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

[PRgal]

23 minutes ago, RealHousewife said:

I've had that happen too. In my experience, men don't care a whole lot about your face if they like your body. I've gotten attention when my skin's been at its worst. Trust me, the worst is pretty bad! 

Regarding the impossible burgers, I'm definitely a fan as a vegetarian. I agree that not everything needs to be perfectly healthy for you. Sometimes a veggie burger, fries and a little soda just really hit the spot.

Now people like my mother need to get it through their heads that vegetarian does not mean healthy. My mother says that constantly. "Why isn't this healthy? It's vegetarian." If something isn't made of meat, it might as well be broccoli to her no matter how processed or full of chemicals.  

You don’t know bad unless you knew me in high school.  I was tied with one girl in my grade and the only other person I knew with worse skin than me was a boy at another school.  I was double pepperoni and he was triple 

[supposebly]

17 hours ago, isalicat said:

"impossible meat". The salt content alone makes that stuff really unhealthy! Its all highly processed stuff - not real food at all.

I know. But in the grand scheme of things, it's one of the very few processed things that I eat. And only maybe once every two months or so in the winter. I haven't liked any other non-meat alternatives before. So, at the odd time when I feel like a burger, this is what I choose. I don't eat beef except maybe a really good steak once a year. The meat I still eat regularly is chicken. And fish and seafood.

12 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

My mother says that constantly. "Why isn't this healthy? It's vegetarian." If something isn't made of meat, it might as well be broccoli to her no matter how processed or full of chemicals.  

Hahaha! I think they confuse 'vegetable' with 'vegetarian'?

Edited May 18, 2023 by supposebly

[Fool to cry]

Was at the mall yesterday. Looked around and realized how I have not been paying attention to Gen Z. Is every teenage boy getting perms now? When did they all decide "I want a haircut that makes me look like Sideshow Bob, or broccoli"?

[oliviabenson]

McDonald’s closed at the mall! Whyyy? I like getting a $1 iced coffee while getting my 10,000 steps.

[RealHousewife]

23 minutes ago, Fool to cry said:

Was at the mall yesterday. Looked around and realized how I have not been paying attention to Gen Z. Is every teenage boy getting perms now? When did they all decide "I want a haircut that makes me look like Sideshow Bob, or broccoli"?

 

4 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

McDonald’s closed at the mall! Whyyy? I like getting a $1 iced coffee while getting my 10,000 steps.

Speaking of walking at malls and teenage boys . . .

I walk at two different malls. I’m a 30-something woman who’s closer to 40 than 30 now. There is one mall where I get hit on by older men. I told y’all one was even an octogenarian! 

Now the other mall attracts a younger crowd, and sometimes I’ve occasionally had what look like teenage boys asking for my name and number! 

The male population doesn’t seem to care if women could be their daughter, granddaughter, or mom! 

[Bethany]

1 hour ago, Fool to cry said:

Was at the mall yesterday. Looked around and realized how I have not been paying attention to Gen Z. Is every teenage boy getting perms now? When did they all decide "I want a haircut that makes me look like Sideshow Bob, or broccoli"?

I'm more around the under 12 crowd right now and what I notice is the length of the hair!  When my son was that age uber short hair for boys was the style -  now it's like every day at the school near my house is a day at Woodstock!

[PRgal]

47 minutes ago, Bethany said:

I'm more around the under 12 crowd right now and what I notice is the length of the hair!  When my son was that age uber short hair for boys was the style -  now it's like every day at the school near my house is a day at Woodstock!

I toured a boys only school back in the fall and one kid looked like an eight year old version of Kurt Cobain at the MTV Unplugged performance.  The 90s ARE back, so I shouldn't be surprised.  

[peacheslatour]

19 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I toured a boys only school back in the fall and one kid looked like an eight year old version of Kurt Cobain at the MTV Unplugged performance.  The 90s ARE back, so I shouldn't be surprised.  

My son always had long hair growing up. People used to tell me he looked just like Johnny Depp. Thank god he turned out nothing like him.

[Fool to cry]

I've seen kids with long Cobain hair and  buzzcut since the 90s but this...

[oliviabenson]

Sigh. I remember having nice hair like that/no grays. And youthful glow/skin! Let them enjoy their youth lol. 
 

Gray hair and baldness is around the corner. And wrinkles.

[Cloud9Shopper]

I’m feeling serious regret right now. Kind of a cross between family/work/life. I started a new job in February and it’s obvious I don’t love the job so we won’t touch that part. When I started the job, they were pretty clear that there was a probationary period where they didn’t want you to take a lot of time off (barring illness or other emergencies; I had an emergency where my dog was being put down and I was accommodated without issues to leave for the day). So my mom’s college graduation ended up being on a Friday since the person responsible for booking the venue did not book on time (graduation for this school is normally a Sunday), and since the probationary period is still in effect I realized I wasn’t going to be able to attend. 

My mom understands but I am wishing now that I had just told my job that her graduation was today and I needed to be there. Or that I had called out this morning. Even though my mom gets it I feel like not attending when most of the rest of the family IS makes me look bad even if she’s saying she understands. The only other people not coming are my brother (who also had work) and my brother in law who has to babysit my niece because the venue has a lot of restrictions on bags and they can’t bring enough to keep her entertained during the ceremony since she’ll be three soon.

I did go to the graduation Mass last night (it’s a Catholic college) and am going to be at the party tomorrow and at my mom’s house tonight after work. But I feel like I’ll always regret missing the ceremony for a call center job. 

[oliviabenson]

Local news anchor got fired for using a curse word on his coworker. Guy was getting paid $500,000 a year! 
 

For that $ I’d put up with anyone lol.

[roseha]

14 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

Local news anchor got fired for using a curse word on his coworker. Guy was getting paid $500,000 a year! 
 

For that $ I’d put up with anyone lol.

@oliviabenson did this just happen, in NY?  I tried looking to see who it was but all the stories were old ones.

[oliviabenson]

16 minutes ago, roseha said:

@oliviabenson did this just happen, in NY?  I tried looking to see who it was but all the stories were old ones.

A few days ago Ken Rosato got fired from ABC.

Edited May 19, 2023 by oliviabenson

[Bastet]

35 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

Local news anchor got fired for using a curse word on his coworker.

It's much worse than that implies -- he apparently referred to her as the C-word!  I love how his rep refuted a source saying he used a racial slur (she's Black), insisting he's all about equality, while not denying he used the gender slur of all gender slurs.  He's not racist, he's just sexist.  Well, okay then.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, oliviabenson said:

Local news anchor got fired for using a curse word on his coworker. Guy was getting paid $500,000 a year! 
 

For that $ I’d put up with anyone lol.

It would depend on the word.

[annzeepark914]

On 5/18/2023 at 1:04 PM, Bethany said:

I'm more around the under 12 crowd right now and what I notice is the length of the hair!  When my son was that age uber short hair for boys was the style -  now it's like every day at the school near my house is a day at Woodstock!

Far out, dude!  Psychedelic painted school buses will be next.

[BlueSkies]

I decided to splurge a bit for lunch.  cheesesteak and fries.  Yet I couldn't bring myself to drink regular Sprite but choose Sprite Zero.

 

Nonetheless I was stuffed and bloated after eating all that (it was really really good). But I noticed I wasn't nibbling on other snacks in the afternoon after eating a big lunch like that.  So I tend to wonder how unhealthy what I ate was.

 

I'm starting to believe every now and then treat yourself..... double big mac with fries at McDonalds.  go for it if you have a craving.  So be it it is only once in a while.  Not every day! Lol. 

Edited May 21, 2023 by BlueSkies

[Bastet]

20 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

I'm starting to believe every now and then treat yourself..... double big mac with fries at McDonalds.  go for it if you have a craving.  So be it it is only once in a while.  Not every day!

That's my "diet" -- if I'm craving something, I eat it, no matter what it is.  That means sometimes I make a big bowl of spinach, artichoke, and cheese dip, open up a bag of tortilla chips, and have that for dinner.  But if I'm not craving anything in particular, I make something healthy.  It all shakes out in the end.

Edited May 21, 2023 by Bastet

[PRgal]

Maybe it’s just how I was raised, but I don’t understand people’s obsessions with fast foods and ultra-processed snacks.  It wasn’t like that stuff was not available in my house growing up/was banned, but I just didn’t have a lot of it.  It’s to the point that people see me as either extremely disciplined or having disordered eating habits.  I love me a pizza and I don’t get to have it often because my husband and I like very different toppings (his leans more meat while mine is more vegetables.  Less ultra-processed, too).  I mean, my husband will never have a roasted vegetable pie.  And I don’t feel like pepperoni.  I usually end up a plain ol’ Margherita or quattro formaggio to share with my son.  And I always need to have a salad since to me, a meal isn’t complete without something leafy and green.  My husband won’t touch that stuff (this is why I add kale to his smoothies.  He doesn’t know that I do). 

Edited May 21, 2023 by PRgal

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, PRgal said:

And I always need to have a salad since to me, a meal isn’t complete without something leafy and green.

I'm the same way -- I have a side salad with pretty much every dinner (other than the ones where I, like I said, plop down with a vat of dip and chips).  I have a green vegetable side, too, but I must have a salad of some sort.

6 minutes ago, PRgal said:

It wasn’t like that stuff was not available in my house growing up/was banned, but I just didn’t have a lot of it.

Same here -- when I was a kid, we went out to dinner every Friday night, but fast food was rarely had (not because it was banned, like you said, just because none of us were particularly into it; my mom and the "regular" restaurants we went to made such better food!).  That's how I still am; every once in a while I get a craving for a Super Star cheeseburger from Carl's Jr. but that's it, and I don't remember the last time that happened -- probably several years now. 

16 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I love me a pizza and I don’t get to have it often because my husband and I like very different toppings

All my local pizza joints (I am lucky to have so many options) offer personal size pizzas.  And let you do half and half in terms of toppings on a large pizza (which is cheaper than two personals).

[supposebly]

52 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I don’t understand people’s obsessions with fast foods and ultra-processed snacks.

I'm fairly certain it's an addiction that often starts in childhood. There is also research that shows that processed food lights up the pleasure centers of people's brains more than other food. Other research disagrees but there is certainly an element of physical/psychological addiction to certain foods and junk food, aka processed food is high on the list. And like with every addiction, eventually you need to have more and more to get the same high.

I weaned myself off of most processed foods and now I find most of it overly salty and unpleasant. But that's not how I started out.

That doesn't explain how some people get addicted and others don't. I once read about how modern processed food is developed. Apparently, there is a certain bliss point that tries to get to an ideal balance between fat, salt and sugar.

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/should-we-really-beware-the-bliss-point-hiding-in-healthy-foods-20200625-p55686.html

That point is different for different kinds of foods. Salty for chips but sweeter for breads. I bake my own bread and buy only from small bakeries and I noticed every time I buy a sandwich from our cafeteria that uses bread from huge brands, it tastes like cake to me, it's so sweet. But again, if that's all the bread you've ever had, "real" bread would not taste good. Actual bead would not contain any added sugar. I can't think of a bread recipe that would have that unless it's to help with raising.

Edited May 21, 2023 by supposebly

[Bastet]

7 minutes ago, supposebly said:

I bake my own bread and buy only from small bakeries and I noticed every time I buy a sandwich from our cafeteria that uses bread from huge brands, it tastes like cake to me, it's so sweet. But again, if that's all the bread you've ever had, "real" bread would not taste good. Actual bead would not contain any added sugar. I can't think of a bread recipe that would have that unless it's to help with raising.

Ugh, I dislike most store/restaurant bread because of the sweetness.  Bread is not cake!  I'm not a big bread person to begin with -- other than a BLT, which I love on sourdough, if I eat a sandwich it's generally as a wrap using whole wheat lavash or pita.  If I do have bread, I don't make my own (for all the cooking I do, I am generally not one for baking), but I buy a whole wheat from a local bakery that is made with nothing but flour, yeast, water, and a little bit of salt.  No sugar, no honey, no molasses, no any of that stuff that is found in so much bread.

[PRgal]

 

24 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Ugh, I dislike most store/restaurant bread because of the sweetness.  Bread is not cake!  I'm not a big bread person to begin with -- other than a BLT, which I love on sourdough, if I eat a sandwich it's generally as a wrap using whole wheat lavash or pita.  If I do have bread, I don't make my own (for all the cooking I do, I am generally not one for baking), but I buy a whole wheat from a local bakery that is made with nothing but flour, yeast, water, and a little bit of salt.  No sugar, no honey, no molasses, no any of that stuff that is found in so much bread.

I either buy bakery bread or make my own.  There's also a supermarket brand I like that (I guess they're artisanal supermarket bread) uses simple ingredients (basically flour/seeds, yeast (or sourdough starter), water)  My husband HATES my homemade bread.  I'm glad my son is neutral.  He seems to be neutral on a lot of things, which I suppose is a good thing. 
 

@Bastet:  Some pizza places allow you to customize half-half as well, but not the one we like the most.  And personal sized pizzas around here  can range anywhere between 7" to 12" in diameter!  Usually, the ones that have 7" are more family-friendly and they don't usually have the kinds of toppings I like (I have TWO perfect pizzas.  One is a thin, whole wheat or ancient grain crust with a bit of tomato sauce, egg plant, zucchini, mushrooms and roasted red.  Buffalo mozzarella.  The other is, once again thin crust (whole or ancient grain) with prosciutto, arugula and buffalo mozz.  Sauce optional.  And that one has balsamic drizzle).  Though the second pie is more likely available, but they only offer regular or gluten-free crust.  Husband wants pepperoni, of course.  Good thing my son is okay with Mommy Toppings - he definitely likes it A LOT more than his dad!  I think my guilty pleasures are pizza or ice cream (my local ice cream place makes a delicious apple cinnamon).  :D 

[Browncoat]

We didn't have a lot of fast food while I was growing up because there weren't fast food places where I lived.  If we wanted McDonald's, it was an hour away.  We rarely ate out at all, really.  It usually was a special occasion. 

We did, however, have junk food.  I came home from school every day and grabbed a soda and chips to snack on while I watched my soap opera and did my homework.  

[RealHousewife]

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

That's my "diet" -- if I'm craving something, I eat it, no matter what it is.  That means sometimes I make a big bowl of spinach, artichoke, and cheese dip, open up a bag of tortilla chips, and have that for dinner.  But if I'm not craving anything in particular, I make something healthy.  It all shakes out in the end.

That’s kind of like how I eat. I eat lots of pizza, veggie burgers, fries, along with salads, fruit, etc. i just eat whatever I crave. I mostly just walk as exercise. Despite no strict diet or intense workouts, I’m healthy as can be. The only thing I have to watch it on a bit is my sugar intake/high glycemic foods, and that is to keep my skin clear. 

[PRgal]

22 minutes ago, RealHousewife said:

That’s kind of like how I eat. I eat lots of pizza, veggie burgers, fries, along with salads, fruit, etc. i just eat whatever I crave. I mostly just walk as exercise. Despite no strict diet or intense workouts, I’m healthy as can be. The only thing I have to watch it on a bit is my sugar intake/high glycemic foods, and that is to keep my skin clear. 

That’s what my husband said 10 years ago (though he did work with a trainer on and off).  At 43, it came back to haunt him. 

[RealHousewife]

3 minutes ago, PRgal said:

That’s what my husband said 10 years ago (though he did work with a trainer on and off).  At 43, it came back to haunt him. 

So it's possible I have just several years left? lol

I'm hoping my metabolism will remain decent. I absolutely love food. 

[PRgal]

24 minutes ago, RealHousewife said:

So it's possible I have just several years left? lol

I'm hoping my metabolism will remain decent. I absolutely love food. 

Haha...but in all seriousness, my husband shouldn't have to be on meds for cholesterol at his age just yet.  It's improved significantly now that he's dropped fizzy sugary drinks.  He probably needs to lay off the sodium a bit though.  

[RealHousewife]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

Haha...but in all seriousness, my husband shouldn't have to be on meds for cholesterol at his age just yet.  It's improved significantly now that he's dropped fizzy sugary drinks.  He probably needs to lay off the sodium a bit though.  

Sometimes people with good metabolisms think they can eat anything without remotely thinking about health. I had a friend who'd eat a ton and a lot of it was fast food. Super skinny guy, but he had to change his habits because his cholesterol was high. That was only in college! Once he tried to clean up his eating a little, he was fine. 

I eat a lot of oatmeal. Maybe that helps me as far as cholesterol goes. 

[PRgal]

7 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

Sometimes people with good metabolisms think they can eat anything without remotely thinking about health. I had a friend who'd eat a ton and a lot of it was fast food. Super skinny guy, but he had to change his habits because his cholesterol was high. That was only in college! Once he tried to clean up his eating a little, he was fine. 

I eat a lot of oatmeal. Maybe that helps me as far as cholesterol goes. 

My husband isn’t super-skinny.  He was a bigger guy when I first met him but healthy.  Then he started getting a lot of injuries and the pandemic and working from home surely didn’t help.  This year, he went to the doctor, got some bloodwork done and boom.  He had to go on meds.  He’s since lost 20 lb, with the goal to lose another 10 or so.  His bloodwork has improved but could still be better.  The homemade smoothies and oats/oat bars are definitely helping, as did dropping sugary syrups with coffee. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by PRgal

[peacheslatour]

Sugar is poison. But I love sweet things so I try to limit it to just ice cream where at least I get some calcium with it.

[Bethany]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Sugar is poison. But I love sweet things so I try to limit it to just ice cream where at least I get some calcium with it

This is why I try to have ice cream with a fruit added (like Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia).  This way I am meeting my daily requirement of calcium and fruit.  Hey, you only have to fool one person and I am easily fooled 😃.

[RealHousewife]

4 hours ago, PRgal said:

My husband isn’t super-skinny.  He was a bigger guy when I first met him but healthy.  Then he started getting a lot of injuries and the pandemic and working from home surely didn’t help.  This year, he went to the doctor, got some bloodwork done and boom.  He had to go on meds.  He’s since lost 20 lb, with the goal to lose another 10 or so.  His bloodwork has improved but could still be better.  The homemade smoothies and oats/oat bars are definitely helping, as did dropping sugary syrups with coffee. 

Ohh, I see. I'm sorry he went through all that, but I'm glad he is getting better. Wish you both the best of health!

5 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Sugar is poison. But I love sweet things so I try to limit it to just ice cream where at least I get some calcium with it.

Same! I am a thin lady and active. I could eat up a ton of chocolate, and it won't show up on my body. But I know sugar is terrible from what it does to my skin. 

I'm still trying to get better about it. One thing I'm doing now is limiting myself to a couple of those fun-size chocolates with tea for my daily sweet indulgence. I try to save the large servings of ice cream and whatnot for weekends. 

[oliviabenson]

1 hour ago, Bethany said:

This is why I try to have ice cream with a fruit added (like Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia).  This way I am meeting my daily requirement of calcium and fruit.  Hey, you only have to fool one person and I am easily fooled 😃.

I love your idea 😊

[oliviabenson]

I started eating oatmeal every day. It’s awful lol. Looks and tastes like puke. 

And I added stuff to it to make it edible. No luck.

 

[Anela]

2 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

I started eating oatmeal every day. It’s awful lol. Looks and tastes like puke. 

And I added stuff to it to make it edible. No luck.

 

I'm adding a gross supplement to instant oatmeal, and it's helping me to get it down. Something that's supposed to help with teeth, and bone loss (all the bones in your body). I don't know if it will help, but that's a subject for a different forum. I just wish I'd thought of turning it into powder with the coffee grinder, when I first found it, years ago. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by Anela

[theredhead77]

I love oatmeal. Just enough water to cook, but not turn it into soup. I keep it thick. I add a couple dashes of Penzey's pie spice, or cinnamon, and some raisins and it's like eating a delicious cookie.

 

 

[Bastet]

Oatmeal (steel cut) was an acquired taste for me, but I really like it.  I don't eat it very often, because I'm not much of a breakfast person, but I like the taste and texture (and don't add anything to it).  I don't like the texture of instant oats, though -- too mushy.

[Bethany]

Another oatmeal fan chiming in.  I like mine sweetened but my husband was raised by a British war bride (from Scotland) and he has with salt.  It's not horrible but not something I'd personally recommend!

Edited May 22, 2023 by Bethany

[supposebly]

I don't cook my oats. I use large flake (steel cut?) oats, soak them in milk (any kind will do) a bit (or over night) and add walnuts and fruit.

It's not a slimy as cooked oatmeal. I basically grew up on this, often sweetened with jam or simply dried fruit.

We call it muesli.

This is a good Swiss recipe for Bircher muesli but it really doesn't require all that stuff.

https://cookieandkate.com/homemade-bircher-muesli-recipe/

[Browncoat]

I get my oats as Cheerios -- regular ones in the yellow box.  I can't handle the texture of oatmeal.

[PRgal]

I do oat bran cold.  I soak it in a mixture of water and Greek yogurt and top it with berries.  I usually have ground chia mixed into it too. 

[theredhead77]

A local billboard I thought would give those of us following the "bodies in Lake Mead saga" a giggle.

[annzeepark914]

44 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I can't handle the texture of oatmeal.

We never ate oatmeal growing up (we ate cream of wheat that my Swedish grandma called "gret"). Nowadays I prefer sandwiches for breakfast (grilled cheese, ham & Jalsburg, etc).😊

[PRgal]

I should add that growing up, my grandmother would poach an egg IN the oats she made for me, telling me that my mom and uncle ate it that way.  I've never asked them, so I'll take Poh Poh's word.  I've never tried that myself.  Not sure I'd like it, anyway.  Poh Poh's oats looked like soup.  I think she was attempting more of a congee texture which I prefer, well, as congee.  

[RealHousewife]

6 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

I started eating oatmeal every day. It’s awful lol. Looks and tastes like puke. 

And I added stuff to it to make it edible. No luck.

 

What kind did you get? I like most of the oatmeal I've tried, except for the 3-minute one. I tried having it with hot water, almond milk, just gross no matter how I prepared it. 

You can add so much to oatmeal for flavor. Cinnamon, vanilla extract, yogurt, peanut butter, fruits, nuts, seeds, take your pick. 

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

We never ate oatmeal growing up (we ate cream of wheat that my Swedish grandma called "gret"). Nowadays I prefer sandwiches for breakfast (grilled cheese, ham & Jalsburg, etc).😊

I loved Cream of Wheat! I haven't had since I was a kid. I used to put butter and brown sugar on it.

[Cloud9Shopper]

I’m so sick of choir, and if next year is another year like this year, I’m giving it up at the end of next year. Every time I feel like we’re done and going to get a break, our director cancels a night off and calls practice, or there’s just one more thing to add to the schedule. 

Like tonight was supposed to be our last practice and we have two more Masses to sing and then we’re done. As we’re leaving after the director gives the itinerary for the next couple of weeks, one of the members goes “Oh we’re not singing for Father’s Day?” So he decided that’s a good idea and now we have an extra practice in early June that was not on our schedule until tonight. (If you’ve seen The Golden Girls, I really wish I could’ve told that lady “Oh shut up, Rose!”)

I’m not happy. I’m tired of these “around an hour” rehearsals that stretch into an hour and twenty minutes or close to two hours. I’m sick of the same songs and people not getting their parts and needing to run everything into the ground. I’m tired of the extra concerts (which I skip, so I should say I’m sick of hearing about them) and every Mass feeling like we need tons of preparation when the music is not brain surgery. I’ve been in choirs most of my life and just started cantoring a month or two ago and never felt this tired and sick of it. I don’t know why my director takes the suggestion of others in the choir and tacks on an extra practice. It’s so rude. I just want to be done for the summer but it feels like by the time we will be done we’ll have to start right back up again. 

 

[Leeds]

I have a box of Grape Nuts, but my go to breakfast is leftovers, from curry, to pizza, to noodles.  If I don't have leftovers (rare) I'll have an egg.  The Grape Nuts are for late night snacks.