Small Talk: Ughngnggh! Ugghhnnn!

[Nashville]

Well, yall have fun Monday night.  Me, I'm taking my oldest daughter to see Game 3 of the Predators/Blackhawks round of the playoffs.  Predators are already up 2-0 in the series, which started in Chicago; Monday's their first playoff game on home ice, so it should be interesting.

GO PREDS!!!  :>

[nachomama]

*small voice* I have never been to any professional athletic competitiony thing. No MLB, NBA, NFL or the hockeys. I've never lived in a place that has a team or close enough. I went to an Albuquerque Dukes game (semi-pro/farm league) when I was like 9.

Very weird thing over the weekend, I work overnight and about 4 am my boss shows up. Normally I prepare myself for this, on inventory night but that's usually 5 am,  because I am somewhat, ahem, lazy (I sit down to make salads cuz my knee hurts). I get everything done and I do much more than the girl who works the rest of the week. Anywho, my boss is there, and her son is there...and her son's girlfriend. And they're just there...no reason to be there. Her kid is definitely a piece of crap, she is the only one left who likes him (besides gf who must have some low self esteem issues that could eat Cleveland), my boss' husband has forbidden the son to ever come back to their house. He's been kicked out umpty million times (he's 22-23 ish) every job he gets, he gets fired. Every place he lives, he gets kicked out. (she has to pay damages/fees) As a mother, points to my boss for never giving up on her kid, as a person she needs to cut those strings, that kid is going down and he will take her with him. I do believe she is physically afraid of him (he's threatened to kill them and a former gf's family) but she continues to help/enable him. She's been looking for a place for him and the gf to live (gf does have a job <---GET OUT NOW! GET OUT! GETOUTGETOUTGETOUTGETOUT ) but has been paying for a motel in the time being. I guess he didn't pay for the room this time and used the money for some partying and since daddy won't let him come home my boss just had to stick him somewhere til he "came down" from whatever. He just looked kinda gray to me, not like jittery or acting weird. But Kathy and Judy both got closer to him and they said he looked high as a kite. She feeds him and gives him her phone (like he's 5 and he's bored and needs to play with something)  and I hear her begging him not to call anyone stupid (like hello?) but I'm waiting to see if there's ever any word of me "sitting" on the job versus her bringing her potentially dangerous kid to work.

[Nashville]

Wow. 

Predators make it 3-0 in the series - come back from an 0-2 score deficit to win it 3-2 in overtime.

Took me two days to bounce back from THAT post-victory celebration.  I must be getting older or something.

[nachomama]

I'm sure you were totally responsible for the win, do you have to wear special lucky socks now for weeks?

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, nachomama said:

I'm sure you were totally responsible for the win, do you have to wear special lucky socks now for weeks?

The only thing for which I was totally responsible was an inordinately large bar tab - which was surprising because I rarely do that any more.

And - "lucky socks"?  Don't be silly.  That's baseball.  GO BRAVES!!!  :D

[nachomama]

I never knew what a fondant potato was, yesterday I made them, they is tasty!

I'm heavily addicted to "the Handmaid's Tale" and cannot wait for "Orphan Black" (June) and then "Game of Thrones" (July) other than that I got nuttin.

I'm gonna hit up the cat websites posted recently because my cat is bonkers/insane/batshit crazy. He rubbed a spot raw on his neck and scared me to death. I think it's separation anxiety and sadly there's no chance I'll my schedule is going to let up and I'll be home more. He may have to go live elsewhere if his behavior is harmful to himself. I fucking suck.

[Nashville]

Attended my high school reunion tonight.  My class is aging surprisingly well.  :)

[Nashville]

Went downtown last night and hit some of the watch parties for the Predators/Penguins game.  Finished up cheering with about 50,000 other fans on Broadway, which the city had blocked off to traffic. 

God, I wish I could communicate the electricity of the atmosphere - but the English language is totally inadequate.  Yall should REALLY be here right now.  :D

[nachomama]

I would like very much for the Predators to win. Don't change your underwear or nuthin! Caint be ruinin the streak!

[Nashville]

I have a stack of Predator shirts - and hats - worn during winning games set off to the side to keep them out of the laundry, and I haven't shaved in over a month.  Will that do?  :>  

#LetsGoPreds !!!

Edited June 7, 2017 by Nashville
Hats, hats, hats!

[nachomama]

I'm loving "Glow" 

[Nashville]

Everybody have a happy Independence Day!  Don't blow off anything you might need later!

[Nashville]

This past Wednesday was my birthday (don't ask, I'm old, nuff said).

Wednesday was also the day my father was scheduled for surgery to remove a cancerous bladder.  He's already been through a couple of surgeries and a couple of chemo rounds, but the cancer always came back. This was the last-ditch shot at stopping it.

So I spent pretty much my entire birthday in the surgical family waiting room at St. Thomas Midtown.  Which was fine - because when the news came through my father had successfully survived the surgery...?  That beat any birthday present I might ever expect to get in this lifetime.

[mandolin]

Awesome, Nashville!! Congrats to your dad and family!  And happy birthday! 

[nachomama]

That is very excellent news. All I got you was a card.

We are currently awaiting results of a needle biopsy on my sister, got a thing (tumor-like) sitting on her jugular vein. Woot! That's what she got for her birthday, which was Tuesday. Ya'll Cancers don't need to take it so literally.

[Nashville]

We are Cancers, Sign of the Crab - two conditions absolutely nobody on the planet wants to have anything to do with.

[Nashville]

Gonna be out-of-pocket the next couple of days - dragon boats are running again this Saturday!!!

[nachomama]

Don't get eaten!

I just ran from Irma although we didn't get much here, was 4 day boring weekend. I had to watch "The Sinner" at my friend's house and omg it broke my brain. I do not think it's good but episode 6 made me cuckoo! No spoilers

[Nashville]

Team made it to finals, ended up placing 12th out of 39 teams.  

Not too shabby, considering 93% of our crew were newbies.  :)

Edited September 13, 2017 by Nashville
Typo

[nachomama]

I did see an event here (somewhere close-ish) where they were having dragon boat races. But then again we will race pretty much anything, we have weiner dog races.

[Nashville]

Just threw this up on my FB, figured I'd sling it here as well:

 

To users of the iPhone 5S and up, the iPad Air and up, the iPad Mini 2 and up, plus the iPod Touch (6th generation):

If you have not yet upgraded from IOS 10.3.x to IOS 11, ***DO NOT PERFORM THE UPGRADE AT THIS TIME***. 

For IOS versions 11 / 11.0.1 / 11.0.2, significant problems are being reported with:
- Degraded battery life.
- General system instability, such as the device unilaterally crashing and/or rebooting on its own.

[nachomama]

I was told my 5s wouldn't upgrade to 11 but I had the freaky battery thing happen where it expands. I thought my case was getting loose and ignored it for a while then noticed the actual screen was lifting up. As the battery dies it expands and busts loose of its britches. But it can catch fire if left too long. I'm too poor to upgrade.

[Nashville]

Very sad today.  The older of our two dogs (a Sheltie just shy of her 12th birthday) has been plagued recently with recurring UTIs.  Something - the infections, or a reaction to her meds - kicked her immune system into an overboard response, to the point it started attacking her own body.  She developed a fist-sized hematoma behind her right front leg in a manner of something like 10-12 hours, and she had what looked like bruising/bleeding under her skin all down her right side.  The vet said the hematoma looked like it was trying to force its way through her skin; there was a serious chance of rupture within the next day or so, which would result in severe pain and potential for significant and likely-fatal infection.  

We chose to let her go today, to spare her any future pain.

Goodbye, Mindy.  We're going to miss you terribly.  You were a very good girl.

 

[connieinnc]

5 hours ago, Nashville said:

Very sad today.  The older of our two dogs (a Sheltie just shy of her 12th birthday) has been plagued recently with recurring UTIs.  Something - the infections, or a reaction to her meds - kicked her immune system into an overboard response, to the point it started attacking her own body.  She developed a fist-sized hematoma behind her right front leg in a manner of something like 10-12 hours, and she had what looked like bruising/bleeding under her skin all down her right side.  The vet said the hematoma looked like it was trying to force its way through her skin; there was a serious chance of rupture within the next day or so, which would result in severe pain and potential for significant and likely-fatal infection.  

We chose to let her go today, to spare her any future pain.

Goodbye, Mindy.  We're going to miss you terribly.  You were a very good girl.

 

So sorry for your loss. What a beautiful girl

[Irishmaple]

I'm truly sorry for your loss. She was a lovely dog.

[AngelaHunter]

Terribly sorry, Nashville. Mindy was indeed a lovely girl. This final act of kindness and love that we perform just tears us apart, I know. :(

[Nashville]

Thank you all for the condolences. I'm not kidding when I say I like dogs better than people in general.

 

8 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

Terribly sorry, Nashville. Mindy was indeed a lovely girl. This final act of kindness and love that we perform just tears us apart, I know. :(

One of the most twisted things I see in our society is such acts of mercy are permitted for animals, but not humans.  :(

[AngelaHunter]

3 hours ago, Nashville said:

I'm not kidding when I say I like dogs better than people in general.

Oh, me too, for so many reasons.

3 hours ago, Nashville said:

One of the most twisted things I see in our society is such acts of mercy are permitted for animals, but not humans.  :(

I"ve been saying that for as long as I can remember. We can make sure our pets don't  know fear or pain at all, but humans are forced to suffer until they draw their last breath.

 

This summer, I had to do what you just did. Even though it damned near killed me, I thought afterwards that I wish I could go so peacefully and gently when it's my time.

[kj4ever]

4 hours ago, Nashville said:

Thank you all for the condolences. I'm not kidding when I say I like dogs better than people in general.

 

One of the most twisted things I see in our society is such acts of mercy are permitted for animals, but not humans.  :(

I'm so sorry Nashville :(  My dog went to the rainbow bridge two years ago so I know how hard it is!

As someone that watched both her parents die a horrific, slow, painful drugged up death I can say most certainly if I would have known that I could "put them down" and not do something that would make it worse I would have done it even if it meant going to prison.  I would have gladly went to prison rather then the suffering they endured.

It is insane that we allow it for people.

[Irishmaple]

My Dad died of an unusually rapid form of ALS (Lou Gehrig's)  It was an end I would not wish on my worst enemy. He basically suffocated when the muscles of his trachea stopped working. Autoimmune conditions seem to run in my family, so I'm glad I live in a country where a dignified exit is at least a possibility now.

And here's something I never thought I'd say: looks like my home town is getting hit by a hurricane tomorrow. Strictly speaking, it will be more of a tropical cyclone but it was Hurricane Ophelia. The storm is large so the whole of Ireland is under a Red Alert: all schools closed, the national bus service isn't running, government offices are closed and drivers are encouraged to stay off the roads. Irish houses are concrete and double-glazed so the infrastructure should be fine. My home town is going to get smacked though, and there are two rivers running into the estuary so flooding is a given. It better not cause too much damage though, I'm going home in November so I'd prefer the place be still standing when I get there!

[nachomama]

So sorry to hear about Mindy, Nashville. Never good.

I hope Ireland is ok.

[Irishmaple]

It looks like things are holding together over there. Unfortunately there have been three fatalities due to fallen trees, including one chainsaw misadventure.  A school gym in Cork, which is the closest city to my hometown, lost its roof so it's a good thing schools were closed. I heard from my friend in Kerry (southwest coast) and she's fine; trees down but no loss of power, day off today and hoping for one tomorrow since the schools are going to stay closed. My sister said it was very windy and rainy; the neighbour's fence came down but no major damage as yet in the town. She didn't have wifi all day though.

In an odd coincidence we had high winds in Toronto yesterday. The traffic lights in my neighbourhood were out and I live by a busy intersection so picking up some groceries was a bit of an adventure. I was out of wine though so I was crossing that road one way or the other! There was a huge tree down near my work this morning and the road was closed while a city crew dealt with it.

[Nashville]

On 10/15/2017 at 10:11 AM, kj4ever said:

As someone that watched both her parents die a horrific, slow, painful drugged up death I can say most certainly if I would have known that I could "put them down" and not do something that would make it worse I would have done it even if it meant going to prison.  I would have gladly went to prison rather then the suffering they endured.

It is insane that we allow it for people.

That's about where I am right now.  My father underwent surgery this July to remove a cancerous bladder; his post-surgical experience has gone down different avenues than anything he/we were informed about pre-surgery, however, resulting in serious degradation in both his physical and mental capabilities.  Prior to surgery he was living independently, with no external maintenance required other than a couple of phone calls a day to verify he wasn't forgetting to take his meds; now he's in a skilled nursing facility, odds are he will live out the rest of his days in one, and persistent antibiotic-resistant UTIs (with accompanying delirium and cognitive degradation) are a daily fact of life.

This was exactly what my father said (pre-surgery) he didn't want.  Unfortunately, the surgeon drastically oversimplified the possible outcomes - stating Pa would either die without surgery, die during surgery, or survive the surgery and have at least 5-7 additional years cancer-free.  Now Pa has zero options, except to live this way until his physical condition declines to the point of collapse and death.  :(

 

ETA: Sorry for venting in such a manner, but there's not a lot of people I can talk to about this.

Edited October 18, 2017 by Nashville

[walnutqueen]

I am so very sorry for your loss, and for having to endure the horror of watching a parent decline, @Nashville.  I experienced something similar last year when my very independent Mum had to go into hospice.  Circumstances prevented me from being with her, and she died almost 6 months later, in a manner she would never have tolerated.  The following week, I had to euthanize my favorite backyard cat.   Those horrible anniversaries are looming on the near horizon, and I am filled with dread.

Please know that my thoughts and good wishes are with you during these terrible times.  There is little comfort, but sometimes just sharing this experience with others who've gone through it gives one the strength to face another day.

[AngelaHunter]

14 hours ago, Nashville said:

ETA: Sorry for venting in such a manner, but there's not a lot of people I can talk to about this.

Don't be sorry. I'm sure we all understand. Sometimes just talking about things, even if there is no solution, makes it seem not so overwhelming than if you keep it all inside.  

[kj4ever]

14 hours ago, Nashville said:

That's about where I am right now.  My father underwent surgery this July to remove a cancerous bladder; his post-surgical experience has gone down different avenues than anything he/we were informed about pre-surgery, however, resulting in serious degradation in both his physical and mental capabilities.  Prior to surgery he was living independently, with no external maintenance required other than a couple of phone calls a day to verify he wasn't forgetting to take his meds; now he's in a skilled nursing facility, odds are he will live out the rest of his days in one, and persistent antibiotic-resistant UTIs (with accompanying delirium and cognitive degradation) are a daily fact of life.

This was exactly what my father said (pre-surgery) he didn't want.  Unfortunately, the surgeon drastically oversimplified the possible outcomes - stating Pa would either die without surgery, die during surgery, or survive the surgery and have at least 5-7 additional years cancer-free.  Now Pa has zero options, except to live this way until his physical condition declines to the point of collapse and death.  :(

 

ETA: Sorry for venting in such a manner, but there's not a lot of people I can talk to about this.

Don't be sorry...People can't understand it until they've lived through it.  I thought I would lose my actual mind while I was going through it.  My Mom's wishes weren't granted because my Father couldn't bear not to have her at home which caused a whole other round of issues because I tried to get him to change his mind.  She kept saying it was fine (she wanted to go to this beautiful hospice that my Grandfather was at in his final days - she didn't want her kids or husband changing her diapers) but her mental state was gone and she had no idea what she was saying.

It is hard to feel so helpless in that situation, especially when you know it isn't what they want.  I'll be praying for you Nashville, it is so so hard.

[Irishmaple]

No apologies necessary.

You guys basically held my hand last year while I talked myself into quitting my job. I got more support here than IRL. I'm still very grateful for that.

[walnutqueen]

12 hours ago, Irishmaple said:

No apologies necessary.

You guys basically held my hand last year while I talked myself into quitting my job. I got more support here than IRL. I'm still very grateful for that.

It never ceases to amaze me that the same people who can relentlessly snark on the minutia of any and all things TeeVee can be the most supportive, empathetic and compassionate community in so many Small Talk forums (among others, of course). PTV is a really good place for many of us.

I'm just watching the "Behind The Scenes" TWD special airing between the marathon, and am thoroughly enjoying it all - especially everyone's imitation of "CORAL!".   ;-)

[Irishmaple]

Does anyone in these parts watch Silicon Valley?

I watched season 1 as it aired and, when I broke up with HBO, it was one of the shows I really missed. Long story short: friend near work has HBO and a cat who needs Prozac at lunchtime, HBO and I are back together. I watched season 2 a couple of episodes per day and felt kind of deflated. It wasn’t what I expected. It seemed very similar to season 1 but with new investors. I put it down to overinflated expectations and went for season 3. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Jared, Dinesh and Guilfoyle, I would have bailed. It’s pretty repetitive and nobody gets a win without losing ground right afterwards. Most of their situations could be cured with common sense and a good lawyer.

Is season 4 worth it, or is it more of the same? 

[nachomama]

I like it for exactly the same reasons you do, Dinesh and Guilfoyle. But yes, it's always 1 step forward and 2 steps back.

[Irishmaple]

I read a review that said the show is frustrating for viewers (like me) who want to see Richard and Pied Piper advance. The reviewer suggested reframing the show into the story of a brilliant guy who could change the world if only he could get out of his own way. This made sense. Next time I want to watch something depressing, I’ll go for season 4. Meanwhile, I switched to Veep. Season 3. I am so far behind.

[Haleth]

I visited Atlanta for the first time this past week. Driving through the city we passed Grady Hospital and I squeed with excitement. Coincidentally there was a WD fest in Atl yesterday and today, and I saw an interview on local news with Seth Gillam who was in attendance. He wouldn't give any spoilers. 

[Nashville]

So... my father's been back in the hospital the last few days - another UTI, plus pneumonia, plus anemia severe enough to require a transfusion - which of course means my time has been spent shuttling back and forth between my work and his hospital.  Luckily Pa has been responding well to the various treatments, so everything has been proceeding fairly uneventfully - until this weekend.

Er - did I mention my father's hospital was in Murfreesboro?

Fortunately the hate groups cancelled their planned festivities in Murfreesboro at the last minute; apparently the notion of some 100-odd white supremacists and Nazis facing off against some 800-1000 counterprotestors left them soiling their white sheets.  I was still having to dodge around police barricades to get back and forth to the hospital for several days, though, plus all of us in the mid-TN area had to contend with random packs of out-of-state agitator racists who didn't get the get-the-fuck-outta-here memo.  Fucktards were upset that their WLM weenie roast got cancelled, and taking it out on many of the locals - jumping people in restaurant parking lots and such.

Just another reminder - the Chinese proverb "May you live in interesting times" was actually intended as a curse.

[walnutqueen]

@Nashville - best wishes for your father's recovery.  I know this must be really tough for you, so best wishes to you, too.

I don't particularly mind living in interesting times - but it sometimes feels like we've strayed into frightening times territory.  :-(

[Mr. Sparkle]

7 hours ago, Nashville said:

apparently the notion of some 100-odd white supremacists and Nazis facing off against some 800-1000 counterprotestors left them soiling their white sheets.

My favorite part about Free Speech! 

[nachomama]

If I had the time or money I would have gone to WalkerStalker Con in Atlanta just to see Jerry, aka Cooper Andrews. I went a few years ago and wouldn't stand in the lines or pay the VIP ticket prices to get anywhere near the "stars" Rick and Darryl. But I saw Hershel and actually touched one of the Governor's henchmen (the guy he eventually golfed into a pit). It was fun to sit in on the panels, although way too much fan-girling going on. I liked the smaller panels with some of the side people. I was mad Jerry only got to wheel in the cake for the 100th anniversary shindig. I would totally hang out with Jerry all day.

[Nashville]

5 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

@Nashville - best wishes for your father's recovery.  I know this must be really tough for you, so best wishes to you, too.

Thanks, @walnutqueen.  Pa is being discharged from the hospital this afternoon, so at least we should have a relatively healthy plateau of a week or so before the next rounds of unpleasantness start up again.

 

5 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

I don't particularly mind living in interesting times - but it sometimes feels like we've strayed into frightening times territory.  :-(

Racist assholes don't scare me; they do, however, piss me off in the extreme.  And while I more than half expect the WLM weenies chose middle TN as their staging area specifically because of stereotypical perceptions of Sothern racism, they made two mistakes right off the bat:

1. *Middle* Tennessee is the most politically moderate portion of the state; the racist crackers and rich white conservatives are more focused in East TN (Knoxville and vicinity), while the lower-income, more liberal, and predominantly black constituencies are found more in West TN, in/around Memphis.  And the three most liberal-leaning regions of that Middle TN moderate center are Nashville, the Brentwood/Franklin region... and Murfreesboro.
2. Political views and positions around here don't quite fall into everybody's neat little pigeonholes.  Many of even the moderate Southern liberals around here, for example, have carry permits.  ;>  And regardless of whether liberal or conservative, radical or moderate - one truly unifying aspect across all boundaries is, we don't like outside agitators coming into our towns trying to stir up shit to serve their agendas.  And the whole accent thing really makes the outsiders stand out.  :)

[walnutqueen]

2 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Thanks, @walnutqueen.  Pa is being discharged from the hospital this afternoon, so at least we should have a relatively healthy plateau of a week or so before the next rounds of unpleasantness start up again.

 

Racist assholes don't scare me; they do, however, piss me off in the extreme.  And while I more than half expect the WLM weenies chose middle TN as their staging area specifically because of stereotypical perceptions of Sothern racism, they made two mistakes right off the bat:

1. *Middle* Tennessee is the most politically moderate portion of the state; the racist crackers and rich white conservatives are more focused in East TN (Knoxville and vicinity), while the lower-income, more liberal, and predominantly black constituencies are found more in West TN, in/around Memphis.  And the three most liberal-leaning regions of that Middle TN moderate center are Nashville, the Brentwood/Franklin region... and Murfreesboro.
2. Political views and positions around here don't quite fall into everybody's neat little pigeonholes.  Many of even the moderate Southern liberals around here, for example, have carry permits.  ;>  And regardless of whether liberal or conservative, radical or moderate - one truly unifying aspect across all boundaries is, we don't like outside agitators coming into our towns trying to stir up shit to serve their agendas.  And the whole accent thing really makes the outsiders stand out.  :)

Having and elderly, ailing parent is very much a two edged sword.  On the one hand, you are happy and grateful to have them in your life; on the other hand, the almost inevitable downward slide can be so stressful.

I find the general state of this world to be frightening, especially the environment.  But these pissant wanna-be Nazis?  Have a ways to go before they attain a level of true horror.  They're mostly poseurs & pee-panties, I say.

[Pixiebomb]

Off topic but I have a question-  and I don't know what thread to put it in. 

 

What's the deal with the Red Handled Machete?  Is that a mini episode series like the airline and desert one in FTWD?  I missed what CH said about it.  But I think it might be potentially interesting. 

[nachomama]

When the came up against the Termites, Rick's weapon of choice was a red handled (I thought it was an ax but maybe machete) and Rick promised cannibal boy he would kill him with it...and he did. That's the only red handle reference I know.