Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[pinkie]

HFC: Sneaking in to ask a kwik ? about yr special camp by the river. Is the riding place on the R of the road fr Conyers to Athens? I pass there regularly & it suddenly clicked that might be yr special place. But since I’ve never gone in there, it’s likely I’m wrong, lol. *wave & elbow bump* fr yr neighbor, me

[beckie]

On 12/7/2020 at 3:23 PM, Ohiopirate02 said:

I would take it to wherever you bought it and have them look up your warranty info.  It should be on file with them, and they should have the information handy on how to file a claim.

I got it online through Walmart.com. And they don't care. I coaxed my old phone through two years past its prime.  I guess I'll keep pushing this one, because right now I can hardly afford to live, much less try to get Walmart to help me find claim info, or get a new phone. 

[Happyfatchick]

1 hour ago, pinkie said:

HFC: Sneaking in to ask a kwik ? about yr special camp by the river. Is the riding place on the R of the road fr Conyers to Athens? I pass there regularly & it suddenly clicked that might be yr special place. But since I’ve never gone in there, it’s likely I’m wrong, lol. *wave & elbow bump* fr yr neighbor, me

It’s on the Ocmulgee and I only ever go from Henry Co.  I think what you’re talking about is the equestrian park they built in Conyers for the Olympics in 96.  Our place on the river is not a finished park of any kind, just trails that wind down by the river.  

[PikaScrewChu]

2 hours ago, beckie said:

I got it online through Walmart.com. And they don't care. I coaxed my old phone through two years past its prime.  I guess I'll keep pushing this one, because right now I can hardly afford to live, much less try to get Walmart to help me find claim info, or get a new phone. 

This sounds awful but if you can find one of those cell phone repair shops (they're generally in sketchy areas though) they may be able to fix it for a nominal fee. It will invalidate any warranty if you go that route though. 

I need a new phone. The one I have needs to be plugged into the wall or an external battery pack within an hour. 9 times out of 10 the call will go straight to voicemail because the phone itself randomly disconnects from the network so I have to manually reconnect every few hours. My mother has ranted about me needing a new one and that she'll pay for it. She gets so worried when my phone goes straight to voicemail. I picked one out that I like, brand is reliable, and has a good reputation. Bit pricey but phones bought unlocked always are.

Long story short. I'm regretting even entertaining the offer.

Edit: Minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things. I love my parents dearly, I do. They're both just very peculiar people with set ideas on how the world should work and that's that.

Edited December 9, 2020 by PikaScrewChu

[SunnyBeBe]

2 hours ago, beckie said:

I got it online through Walmart.com. And they don't care. I coaxed my old phone through two years past its prime.  I guess I'll keep pushing this one, because right now I can hardly afford to live, much less try to get Walmart to help me find claim info, or get a new phone. 

I’ve never returned a phone before, but, for just about anything I’ve ever gotten online or from walmart, I just took it back to the store and explained what was wrong. They’ve always given me a refund or exchange. I’d at least give it a try.  A quick look at their return policy says they will take back some cell phones, though you may have to exchange it for one of higher value. 

[GeeGolly]

@beckie, did you try holding the buttons? If that fixes it, from what I understand its an occasional glitch and may not even happen again.

[NotthebadVictoria]

a lot of us call ourselves Non-Practicing Catholics (NPC’s). We will tell you we are catholic, we can recite all the prayers and attend some of the Holy Days of Obligation. And a lot of us still tithe! 

[beckie]

3 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

@beckie, did you try holding the buttons? If that fixes it, from what I understand its an occasional glitch and may not even happen again.

No. I haven't tried that. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Jynnan tonnix]

11 hours ago, Happyfatchick said:

Halt and Catch Fire.  I never saw it, but as an interesting bit of trivia, I know (on a deeply personal level) who did the chairs for that set when it was in production.  I didn’t know until right now that ANYBODY saw it.  
 

another bit of useless trivia:  I have a nephew whom I absolutely adore who is as fundy as a  Duggar any day of the week.  Seriously fundy from the ground up.  His dad (my bro) went to Bob Jones and loves to preach - alas, no one else wanted to hear him.  His wife is lovely and graceful and loving and she gave birth only five children but would have done 13 just as happily.  
Anyway, their church kept having services until the state shut churches down.  At Easter they all went in their cars and parked together and had a loud speaker blaring at them in the parking lot.  As soon as restrictions were lifted, they were back in church and most of the pictures don’t show much masking happening. 
i loooove these people, I honestly do.  
But.  At Thanksgiving. My neaphews wife (who is a fb enthusiast) posted 20 pics of them all together with my bro and wife, all the in laws packed into a smallish space.   My bro is 70 but has soooo many health problems he looks and acts 90.  
today she posted pics from last night, their annual gingerbread decorating night.  Same people as Thanksgiving, crowded around the same table.  
But I mean.  I’m sure they started off the gathering with prayer - OF COURSE THEY DID!!!  And nobody has gotten sick (or refused to show up) yet.  So far, they’ve pulled it off and posted about it.  I’m so jealous.  I think I might just show up for Christmas dinner. 😳

by the way, screw the math - I seriously had no idea over 3M people lived in CT.  That’s a smallish piece of real estate for that many people.  

Yeah, Connecticut is small, and, on top of that, most of the population is just in the western part of the state. I just looked up the numbers out of curiosity. Of that roughly 3.5 million, almost 2.9 million are in the four more westerly counties. If you take away Litchfield, in the northwest, which is pretty rural, you see that almost 2.7 million people make up roughly three of our eight counties, with less than 900,000 in the remaining five. There's a lot of overspill from New York in Fairfield county, and the bigger cities are in Hartford and New Haven counties. New London county, where we are, has just over 266,000, and we are actually the fourth most populous.

[peppergal]

11 hours ago, beckie said:

I got it online through Walmart.com. And they don't care. I coaxed my old phone through two years past its prime.  I guess I'll keep pushing this one, because right now I can hardly afford to live, much less try to get Walmart to help me find claim info, or get a new phone. 

Check your emails from around the time you purchased it.  Enough info for the warranty may be in your email receipts.  If you purchased 3rd party insurance at the time you bought the phone, then that should definitely be in the e-receipt.  If you are going by the basic warranty, then the e-receipt could be enough to use the manufacturer's warranty (since the walmart return window would have closed by now).  You might even be able to pull the info from your order history on the website come to think of it.

[beckie]

28 minutes ago, peppergal said:

Check your emails from around the time you purchased it.  Enough info for the warranty may be in your email receipts.  If you purchased 3rd party insurance at the time you bought the phone, then that should definitely be in the e-receipt.  If you are going by the basic warranty, then the e-receipt could be enough to use the manufacturer's warranty (since the walmart return window would have closed by now).  You might even be able to pull the info from your order history on the website come to think of it.

That's why I couldn't find the paperwork, because it's in my email! I feel dumb.  Now I just have to find  internet so that I can get into my email on my computer.  

[Oldernowiser]

15 minutes ago, beckie said:

That's why I couldn't find the paperwork, because it's in my email! I feel dumb.  Now I just have to find  internet so that I can get into my email on my computer.  

Starbucks parking lot? I’ve used that before.

[doodlebug]

27 minutes ago, Oldernowiser said:

Starbucks parking lot? I’ve used that before.

Where I live, a lot of the local libraries have upped their Wi-Fi signals to let homeschoolers use it.  You could try there, too.

[Zella]

I was going to suggest local library. They may have a password for their Wifi, but at my library, you just have to call and ask for it. We don't care if you sit in the parking lot and use it all day (or even at night), just as long as you don't pirate movies on it. 🙂 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Zella

[emma675]

I swear, we have a Small Talker who has an answer for every question brought to the board! It's amazing the breadth and depth of knowledge here. 

[iwantcookies]

It’s snowing outside! Not much and it’s not sticking but it’s snowing!

1 hour ago, Zella said:

I was going to suggest local library. They may have a password for their Wifi, but at my library, you just have to call and ask for it. We don't care if you sit in the parking lot and use it all day (or even at night), just as long as you don't pirate movies on it. 🙂 

Libraries are still closed. Some are open for pick up/return only. None near me. I miss books . Sad face

[Absolom]

Ours are back to curbside service.  The wi-fi is on for parking lot use though.

[Zella]

5 minutes ago, iwantcookies said:

It’s snowing outside! Not much and it’s not sticking but it’s snowing!

Libraries are still closed. Some are open for pick up/return only. None near me. I miss books . Sad face

Our library never completely closed--we always maintained curbside service--but our contingency plan for a complete shutdown was to still leave the WiFi on. Just because the library is closed to the public doesn't mean their WiFi is off, so even if @beckie's local libraries are closed, she still may be able to access internet services from them for free.  

[beckie]

34 minutes ago, Zella said:

Our library never completely closed--we always maintained curbside service--but our contingency plan for a complete shutdown was to still leave the WiFi on. Just because the library is closed to the public doesn't mean their WiFi is off, so even if @beckie's local libraries are closed, she still may be able to access internet services from them for free.  

I would try the library if I had a vehicle to sit in, but I don't and right now it's too cold here to sit outside the library just to use the internet. I was so bummed. The day they closed down again was the day I had planned to go and spend the day on their internet. 

[GeeGolly]

3 minutes ago, beckie said:

I would try the library if I had a vehicle to sit in, but I don't and right now it's too cold here to sit outside the library just to use the internet. I was so bummed. The day they closed down again was the day I had planned to go and spend the day on their internet. 

Can you access your email from your phone?

[beckie]

4 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Can you access your email from your phone?

Yes. I can. But it's awkward. I prefer to do it from my computer, because it has a bigger screen.

I'm beginning to think my phone, or at least the Samsung acct tied to my phone got hacked. I've managed to get just about everything uploaded that I had before, except for the stuff through Samsung. When I put my user name and password in there it says it's set up for two point verification and to check my other device (I have no idea what it's taking about) for a code. 

[Oldernowiser]

Is it possible your husband set it up to have the code go to his phone?

[beckie]

15 minutes ago, Oldernowiser said:

Is it possible your husband set it up to have the code go to his phone?

Nope. And I know that because 1. He has no idea how to do that and 2. I'm using his phone right now to post on here and there's nothing. I thought for a minute it might come to his phone because I was using his phone when I first got my new one and had my confirmations coming to his phone.

[DangerousMinds]

2 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

It’s snowing outside! Not much and it’s not sticking but it’s snowing!

Libraries are still closed. Some are open for pick up/return only. None near me. I miss books . Sad face

Get the Libby app and get your library  books online. You can download the kindle app for free to read them. It’s so great!

[Nysha]

@beckie, you should be able to turn your phone into a mobile hotspot and connect your computer's wifi to it.

[iwantcookies]

15 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

Get the Libby app and get your library  books online. You can download the kindle app for free to read them. It’s so great!

I am not interested in reading on a device. I like books.

[iwantcookies]

This guy gives off Jeremy Vuolo vibes pocket square included 

 

 

[Happyfatchick]

@Zella,  it turns out it actually possible to listen to the same set of music for 2 days straight.  Straight.  But I’m working, the machines are very loud.  It’s not a barrage of noise in my face.  Just every now and then, it occurs to me that it’s the same set.  And I think, I should change that... 

[Zella]

Just now, Happyfatchick said:

@Zella,  it turns out it actually possible to listen to the same set of music for 2 days straight.  Straight.  But I’m working, the machines are very loud.  It’s not a barrage of noise in my face.  Just every now and then, it occurs to me that it’s the same set.  And I think, I should change that... 

I'm not gonna judge. I listened to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon every day twice a day for 6 months. I used to drive to a community college listening to it and had my whole route timed to it. If I got to a little town and "Time" wasn't playing, I knew I was running late. 😄

[emma675]

4 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

Libraries are still closed. Some are open for pick up/return only. None near me. I miss books . Sad face

Didn't you say you're in Brooklyn? Just doing a quick Google search seems to show several Brooklyn public library locations with lobby hours where you can request holds on books, go by to pick them up,  and drop them back off. 

Edited December 9, 2020 by emma675d

[iwantcookies]

45 minutes ago, emma675 said:

Didn't you say you're in Brooklyn? Just doing a quick Google search seems to show several Brooklyn public library locations with lobby hours where you can request holds on books, go by to pick them up,  and drop them back off. 

Gotta take a bus or 2. No thanks. 

[Oldernowiser]

1 hour ago, iwantcookies said:

This guy gives off Jeremy Vuolo vibes pocket square included 

 

 

When I am Queen of the Universe I will make it illegal for pretentious assholes to own retrievers of any kind. 

[Westiepeach]

7 minutes ago, Oldernowiser said:

When I am Queen of the Universe I will make it illegal for pretentious assholes to own retrievers of any kind. 

I deem you Queen of the Universe. Tada!

[DangerousMinds]

4 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

Gotta take a bus or 2. No thanks. 

You don’t take buses? How do you get around NYC?

[beckie]

6 hours ago, Nysha said:

@beckie, you should be able to turn your phone into a mobile hotspot and connect your computer's wifi to it.

I'll have to try that. My last phone never would do the hotspot. Haven't checked this one yet.

[doodlebug]

17 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

I am not interested in reading on a device. I like books.

I always felt that way, then I got a Kindle.  I now have literally hundreds of books all in a package that fits in my purse and weighs just a few ounces.  I find that I now read a whole lot more than I did back when I only read hard cover books.  There are lots of little opportunities to read throughout the day that I can take advantage of when I've got my books right there with me at all times.

I've also got some medical texts on my Kindle which comes in really handy when I go abroad to do medical work.  Most textbooks weigh several pounds minimum and there's no way I could haul them around through the countryside.  It is also possible to download the Bible for free which I find comes in handy, too.

I'm a Kindle convert.

[doodlebug]

17 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

This guy gives off Jeremy Vuolo vibes pocket square included 

 

 

I was almost overcome by the douche fumes emanating from this one.  He's definitely a kindred spirit of RFP.  And there should be a law against keeping a large dog in such a tiny space, especially when there's no yard for him to run around.

[anyasmom]

I'm old fashioned and still prefer an actual book whenever possible.  Especially if it's a hardcover book.  But I do have a Kindle and it is definitely less bulky to take on the go.  I also like getting free short stories on there that I can read in less than an hour.  Sometimes it's nice to start something and finish it in the same sitting.

[doodlebug]

Just now, anyasmom said:

I'm old fashioned and still prefer an actual book whenever possible.  Especially if it's a hardcover book.  But I do have a Kindle and it is definitely less bulky to take on the go.  I also like getting free short stories on there that I can read in less than an hour.  Sometimes it's nice to start something and finish it in the same sitting.

True.  I've also become a fan of Audible.  I listen while I am exercising or walking the dogs and have enjoyed a lot of stuff that I never would've thought of getting in written form.  I also listen to it while on road trips in the car.  Time passes really quickly when you're engrossed in the story.

[Ohiopirate02]

8 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

True.  I've also become a fan of Audible.  I listen while I am exercising or walking the dogs and have enjoyed a lot of stuff that I never would've thought of getting in written form.  I also listen to it while on road trips in the car.  Time passes really quickly when you're engrossed in the story.

I have also gotten into audiobooks in the last few years.  I go between Audible and my local library's app.  It lets me get in a book while working on another task like cleaning, working on my latest cross stitch, putting together a puzzle, or just playing games on my tablet.  I try to listen while I am driving, but I still prefer music.  I also work 5 minutes from home.  

[GeeGolly]

I tried to buy my husband a Kindle for about 5 years, he insisted he would never use it. About 10 years ago I bought him one anyway. He was slow to warm up to it but he's a 100% convert now and the kids bought him a newer and nicer one a couple of years ago. He now has a monthly subscription and reads tons of books he never would have purchased from a bookstore, while he's waiting for other books to come out.

I have the Kindle app on my iPad. Both of us having Kindle has been a definite covid plus.

[doodlebug]

27 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I have also gotten into audiobooks in the last few years.  I go between Audible and my local library's app.  It lets me get in a book while working on another task like cleaning, working on my latest cross stitch, putting together a puzzle, or just playing games on my tablet.  I try to listen while I am driving, but I still prefer music.  I also work 5 minutes from home.  

Yeah, my commute is 8 minutes at most, so there's not a lot of time to get into a book, although, if it's a good book and I'm eager to hear it, I'll even listen during my commute.  I have been known to sit in the car in the lot for a couple of minutes to get to the end of a chapter.

[madpsych78]

40 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I was almost overcome by the douche fumes emanating from this one.  He's definitely a kindred spirit of RFP.  And there should be a law against keeping a large dog in such a tiny space, especially when there's no yard for him to run around.

Yeah, this guy is totally like Jeremy and it wouldn't surprise me if the wife was like Jinger. He said the apartment was 2000 sqft.  

That said, I was kind of intrigued by the high tech stuff he was showing, especially that refrigerator and freezer and the shades that you just need a button to put up or down! 

[rue721]

I listen to audiobooks while I work sometimes, although I prefer podcasts because I feel like I miss less (it's easy for me to zone out while listening to an audiobook and miss a ton).

But honestly, I'm a hardcopy person still. I like to pop a big bowl of popcorn, snuggle into bed, and disappear into a novel. Or get a nice hot cup of coffee, snuggle into my couch next to the window, and disappear into a novel there. I stare at the computer all day long for work, so even being able to look at actual paper is a relief and makes me feel more relaxed.

I order paperbacks online from Barnes & Noble and Amazon (usually based on recommendations or awards), but I also have a ton of hardback books that I get through Book of the Month Club. I cannot recommend Book of the Month enough -- their books are gorgeous and their selections are fantastic. I'm always discovering authors and books through them that end up blowing up and/or winning the big literary awards, and they also sell reprints of classics or very popular books.

[GeeGolly]

18 minutes ago, madpsych78 said:

Yeah, this guy is totally like Jeremy and it wouldn't surprise me if the wife was like Jinger. He said the apartment was 2000 sqft.  

That said, I was kind of intrigued by the high tech stuff he was showing, especially that refrigerator and freezer and the shades that you just need a button to put up or down! 

Just watched the video now. Cool apartment, but as I get older I find I like using lower cabinets less and less and there's no upper cabinets at all. Also, where do they get dressed? The 'bedroom' is a nook with a mattress. But I do like the open space and the mix of old and new.

If Jeremy owned that place and gave that tour, he'd be way more douchie.

[BetyBee]

We moved to a new town about a year and a half ago, after I retired. I joined a book club and a women's group to try to get some women friends. It worked! The women's group, which is informal and welcoming, was a lot of fun. I was barely started in it when Covid hit. I'm considered part of the core group and we got together a couple of times outdoors and masked this summer. Now they are pushing to have "safe" get togethers that aren't safe enough for me. One reason is that Covid has crept into the group, or at least to their families and co-workers. I keep saying no to these events, but stay in contact via SM. Still, it bothers me the number of people who think they are being safe, but take unnecessary risks. I just say I can't and leave it at that. I really like these women. I long for this damned virus to go away. I hope I don't forget how to be a sociable person!  

I love my Kindle and read a lot. We used to have a ton of books, but have really cut back since downsizing. I'm thinking of getting Audible. I'm afraid I'll fall asleep listening though! 

[Ohiopirate02]

8 minutes ago, BetyBee said:

We moved to a new town about a year and a half ago, after I retired. I joined a book club and a women's group to try to get some women friends. It worked! The women's group, which is informal and welcoming, was a lot of fun. I was barely started in it when Covid hit. I'm considered part of the core group and we got together a couple of times outdoors and masked this summer. Now they are pushing to have "safe" get togethers that aren't safe enough for me. One reason is that Covid has crept into the group, or at least to their families and co-workers. I keep saying no to these events, but stay in contact via SM. Still, it bothers me the number of people who think they are being safe, but take unnecessary risks. I just say I can't and leave it at that. I really like these women. I long for this damned virus to go away. I hope I don't forget how to be a sociable person!  

I love my Kindle and read a lot. We used to have a ton of books, but have really cut back since downsizing. I'm thinking of getting Audible. I'm afraid I'll fall asleep listening though! 

For the longest time I thought audiobooks were not for me.  I decided a couple of years ago to dip my toes into audio because as a public librarian I feel the need to understand why my patrons love them.  I began slowly.  I think the first book I listened to was one by a favorite author narrated by an actor who's voice I find very appealing--like I could listen to this man read the phone book appealing.  I was hooked.  Some other ways to ease yourself into audiobooks is to choose a book you want to reread.  If you are the type to have a yearly read of a certain title like Pride and Prejudice, then do it on audio this time.  It's a great way to pick up on nuance you may have missed in print.  Or, choose a celebrity memoir read by the celebrity.  Tina Fey's Bossypants is hilarious on audio.  So is Amy Poehler's memoir.  Some titles lend themselves to audio especially ones with a cast of narrators like Taylor Reid Jenkin's Daisy Jones and the Six or George Saunders's Lincoln in the Bardo.  Other books may have audio available, but they do not work well in that format.  I read a lot of romance novels, but do not do them on audio because I would rather read the filthy parts instead of listening to them.  I love reading books on audio that rely heavily on another language so I can hear the words correctly or ones where the characters speak in dialect.  I hate written dialect in my prose.  I also will switch over to audio on books where the author refuses to use quotation marks.  Another pet peeve of mine.  

[rue721]

3 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I think the first book I listened to was one by a favorite author narrated by an actor who's voice I find very appealing--like I could listen to this man read the phone book appealing.

Yes! I think the narrator is so important. I listened to Artemis read by Rosario Dawson, and how she read it was so engaging and had so much personality, it was a really fun listen. Also, I listened to Trevor Noah read Born a Crime (his autobiography), and that was another good one.

I feel like fast-moving books read by really engaging narrators are a lot of fun to listen to, but they can be hard to find. I think narrating audiobooks must be a very difficult job, very few people can really pull it off. But when they do, it adds a lot to the book!

[Zella]

I would much rather read physical copies of books, but I do have a Kindle app on my phone and laptop. If I am going to be doing a lot of searching in a book, I'd much rather have the e-book. I can't do audiobooks. I have a hard time processing information I hear versus what I see, so the one time I listened to an audiobook, I retained absolutely nothing, including the main character's name and the basic plot. I remember laughing, so I guess it was funny? LOL I can't really handle podcasts either for the same reason. My brothers are always sending me stuff to listen to, and I'm like, "Is there a transcript I can just read?"

That being said, I have been thinking about getting a Kindle. It's mainly a space issue. I own a shitload of books. I don't know how many. I gave up counting about 10 years ago when I hit 2,000, and I have acquired a lot of books since then. I'm running out of space to store them. To avoid becoming a hoarder, it might be easier to just start getting more e-books. (Not buying books is clearly not an option. 😄 )

One thing I like about working at a library is I do end up coming across way more new books than I would otherwise. When I wasn't at the library, I was never current on anything, but I've read a lot of newer books this year. One I am reading now--Peter Cozzens' Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Shawnee Brothers Who Defied A Nation--is superb if you like history. Also really enjoyed Allie Brosh's new book and Hadley Freeman's family history House of Glass. Some 2020 releases that are on my radar but I never got around to reading this year are The Glass Hotel, Mexican Gothic, and Hilary Mantel's last Thomas Cromwell book. 

Edited December 10, 2020 by Zella

[MargeGunderson]

I got my mom a Kindle for Christmas. Her library is closed (according to her, but it’s actually open for limited hours) so she hasn’t been able to get books. She can check out books from her library for her Kindle, so hopefully that will keep her busy. She’s terrible with any kind of technology so it’s a good thing my brother lives near by to set it up for her. (I asked him if it was ok to get her a Kindle, knowing he would be tech support for it)