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

[oliviabenson]

I must be the last person using paper checks and just ordered some. Need to pay bills…

 

[Ancaster]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

If they're cute and feel good & comfy? You should keep them. You might want to get another pair in a different color *now* before they run out. I'm speaking based on years of experience (& frustration) when something I enjoyed wearing so much was gone from the shelves when I returned to get it in a different color. Tell your conscience that I said it was ok 😊

 

1 hour ago, kristen111 said:

Whenever I want to buy something for myself, I buy it.  We are not extravagant people.  I don’t smoke anymore, drink, or eat in fancy restaurants like some people.  No fancy vacations either.  Not complaining, just saying.  So, if I see nice shoes or a bag I want, I just buy it.  Husband never says a word either.  He knows I’ve never asked for much and am satisfied.  I love when a package from QVC or Amazon comes.  Lol.  Going to the mall is too much for me lately.  Been there, done that.  It’s too exhausting.  I just like the Mall at Christmas time.

 

1 hour ago, oliviabenson said:

If you like them and can afford, keep them!

You lot are terrible!  I feel like I have one very shy and retiring angel whispering at me on one shoulder and 164 big noisy devils yelling at me on the other.  😄

Edited September 20, 2023 by Ancaster
An errant . had somehow crept in.

[kristen111]

30 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

 

I use Ad Block Plus (free version) on my laptop and for this site only, I use Duck Duck Go's browser app on my phone and mobile devices. I have zero ads on this, or other sites.

Any other annoyances too like the page disappearing or a clacking sound here n there while typing?  Only happens on this site.  Thank you for the info.

Edited September 20, 2023 by kristen111

[theredhead77]

6 minutes ago, kristen111 said:

Any other annoyances too like the page disappearing or a clacking sound here n there while typing?  Only happens on this site.

I have no idea what clacking sounds or disappearing pages you're referring to. Sorry. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

I honestly just smacked myself upside the head and said "You do not need that lovely, comfy, beetroot (!) pair of cords you bought yesterday from Nordstrom Rack.  Take them back tomorrow."  I'm getting better at doing that.  They are cute though.  Sigh.

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

If they're cute and feel good & comfy? You should keep them. You might want to get another pair in a different color *now* before they run out. I'm speaking based on years of experience (& frustration) when something I enjoyed wearing so much was gone from the shelves when I returned to get it in a different color. Tell your conscience that I said it was ok 😊

…furthermore,
as an elder pants wearer: 

• If they are comfortable, fit properly, and have the right pockets:
  Keep them and get more if possible.
• But if they are NOT comfortable, do NOT fit right, and/or do NOT have the necessary pockets:
  Return them, no matter how cute,
  UNLESS you have the skills or wherewithal to alter all of those things.

Wanna see the cute pants in my closet that I haven’t worn in years?

This past year I bought several pairs of Athleta pants because I can securely zip my wallet in a pocket, put keys in another, tissue and eye drops in another, and cellphone in another, and they don’t slide down from the weight because the waistband is the perfect width and amount of elasticity.

I do wish they were cuter.
If I had the energy of 30 years ago, I’d probably get out the fabric paint, or use them as a pattern to sew a pair with different fabric.
Or if I was my Mom or sister, I’d hire someone to make some out of cuter fabric.

But the fabric seems to be some secret formula of recycled materials, so, probably they wouldn’t be as good anyway.

[jennifer6973]

1 hour ago, oliviabenson said:

I must be the last person using paper checks and just ordered some. Need to pay bills…

 

I still use them also, most of my checks go the weekly tithe at the church my dad goes to.  Otherwise I pay bills online or over the phone.

[Suzn]

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

 

 

You lot are terrible!  I feel like I have one very shy and retiring angel whispering at me on one shoulder and 164 big noisy devils yelling at me on the other.  😄

I will add that you are much more likely to regret returning them than keeping them!

[Ancaster]

9 minutes ago, Suzn said:

I will add that you are much more likely to regret returning them than keeping them!

Enough already!

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, oliviabenson said:

I must be the last person using paper checks

Nope, I use them too.  I put everything on my credit card and then pay it in full each month using a paper check from a money market account.  I also have a regular checking account for the occasional small check (the money market account checks can't be written for less than $250), but that hardly ever gets used.  When it does, it's a paper check.  Since I write so few checks, I never bothered setting up an online method of "writing" them.

[peacheslatour]

9 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Nope, I use them too.  I put everything on my credit card and then pay it in full each month using a paper check from a money market account.  I also have a regular checking account for the occasional small check (the money market account checks can't be written for less than $250), but that hardly ever gets used.  When it does, it's a paper check.  Since I write so few checks, I never bothered setting up an online method of "writing" them.

I use paper checks from my dad's investment account to pay for his care, meds, nurses and doctors.

[Suzn]

1 hour ago, oliviabenson said:

I must be the last person using paper checks and just ordered some. Need to pay bills…

 

I still use them.  I pay most things online, but there are a couple of things I've never bothered to change over and I use them when making some donations that would be mailed.  I never want to supply my credit card info that way.  It is safer online than having something an individual enters manually.

[Ancaster]

2 minutes ago, Suzn said:

I still use them.  I pay most things online, but there are a couple of things I've never bothered to change over and I use them when making some donations that would be mailed.  I never want to supply my credit card info that way.  It is safer online than having something an individual enters manually.

Good, yes, let's change the conversation.

I still write checks very occasionally, mainly for bar/bat mitzvah gifts.   You can still get those cheesy congratulations cards with the slot for a check at the supermarket and I like to imagine the kids opening the card and looking blankly at the strange piece of paper while ancient Auntie Ancaster cackles in the corner in her rocking chair.

[SoMuchTV]

3 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

I must be the last person using paper checks and just ordered some. Need to pay bills…

It’s funny how we all have our own habits/preferences. I’m an old fogey with a land line, but I’ve probably averaged one or two checks a year for the last five or ten years. I used to pay by check out of spite for the accounts that charged a “convenience fee” for online credit card payments, but I’ve come to decide it’s worth a buck or two to avoid the whole check writing/ mailing thing. 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Since I write so few checks, I never bothered setting up an online method of "writing" them.

The only online payment method I trust is Zelle, because it’s through my bank.
But any paper checks I receive get scanned into my bank account via my phone.

Yesterday I withdrew cash from an ATM for the first time in years. It was supposed to be to pay the computer repair guy, but my terminally ill, 4-year old, HP Spectre laptop died on the table😞
so he didn’t charge me.
— I’m on my phone until I get a new one.

 

22 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I used to pay by check out of spite for the accounts that charged a “convenience fee” for online credit card payments, but I’ve come to decide it’s worth a buck or two to avoid the whole check writing/ mailing thing. 

I used to pay by check because saving the convenience fee was better for my retirement plan.😉

Edited September 20, 2023 by shapeshifter

[oliviabenson]

Bought it in aldis for the first time. Hope it’s good!

[athousandclowns]

On 9/18/2023 at 6:03 PM, oliviabenson said:

Until I installed ad blocker I had major issues using this site. Now it’s a breeze.

Can you tell me which add blocker ? I don’t come over here like I used to snd typing/ posting is a nightmare. I too am on iPad and just came to phone and my question didn’t post 

[annzeepark914]

According to CBS News, we can get up to 4 free at home covid tests this winter. 

[oliviabenson]

1 hour ago, athousandclowns said:

Can you tell me which add blocker ? I don’t come over here like I used to snd typing/ posting is a nightmare. I too am on iPad and just came to phone and my question didn’t post 

Norton ad blocker (free)

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

According to CBS News, we can get up to 4 free at home covid tests this winter. 

Yep, starting the 25th, we can go here and request four free tests; they'll ship via USPS beginning Oct. 2nd.  They're usable at least through the end of the year (under the FDA's expiration date extensions), depending on which test kit you're sent -- these aren't new tests, they're from a stockpile that is nearing its expiration.  But they are detecting recent variants, including BA.2.86. (And the government is simultaneously investing in new test kits, manufactured in the U.S., so we don't wind up with a shortage again if there's another surge like with Omicron.)

 

[theredhead77]

10 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

If they're cute and feel good & comfy? You should keep them. You might want to get another pair in a different color *now* before they run out. I'm speaking based on years of experience (& frustration) when something I enjoyed wearing so much was gone from the shelves when I returned to get it in a different color. Tell your conscience that I said it was ok 😊

My friends used to mock me (playfully) for buying multiples of things I love but now they do it too. I go extra crazy at Costco because you never know if they'll have it next week. I have 6 pairs of my favorite Danskin leggings, some still with tags, waiting for winter. Costco has had them the past few years but I don't want this to be the year they don't and I needed more.

[kristen111]

11 hours ago, athousandclowns said:

Can you tell me which add blocker ? I don’t come over here like I used to snd typing/ posting is a nightmare. I too am on iPad and just came to phone and my question didn’t post 

I would like to know exactly how to get this ad blocker too.  I know zip about this stuff.  Just bought a new I pad also.  Same problems.  Only on this site.  Other posters with an I pad are having same problems also.  Help!

[oliviabenson]

I didn’t try the cake I put it in the freezer for later. Apparently it’s German week and I’m going back to Aldi for more goodies lolz.

[annzeepark914]

11 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

Norton ad blocker (free)

Does this work with Android phones?

[oliviabenson]

2 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Does this work with Android phones?

I don’t know. I used it on iPhone/iPad and it works.

[annzeepark914]

Just now, oliviabenson said:

I don’t know. I used it on iPhone/iPad and it works.

Thanks. The ads here are already on my last nerve 🤬

[Moose135]

On the subject of checks - I write one or two a year...maybe. I stopped ordering checks years ago, and instead got a software program that writes them, and I print them on blank check stock.

[PRgal]

I have zero idea what I did, but Instagram banned me from commenting for a week.  I have zero violations according to my account, so I don't know what happened.

[SuprSuprElevated]

2 hours ago, Moose135 said:

On the subject of checks - I write one or two a year...maybe. I stopped ordering checks years ago, and instead got a software program that writes them, and I print them on blank check stock.

 My bank gives me a dozen or so counter checks that they print for me, when I need a stash, which is rare. I write 3 or 4 yearly, maybe.

[theredhead77]

5 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Thanks. The ads here are already on my last nerve 🤬

"Duck Duck Go" mobile browser is the way to go. I'm disappointed that the feedback I sent to the site owner was completely ignored. So now I see no ads and my experience is way better.

[Salacious Kitty]

7 hours ago, kristen111 said:

I would like to know exactly how to get this ad blocker too.  I know zip about this stuff.  Just bought a new I pad also.  Same problems.  Only on this site.  Other posters with an I pad are having same problems also.  Help!

Get one of your grandkids to install it for you. 😀

[oliviabenson]

5 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

 My bank gives me a dozen or so counter checks that they print for me, when I need a stash, which is rare. I write 3 or 4 yearly, maybe.

My bank charges $35 for checks. They gave me some checks for free when I opened my account. Now no more freebies.

[ginger90]

I’m old so I get checks for free. 😁

[SoMuchTV]

17 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

My bank charges $35 for checks. They gave me some checks for free when I opened my account. Now no more freebies.

 

5 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

I’m old so I get checks for free. 😁

Yeah, some accounts are probably old enough that they have grandfathered benefits that include free checks. But if yours doesn’t, you can order them online from various companies for a lot less than the bank’s price. Or at least you could several years ago, the last time I ordered checks. 

[kristen111]

1 hour ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Get one of your grandkids to install it for you. 😀

That is so funny.   Been there, done that.  Out of the six, one’s away at school, one a teacher, who’s in school, who has after school activities, etc.etc.  Everyone busy or not home.  I’ll get to it eventually.

[annzeepark914]

So...you're at a new friend's home, you've just started eating dinner, and you notice your host taking a dinner plate filled with food and placing it on the floor for their dog, who happily laps it up. What is your reaction?

[kristen111]

9 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

So...you're at a new friend's home, you've just started eating dinner, and you notice your host taking a dinner plate filled with food and placing it on the floor for their dog, who happily laps it up. What is your reaction?

 

9 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

So...you're at a new friend's home, you've just started eating dinner, and you notice your host taking a dinner plate filled with food and placing it on the floor for their dog, who happily laps it up. What is your reaction?

Gross, but I’ve learned you can’t say a word about someone’s pet.  Pets are their children.

[shapeshifter]

24 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

So...you're at a new friend's home, you've just started eating dinner, and you notice your host taking a dinner plate filled with food and placing it on the floor for their dog, who happily laps it up. What is your reaction?

Relief that the dog isn’t begging —
poorly trained, but not bothering me.

[Mindthinkr]

28 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

So...you're at a new friend's home, you've just started eating dinner, and you notice your host taking a dinner plate filled with food and placing it on the floor for their dog, who happily laps it up. What is your reaction?

Worry about what real nutrition it’s getting. 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

Worry about what real nutrition it’s getting. 

Yeah, I don't care one iota if a dog is eating off "people" plates, I care if she/he is eating people food, not dog food, when canines and humans have different nutritional needs, and some things we eat can cause stomach upset or even be toxic to pets.

Edited September 22, 2023 by Bastet

[Moose135]

4 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

So...you're at a new friend's home, you've just started eating dinner, and you notice your host taking a dinner plate filled with food and placing it on the floor for their dog, who happily laps it up. What is your reaction?

I'm thinking that if the dog likes it, it must be good!

[jennifer6973]

For whoever suggested duck duck go:  Thanks this so much better.

 

 

Re:  the dog eating off a regular plate.

It's a member of the family,  and if they aren't Neanderthal then they clean their plates after use.  Not a problem.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, jennifer6973 said:

For whoever suggested duck duck go:  Thanks this so much better.

 

 

Re:  the dog eating off a regular plate.

It's a member of the family,  and if they aren't Neanderthal then they clean their plates after use.  Not a problem.

It's not the sanitary factor that bothers me. It's that dogs and other pets should not eat people food. It's loaded with fats, sugars, nitrites and salt. It's just a bad idea.

[Moose135]

10 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

It's not the sanitary factor that bothers me. It's that dogs and other pets should not eat people food. It's loaded with fats, sugars, nitrites and salt. It's just a bad idea.

If it's not an everyday meal, I don't see the big deal with an occasional meal if it is something the dog likes.  In a prior life, we had a couple of poodles, and on holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) we would make up a bowl with some turkey, gravy, and such, along with some kibble for them. They didn't get it every meal.

[crazycatlady58]

It would not bother me if a pet eats off a plate. I am assuming the clean the plate either by hand washing or using a dishwasher. If they do not wash their dishes I do not want to eat anything at their house. As someone said earlier I would be more concerned for yhe pets nutritional needs. Yes, I do consider my pets " my children ".

[Suzn]

48 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

If it's not an everyday meal, I don't see the big deal with an occasional meal if it is something the dog likes.  In a prior life, we had a couple of poodles, and on holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) we would make up a bowl with some turkey, gravy, and such, along with some kibble for them. They didn't get it every meal.

I agree with this.  As long as their regular diet is high quality dog food, the occasional treat of "people" food shouldn't be a problem as long as it doesn't have anything toxic to dogs.  My Aussie, Sushka, loves getting a junior cheeseburger a few times a year. 

[stewedsquash]

I love my dog and those five outside cats but they are not eating off my people plates. I am fastidious about their dishes though.  I keep one of those scrub/dishsoap in the handle things at the laundry sink and wash their dishes there. 

[Mondrianyone]

I recently read online about some people who were having trouble with a couple of moochers who'd coincidentally show up just before dinner and invite themselves to stay through mealtime. They never seemed to take the hint (I don't know why the hosts just "hinted," but whatever), so getting rid of them became an ongoing problem. Finally one night the hosts set all the plates down on the floor for their dogs to lick clean, then made a show of putting the plates directly back into the cabinets. The freeloaders looked aghast, and the hosts said, "Oh, that's how we clean our dishes all the time!" And they never had a problem with their uninvited dinner guests again.

Whatever works.

[SoMuchTV]

21 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

I love my dog and those five outside cats but they are not eating off my people plates. I am fastidious about their dishes though.  I keep one of those scrub/dishsoap in the handle things at the laundry sink and wash their dishes there. 

Oh that’s interesting! My cats have food dishes but when they’re all in the dishwasher, I never gave a second thought about using some small “people” bowls for them. One cat tends to drool and sneeze on me, which seems a lot more problematic than a bowl that’s been through the dishwasher. (As far as I know I haven’t caught anything from him.)

[kristen111]

3 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Oh that’s interesting! My cats have food dishes but when they’re all in the dishwasher, I never gave a second thought about using some small “people” bowls for them. One cat tends to drool and sneeze on me, which seems a lot more problematic than a bowl that’s been through the dishwasher. (As far as I know I haven’t caught anything from him.)

People have said dogs and cats mouths are cleaner than a humans.  ?????

[JTMacc99]

19 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

So...you're at a new friend's home, you've just started eating dinner, and you notice your host taking a dinner plate filled with food and placing it on the floor for their dog, who happily laps it up. What is your reaction?

This is such an interesting question, because I'm trying not to analyze everything I might think about it and just try to imagine my immediate reaction.

• First of all, I'm sure I've already judged the dog and evaluated what kind of pet owner my new friend is. Meaning, I'm sure that in this situation, I'm probably not going to be taken by complete surprise by a person who prepares a plate of food for their dog. 
• Using the dinner plate might get an eyebrow from me, but not much more than that. I've had as many as four dogs living in my house at one time. I'm pretty over worrying about second hand dog drool being involved in my life. 
• For sure I would look at WHAT kind of food they gave the dog. Dogs can eat, and benefit from eating, all sorts of meats and vegetables. If I saw something that I know to be not one of those good things, I'd ask about it. Sometimes people just don't know.
  
  But you know, if the dog is eating a plate of food tonight, it's probably eating plates of food regularly. My default reaction would be to assume that the owner has put some thought into it. (Unless I've also judged my new friend to be not that bright.)