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

JTMacc99

By JTMacc99
in Everything Else

Mod-Tigerkatze
Message added by Mod-Tigerkatze,

We all have been drawn into off-topic discussions, me included. There's little that's off-topic when it comes to Chit Chat, so the only ask is that you please remember that this is the Chit Chat topic and that there's a subforum for all things health and wellness here.

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Bethany

Bethany

We had a situation in the neighbourhood last night and I am wondering if anyone has some insight.  Early evening we noticed an ambulance and police cars in front of a house, the garage door was open and we wondered if they were performing CPR or something like that on one of the residents. 

Anyway eventually the ambulance left, empty.  The police cars remained and a coroner's car arrived.  It seems pretty clear what this must mean.  And eventually no doubt what happened will come out. 

But I can't help wondering - does a coroner attend every time a death occurs in a private home or only when there is something unusual or suspicious about the death?

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peacheslatour

peacheslatour

14 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

We had a situation in the neighbourhood last night and I am wondering if anyone has some insight.  Early evening we noticed an ambulance and police cars in front of a house, the garage door was open and we wondered if they were performing CPR or something like that on one of the residents. 

Anyway eventually the ambulance left, empty.  The police cars remained and a coroner's car arrived.  It seems pretty clear what this must mean.  And eventually no doubt what happened will come out. 

But I can't help wondering - does a coroner attend every time a death occurs in a private home or only when there is something unusual or suspicious about the death?

If the police become involved then calling the ME is pretty standard. Sometimes people call the doctor. If there is a death, the doc fills out the death certificate and the mortuary can come get the person who died and that's that. But if the doctor becomes suspicious and police are brought in then the ME has to make a report.

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jennifer6973

jennifer6973

1 hour ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

We had a situation in the neighbourhood last night and I am wondering if anyone has some insight.  Early evening we noticed an ambulance and police cars in front of a house, the garage door was open and we wondered if they were performing CPR or something like that on one of the residents. 

Anyway eventually the ambulance left, empty.  The police cars remained and a coroner's car arrived.  It seems pretty clear what this must mean.  And eventually no doubt what happened will come out. 

But I can't help wondering - does a coroner attend every time a death occurs in a private home or only when there is something unusual or suspicious about the death?

When my mom passed away in 2017, the police came and they called the coroner's office, they came and picked her up.  It was a non suspicious death, so the ME didn't come.

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Bethany

Bethany

Thank you @peacheslatour and @jennifer6973.  The only deaths I've been affected by closely all occurred in hospitals or retirement homes and the circumstances, naturally, were quite different.  I sincerely hope the death in our neighbourhood was due to natural causes or an accident but the rumour mill has begun and they are saying it was a suicide 😢.

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Leeds

Leeds

(edited)
3 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

We had a situation in the neighbourhood last night and I am wondering if anyone has some insight.  Early evening we noticed an ambulance and police cars in front of a house, the garage door was open and we wondered if they were performing CPR or something like that on one of the residents. 

Anyway eventually the ambulance left, empty.  The police cars remained and a coroner's car arrived.  It seems pretty clear what this must mean.  And eventually no doubt what happened will come out. 

But I can't help wondering - does a coroner attend every time a death occurs in a private home or only when there is something unusual or suspicious about the death?

I have no insight, but I am curious as to how you know the ambulance was empty?  (And is it related to what will eventually come out?)  

Edited by Leeds
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Bethany

Bethany

(edited)
18 minutes ago, Leeds said:

I have no insight, but I am curious as to how you know the ambulance was empty?  (And is it related to what will eventually come out?)  

When an ambulance and police cars show up on our quiet dead end street it gets noticed!  I admit I pulled a Gladys Kravitz and conveniently passed by the front window a few times!  I saw the paramedics put an empty stretcher back in the ambulance before they left.  Which would have been reassuring were it not for the presence of the police cars.

Edited by Elizabeth Anne
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Leeds

Leeds

14 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

When an ambulance and police cars show up on our quiet dead end street it gets noticed!  I admit I pulled a Gladys Kravitz and conveniently passed by the front window a few times!  I saw the paramedics put an empty stretcher back in the ambulance before they left.  Which would have been reassuring were it not for the presence of the police cars.

I admit I had to look up Gladys Kravitz, but thanks for the clarification!

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PRgal

PRgal

(edited)

I've decided that I'm a weirdo and the foods I cook are fine, regardless of what my parents think.  Or outsiders from my culture (and the so-called PC people from outside my ethnic community who are big on "identity") think.  But I'll continue to rant about it.  And I'll eat what I want and feed my son what I want.  It's not like we're eating tons of processed food anyway.  

ETA:  Eating is stressful for me.  My parents INSIST on eating with us a few days a week, just to make sure my son eats properly.  They bring their own food.  But they want him to eat their food, not ours.  They eat differently from us, though they don't always eat Chinese.  I REALLY want my son to experience "North American" style casseroles and other dishes, but it's not what they bring (unless it's, say, mac and cheese).  Unfortunately, my son really only eats THEIR stuff and little of ours.  :(.  They (or at least, my dad) INSIST that their being here makes it less stressful for me, but it actually makes it worse.

Edited by PRgal
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jennifer6973

jennifer6973

5 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

Thank you @peacheslatour and @jennifer6973.  The only deaths I've been affected by closely all occurred in hospitals or retirement homes and the circumstances, naturally, were quite different.  I sincerely hope the death in our neighbourhood was due to natural causes or an accident but the rumour mill has begun and they are saying it was a suicide 😢.

My neighbors wife in Florida once tried to commit suicide.  It didn't take and she only did it because she wanted to move to a different area.

 

But to be fair, we lived in nowhereville, orange county.  And the water sucked.

EtheltoTillie

EtheltoTillie

6 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

A garage collapsed in nyc. I’m following the story.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/top-floor-of-financial-district-parking-garage-collapses/4252095/?amp=1

It’s around the corner from my office. We heard all the sirens and went down to see what was going on, but of course we couldn’t get close. My office mate often parks there. 

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

Well, hallelujah! A decent movie has emerged from Hollywood. Ray Romano co-wrote and directed this movie, Somewhere In Queens.  It's filmed in Queens where he grew up. I was just complaining about how there are no movies that I want to see. This looks like it will be fun. He knows how to find the humor in family relationships.

https://qns.com/2023/04/ray-romano-somewhere-in-queens-screening/

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EtheltoTillie

EtheltoTillie

3 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Well, hallelujah! A decent movie has emerged from Hollywood. Ray Romano co-wrote and directed this movie, Somewhere In Queens.  It's filmed in Queens where he grew up. I was just complaining about how there are no movies that I want to see. This looks like it will be fun. He knows how to find the humor in family relationships.

https://qns.com/2023/04/ray-romano-somewhere-in-queens-screening/

Wow, a Queens movie!  So excited.  I also really like Ray Romano.  Hoping that Laurie Metcalf will be kept from shameless mugging.

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Bethany

Bethany

I've only been to a few movies in years.  All movies I've taken my grandson to.  But I have to say the cinemas, at least in my area are awesome!  Definitely tempting me to go back on a more regular basis.  Roomy seats that recline, no one sitting behind you can put their feet up on your chair (huzzah), tons of room between the rows.  Of course the concession stand is still a royal rip off (that's never going to change) but my husband was intrigued to learn that there is now alcohol service along with the popcorn.  

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PRgal

PRgal

12 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

The last movie we saw in the theater was a Big Sleep retrospective put on by Fathom. I think it was around 2015.

I think I will eventually go.  My son needs to experience watching movies outside of the house!  But he's 4 1/2 right now and does not have the patience to sit for 2+ hours.  Maybe when a GOOD Disney movie is released (and not some live action remake).

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Browncoat

Browncoat

I do love going to the movies!  I've been a fair few times since theaters reopened in late 2020.  Mostly to the local art house theater, since they are a non-profit and need my money more than the big chain.  There haven't been too many recent movies I want to see, although that's about to change!  So many new ones coming out soon!

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Bastet

Bastet

(edited)

I used to go to the movies regularly, but it's been probably 20 years since that was my routine.  For the past ten years or so I've hardly gone at all.  With a big HD TV and surround sound system, the overwhelming majority of films I watch look perfectly fine at home (especially because I tend not to watch action films, epic fantasies, etc.), so there's very little I need to see on a theater screen to properly appreciate.  (Even among my favored genres, it was different when watching at home meant on a 28-inch CRT television with internal speakers [especially in the VHS days, but also with laserdisc and then DVD].)  And very little I want to see so badly I can't wait for it to become available to watch at home.

But I do miss those days when I'd walk down to the cinema every Friday late afternoon, buy a cheap ticket, and see things I'd have never bothered seeing otherwise once I'd worked my way through the current releases I was most interested in.  (I worked half days [from home, while the rest of the week was in the office] on Fridays back then.  Different job, different home [now I'd have to drive], different life, really [no chronic anxiety and depression meant I was a lot more interested in leaving the house].) 

Edited by Bastet
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Annber03

Annber03

Yeah, I definitely don't go to the movies as much as I did when I was younger, either. Nowadays I pretty much go only if there's a movie I really want to see, and in that case, it's usually because someone I like is in it more than anything else :p. 

I did go last Friday, though, to see Renfield. For the reason noted above, in my case, but it was a genuinely fun movie as a whole, so...:). 

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stewedsquash

stewedsquash

I want to see the Queens movie just to see Sebastian Maniscalco. Followed my Laurie Metcalf.  
Random self trivia: Ramano could have written about my house during one scene in ELR when his response was to close his eyes and say Zena when wishing for something to appear. I even played that scene for the four dudes I lived with and they were all If only that could happen!

 

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roseha

roseha

I actually worked for a Film Society for a good 15 years so I did see some unusual and classic and sometimes really strange movies, but not nearly as many as I could have I suppose.  I must have been the only staff member who never programmed anything. 

I especially love the art of silent film because it's so different as a means of expression, not only the silence but the fact the film often wasn't made at natural speed but could be sped up or slowed down according to what the creators wanted.  I"m a big fan of The Silent Comedy Watch Party with Ben Model and Steve Massa on Youtube.  They still have a new episode about every month.

The last film I have seen in a theater?  It may have been Werner Herzog's 3D movie about the cave paintings (not making this up).

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theredhead77

theredhead77

I love watching big blockbuster action movies in the theater. I'm still kicking myself for not going to see Maverick multiple times on the big screen.

I look forward to seeing Fast X in the theater on opening night. I've seen every Fast movie in the theater, opening weekend, except for the one that came out during COVID. I was too afraid to go. In hindsight, it would have been fine, with the spread-out seats, people not talking, yelling, or laughing, etc...

I get myself a bucket of popcorn, load it up with the delicious butter oil, kick back and be entertained for a few hours. I always bring in my own water and chocolate but nothing replaces movie popcorn. Yum.

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Bastet

Bastet

(edited)
1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

I get myself a bucket of popcorn, load it up with the delicious butter oil, kick back and be entertained for a few hours. I always bring in my own water and chocolate but nothing replaces movie popcorn. Yum.

It's funny, because at home I won't even entertain the thought of microwave popcorn; when I make popcorn, it's the old-fashioned way with a pot, oil, and kernels and then I pour melted butter over the popped corn and sprinkle it with salt (sometimes I just use salted butter, if I happen to have some).  But at the cinema, if I order popcorn - which I don't always do, but it's not anything approaching rare, either - I will absolutely drown it in that "butter".

Speaking of popcorn, about thirty years ago a friend watched me make it, and stood there amazed like I'd performed magic -- having grown up with an air popper, she thought popcorn required a specific machine.  Several years later, a friend had the same experience making popcorn for her boyfriend.

(For context, we were all kids of the '70s, in our early 20s when these moments happened.)

Edited by Bastet
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luv2lurk

luv2lurk

On 4/13/2023 at 5:16 PM, JTMacc99 said:

I work for a cable company. Cable companies aren't complaining about people giving up cable TV.

The sooner we don't have any TV subscribers left, the better. We have no control over the cost of programming and no control over what channels we have to carry in basic packages, it takes a shit ton of equipment and resources to provide the service, it requires a lot of staff to maintain and field phone calls, and it eats up a ton of bandwidth that could be better allocated to internet service.

It's a shitty business where a cable company has to sell a basic cable package for $150/month just to make enough money to not just shut the whole thing off. Hell, more than $90 of that bill just gets turned around and sent directly to Disney, Fox, Paramount, and so on.

I am honestly not sure if this belongs in this thread or pet peeve. 

Starting mid-Feb I regularly lose reception on a number of channels EVERY Wednesday evening. Sometimes they come back Thursday or Friday. In the case of one sports channel, it will come back in the evening but not during the day even on weekends (which was annoying since I am a curling fan and really wanted to watch the Men's Worlds and this was the only channel it was on).

I contacted the provider (via online chat) when the problem first occurred and they tried to boost the box remotely, but ultimately said - sorry you need a new box and our new (more expensive) service which is internet, not cable based. The agent did spend an hour chatting back and forth with me but ultimately I decided not to make the change. And since then I have learned that it seems to be a weekly thing with the box. So, I think not really its fault.

I live in Canada where we have few providers and the one I use for cable and internet had a huge outage last July (people could not use debit cards, call 911, or obviously the internet). But I still had cable so I could watch TV. So I like having my cable and internet. 

My question for @JTMacc99 who is in the business - are they deliberately withdrawing service so I will change to internet based? And also how does internet based on a TV change the cost structure? I would think they would have to pay the same per channel as they would with cable.

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PRgal

PRgal

(edited)
7 hours ago, luv2lurk said:

I am honestly not sure if this belongs in this thread or pet peeve. 

Starting mid-Feb I regularly lose reception on a number of channels EVERY Wednesday evening. Sometimes they come back Thursday or Friday. In the case of one sports channel, it will come back in the evening but not during the day even on weekends (which was annoying since I am a curling fan and really wanted to watch the Men's Worlds and this was the only channel it was on).

I contacted the provider (via online chat) when the problem first occurred and they tried to boost the box remotely, but ultimately said - sorry you need a new box and our new (more expensive) service which is internet, not cable based. The agent did spend an hour chatting back and forth with me but ultimately I decided not to make the change. And since then I have learned that it seems to be a weekly thing with the box. So, I think not really its fault.

I live in Canada where we have few providers and the one I use for cable and internet had a huge outage last July (people could not use debit cards, call 911, or obviously the internet). But I still had cable so I could watch TV. So I like having my cable and internet. 

My question for @JTMacc99 who is in the business - are they deliberately withdrawing service so I will change to internet based? And also how does internet based on a TV change the cost structure? I would think they would have to pay the same per channel as they would with cable.

It’s a box issue. We use the same provider as you (since you mentioned the outage issue (*ahem*)) and we have to unplug/reset one of our boxes at least once a month.  We should be getting a replacement - that’s the oldest box we have - but we’re just too lazy!

Yesterday, my website’s hosting service was down for six hours, but only in Canada.  I wasn’t able to access email on my phone or Outlook (but was at least able to via webmail/browser)!  I got little work done.  And the support people were of little help.  I even contacted my service provider to see if it was their issue (and not the hosting service).  At least I got to work out longer?

Edited by PRgal
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oliviabenson

oliviabenson

On 4/19/2023 at 12:39 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

It’s around the corner from my office. We heard all the sirens and went down to see what was going on, but of course we couldn’t get close. My office mate often parks there. 

It’s 1 fatality. I don’t remember a parking garage collapsing before. 
 

 

12 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Yeah, I definitely don't go to the movies as much as I did when I was younger, either. Nowadays I pretty much go only if there's a movie I really want to see, and in that case, it's usually because someone I like is in it more than anything else :p. 

I did go last Friday, though, to see Renfield. For the reason noted above, in my case, but it was a genuinely fun movie as a whole, so...:). 

I want to see Renfeld and nefarious. 

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JTMacc99

JTMacc99

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1 hour ago, PRgal said:

It’s a box issue. We use the same provider as you (since you mentioned the outage issue (*ahem*)) and we have to unplug/reset one of our boxes at least once a month.  We should be getting a replacement - that’s the oldest box we have - but we’re just too lazy!

So you had the exact same problem with losing a bunch of channels?  

Typically when you lose a few channels here and there, it's a problem somewhere between the connection to the pole (or the equivalent underground connection) outside and the box. They should be able to see in the customer service center that there is a shaky signal and they should send a technician to your home to diagnose the problem.

It could just be a bad box, but they should also test the signal all the way from the box to the pole, changing out old connectors and just make sure everything is cleaned up for you.  When I had the problem with lost channels in my own home, the tech cleaned up everything and eventually found the connection at the start of the drop (the wire from the pole to the house) was the culprit.

 

PRgal

PRgal

3 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

So you had the exact same problem with losing a bunch of channels?  

Typically when you lose a few channels here and there, it's a problem somewhere between the connection to the pole (or the equivalent underground connection) outside and the box. They should be able to see in the customer service center that there is a shaky signal and they should send a technician to your home to diagnose the problem.

It could just be a bad box, but they should also test the signal all the way from the box to the pole, changing out old connectors and just make sure everything is cleaned up for you.  When I had the problem with lost channels in my own home, the tech cleaned up everything and eventually found the connection at the start of the drop (the wire from the pole to the house) was the culprit.

 

I don't lose channels (at least I don't think I do.  My husband and I basically watch a small handful of channels (e.g. sports (for him), CNN, CNBC, Food Network (me).  My son might watch a bit of Disney, but he mostly watches things on streaming.  That is if he watches TV at all.  He's not big on screens).  The TV just doesn't show ANYTHING and I'm getting a black screen of death.  Once I unplug and reset the box, things are fine.  For the next few weeks, anyway. 

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theredhead77

theredhead77

56 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I don't lose channels (at least I don't think I do.  My husband and I basically watch a small handful of channels (e.g. sports (for him), CNN, CNBC, Food Network (me).  My son might watch a bit of Disney, but he mostly watches things on streaming.  That is if he watches TV at all.  He's not big on screens).  The TV just doesn't show ANYTHING and I'm getting a black screen of death.  Once I unplug and reset the box, things are fine.  For the next few weeks, anyway. 

That sounds like your box needs to be replaced. It has been my experience in the states they're trying to force people to their streaming service but I always tell them no, I want it independent because if my internet goes out I don't want to lose TV, too.

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luv2lurk

luv2lurk

For me it is definitely the box. If it was a signal problem I think it would have shown up when they did the remote boost plus I can get CNN (which is the channel I miss the most) on my ancient TV in the bedroom which is on a digital adapter (it is so old it is not HD). At the time, the tech person told me I would never get the channels back but as I said that was weeks ago and they do come back. What I find suspicious is why do they go out on Wednesday evening and return by Friday?

@PRgal the challenge with replacing your box is that the only boxes they have now use internet not cable technology. Once you have it on one box, all boxes need to be replaced. Which is another reason for me not to change since the digital adapter will no longer work and even if I got a box for that TV, it is so old it doesn't have the outlet to plug one in. So I would have to get a new TV. The good news for you if you want to make the change is that Rogers will ship you the new boxes and you can return the existing equipment free of charge if you are comfortable self installing. If you want to have them install then the person doing that will bring the equipment and take the old away. There is a fee for installation but you can probably negotiate with them to do it at no charge since your existing equipment is not working properly.

PRgal

PRgal

29 minutes ago, luv2lurk said:

For me it is definitely the box. If it was a signal problem I think it would have shown up when they did the remote boost plus I can get CNN (which is the channel I miss the most) on my ancient TV in the bedroom which is on a digital adapter (it is so old it is not HD). At the time, the tech person told me I would never get the channels back but as I said that was weeks ago and they do come back. What I find suspicious is why do they go out on Wednesday evening and return by Friday?

@PRgal the challenge with replacing your box is that the only boxes they have now use internet not cable technology. Once you have it on one box, all boxes need to be replaced. Which is another reason for me not to change since the digital adapter will no longer work and even if I got a box for that TV, it is so old it doesn't have the outlet to plug one in. So I would have to get a new TV. The good news for you if you want to make the change is that Rogers will ship you the new boxes and you can return the existing equipment free of charge if you are comfortable self installing. If you want to have them install then the person doing that will bring the equipment and take the old away. There is a fee for installation but you can probably negotiate with them to do it at no charge since your existing equipment is not working properly.

My box isn’t that old.  It’s one of those little black (charcoal?) boxes from maybe three years ago?  We got all new boxes when we moved to our new condo just before the lockdown.  Our package includes TV, phone (landline and cell) and internet.  

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RealHousewife

RealHousewife

What are everyone’s thoughts on regularly tipping super generously? 

I am a good tipper, whether that’s at a restaurant or a salon. But I have a coworker who will always tip around 50% or more, even if he’s just grabbing coffee or picking up something from a place that’s considered fast food. As much as I’d love to be as generous as him, if I tipped that much to try to support business and their employees, I wouldn’t be able to afford going out to eat nearly as much. I feel like me getting food from them more frequently makes a bigger difference. 

What are your thoughts on this? If you grab a coffee that’s $5, do you also tip $5? Do you ever tip 100%? Do you tip every single time you are prompted or see a tip jar? 

I also have coworkers on the opposite side of the spectrum who don’t believe in tipping for takeout. I don’t tip AS much as when I’m waited on and get their argument, but one thing some people may not realize is when there are employees who work the takeout counter, they rely on tips just like servers do. 

Mod-Tigerkatze
Message added by Mod-Tigerkatze,

We all have been drawn into off-topic discussions, me included. There's little that's off-topic when it comes to Chit Chat, so the only ask is that you please remember that this is the Chit Chat topic and that there's a subforum for all things health and wellness here.

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