing is that we were able to register my son for a fun camp with a focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, ARTS and math.  Arts in caps because a lot of people ignore that part and only focus on STEM)!  One of his best friends will be there too.

[Mountainair]

We’ve been a bit of the opposite this year. The past two years our families have been dealt rough hands (my brother in law lost his mom, dad and brother over the last four years. His mom passed away in March). My mother in law got really sick two Novembers ago with Heart Disease and went in for a routine procedure in April and passed away. She took all 15 of us to Disney in December. My son has had two heart surgeries and my daughter had 4 arm surgeries 2 years ago after breaking her arm twice. Blah, blah, blah. Vacations took a back seat while our boat sat snuggly in the garage never to be used. 
This year we have gone to the lake almost every weekend, the beach for a few days, 2 weddings that were 8 hours away. It feels good to finally live and enjoy life albeit in the shadow of despair we are all dealing with. 
My brother in law bought a boat and a place at the lake with the proceeds from his mother’s estate and has given access to all of us. My late mother in law loved the lake and would just be so happy to see us all spending time together at the lake. 
It was always so easy for us these last few years to say, “we can’t do anything this summer” but when you lose those that you are closest to I think it makes it easier to say, “you know what, yes. Grandma would want us to have fun”. 

Edited July 21 by Mountainair

[EtheltoTillie]

I know that everyone has been waiting with bated breath to find out how I resolved my ironing board crisis.  I came up with a very neat solution today.  I can place the board between two furniture tops or counters.  It's a good height and very stable.  This is good for my sewing room.  The board is pretty light and easy to pick up and move around or just lean against a wall when not in use.

 

Edited July 21 by EtheltoTillie

[JustHereForFood]

On 7/19/2024 at 1:24 AM, shapeshifter said:

Have you ever felt like you reached the end of the internet?

Many times, but it always manages to surprise me anew.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I know that everyone has been waiting with bated breath to find out how I resolved my ironing board crisis.  I came up with a very neat solution today.  I can place the board between two furniture tops or counters.  It's a good height and very stable.  This is good for my sewing room.  The board is pretty light and easy to pick up and move around or just lean against a wall when not in use.

 

Should I not be worried about whether you will always test its flip-ability before putting weight on it in an as yet untested position or of a previously untested amount of weight, shape, density or…? 🤞

Your pictures do remind me of my using my ironing board with a large sheet of corrugated cardboard over it to paint watercolors, moving it near the sunlight. On  the ironing board there was a lightweight board with the stretched paper, a lightweight pallet, a few tubes of paint, plus a jar of water.
No flipping ever occurred, but then watercolor painting does not require pressure, unlike ironing or even oil painting.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Should I not be worried about whether you will always test its flip-ability before putting weight on it in an as yet untested position or of a previously untested amount of weight, shape, density or…? 🤞

Your pictures do remind me of my using my ironing board with a large sheet of corrugated cardboard over it to paint watercolors, moving it near the sunlight. On  the ironing board there was a lightweight board with the stretched paper, a lightweight pallet, a few tubes of paint, plus a jar of water.
No flipping ever occurred, but then watercolor painting does not require pressure, unlike ironing or even oil painting.

Don’t worry. I will test. It’s really sturdy, though, in the right position. 

[PRgal]

Happy International Ice Cream Day (July 21)! :). 

[Caoimhe]

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I know that everyone has been waiting with bated breath to find out how I resolved my ironing board crisis.  I came up with a very neat solution today.  I can place the board between two furniture tops or counters.  It's a good height and very stable.  This is good for my sewing room.  The board is pretty light and easy to pick up and move around or just lean against a wall when not in use.

 

 

I see an overlocker very like my Brother 1034D in the background! That’s a great solution for the ironing board.

Edited July 22 by Caoimhe

[shapeshifter]

34 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Happy International Ice Cream Day (July 21)! :). 

I had some Turkey Hill Simply Natural Vanilla with about a teaspoon of plain baking cocoa sprinkled over it. 
 

Edited July 22 by shapeshifter

[PRgal]

Just now, shapeshifter said:

I had the Turkey Hill Simply Natural Vanilla with about a teaspoon of plain baking cocoa. 
 

My family shared a variety of flavours from local brands.

[EtheltoTillie]

13 minutes ago, Caoimhe said:

I see an overlocker very like my Brother 1034D in the background! That’s a great solution for the ironing board.

Yes same serger model. It’s a good one. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Thanks for the ice cream reminder. I am helping myself to the small amount of Hagen dazs coffee ice cream I had left. 

[fairffaxx]

I tried this today & it was oddly good -- from the NY Times:

ICE CREAM WITH OLIVE OIL & DATES (serves 1)

2 tsp (I used 1 Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil (the more robustly flavored the better);

1 (I used 2) pitted dates, cut into shreds (I made crosswise slices);

over medium heat in tiny frying pan, sizzle together 1-2 minutes;

pour hot mixture over big scoop of vanilla ice cream;

sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt (I used Kosher) over top -- eat promptly.

When the hot dates hit the ice cream, they become crunchy, which is an interesting contrast to the texture of the ice cream.  Next time, I might add more dates.  

 

 

[shapeshifter]

8 minutes ago, fairffaxx said:

I tried this today & it was oddly good -- from the NY Times:

ICE CREAM WITH OLIVE OIL & DATES (serves 1)

2 tsp (I used 1 Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil (the more robustly flavored the better);

1 (I used 2) pitted dates, cut into shreds (I made crosswise slices);

over medium heat in tiny frying pan, sizzle together 1-2 minutes;

pour hot mixture over big scoop of vanilla ice cream;

sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt (I used Kosher) over top -- eat promptly.

When the hot dates hit the ice cream, they become crunchy, which is an interesting contrast to the texture of the ice cream.  Next time, I might add more dates. 

Let me know if you need a taste tester!🤣🍦

18 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Thanks for the ice cream reminder. I am helping myself to the small amount of Hagen dazs coffee ice cream I had left. 

Good news!
September 6th is National Coffee Ice Cream Day!
Coffee was Mom's favorite flavor ice cream, although in the 1950s and 60s Butter Pecan was her favorite. I still love both. Somewhere along the line Mint Chocolate Chip became a favorite of mine too, but now I just go for vanilla.

[PRgal]

30 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Let me know if you need a taste tester!🤣🍦

Good news!
September 6th is National Coffee Ice Cream Day!
Coffee was Mom's favorite flavor ice cream, although in the 1950s and 60s Butter Pecan was her favorite. I still love both. Somewhere along the line Mint Chocolate Chip became a favorite of mine too, but now I just go for vanilla.

When I was little, I’d only eat vanilla or chocolate chip.  Chocolate was a big no-no for me because I thought it had a weird after taste. 

[Dimity]

A timely reminder - thank you.  Just enjoyed a bowl of Chapman's black cherry ice cream.

[shapeshifter]

33 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Chocolate was a big no-no for me because I thought it had a weird after taste. 

Artificial sweeteners can give me a weird aftertaste. 

[Gramto6]

3 hours ago, PRgal said:

Happy International Ice Cream Day (July 21)! :). 

I had some  Hagen Dazs Matcha Green Tea ice cream. It is a new favorite!

[Bastet]

13 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

I don't know what most of the terms mean

Oh, thank goodness that wasn't just me.

[Anela]

1 hour ago, Mondrianyone said:

Okay, I'll be the one to break the vacuum.

I read under the spoiler tag, and I'm not offended. I don't know what most of the terms mean, and maybe I'll look them up. It's not a subject that interests me very much, but I wanted you to know that at least one person here wasn't shocked into speechlessness. I haven't lived my life swaddled in bubble wrap.

I don't have a topic of my own to post about at the moment. Go on about your shibumi, or whatever that Japanese one was. Nothing to get worked up about, although I'll probably regret saying these dopey things.

I don’t, either, but I’m not offended.  

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

I read under the spoiler tag, and I'm not offended. I don't know what most of the terms mean,

Same here.

[emma675]

Same. Not offended and also not knowledgeable about most of those terms. Different strokes for different folks (pun intended, lol).

[ABay]

Thank you all for letting me know you weren't offended. It's hard to guess what will or won't offend people and pornography is an area that does often set people off...or put them off...or get them off.

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm not offended.  In my first job, I worked as an editor for Penthouse.  I really wanted to break into publishing.