Small Talk: a.k.a. 'The Meet Market'

[Camera One]

Snowing doesn't use magic for everyday things, whereas Regina and Rumple use it when they don't feel like walking.  

[HoodlumSheep]

Missed the hockey game last night but saw it's now tied up.

We went fishing last night for panfish and I got leeched!!!!! It never seemed to cross my mind that there are leeches in our area's lake (which was dumb of me). It attached itself onto one of my toes. At first when I saw it I thought I had somehow stabbed my toe on accident in the water and that it was just a giant blood blister.

Point of the story; we named it Harry and it's now living in a bowl of water in our garage. My brother had sprinkled salt on it to kill it but that just seemed cruel when you have to watch it writhe around in pain. None of this makes sense considering we were filleting fish in the meantime.

Anyways,

RIP Christopher Lee AND Ron Moody.

Christopher Lee was the stuff of legend, and Ron Moody was iconic as Fagin in Oliver!

[tennisgurl]

I had a weird dream last night. I have been binge watching Sense8 on Netflix (which I have loved so far) and I dreamed that a bunch of the Once characters had the same connection with each other, even though they were all separate. At one point, Regina was all "I had no idea I caused so much pain" and started to sob. It was actually a pretty cool idea for a story. I was disappointed when I woke up, I wanted to see where the story was going! 

[HoodlumSheep]

^ I've been seeing that show trend a lot on Tumblr and stuff.

I've been debating on watching season 2 of AoS on Netflix. I've never watched it live, but when I watched the first season on Netflix I really liked the last bunch of eps with Bill Paxton. The rest of the season was a chore though.

I've also been debating on Bates Motel, possibly Arrow, and Arrested development.

I'm still awaiting the day Netflix adds OnceWonderland. If they have other short-lived programs on there, why can't they add Wonderland? I've tweeted Adam and the Abc publicity account a few times about it, but no reply of course.

I'm excited about the upcoming Pixar movies! Inside Out looks great, The Good Dinosaur looks cute, and Zootopia next year looks fun.

[KingOfHearts]

 

I'm still awaiting the day Netflix adds OnceWonderland.

I know, right? It's a nice little series to binge-watch.

[ABitOFluff]

Since it was 97 degrees here, and our pool is closed, I went to see "Spy" today. It was very enjoyable with lots of girl power and some nice eye candy in the form of Jason Statham and Jude Law.

[HoodlumSheep]

Danzig Moon (a KY Derby horse who finished 5th) had to be put down. :'( Poor horse. Now I'm having awful flashbacks to that one KY Derby when the horse I picked out (I think it was called Silver Bells or something; and it was a she) placed second but then had to be immediately euthanized. Ugh. I'll never forget that.

[Souris]

Ugh, that's horrible.

[Souris]

Old but very fun drawing illustrating the structure of a story as a roller coaster. I especially love Plot Hole. And the vomiting person in Critical Reaction.

Edited June 16, 2015 by Souris

[daxx]

I like unresolved subplot, one of my biggest pet peeves in television.

[OnceUponAJen]

I like Suspended Disbelief! I usually resort to it :)

[ParadoxLost]

How did they strip before the tunnel of badly written love and get dressed again before the denouement?  Is that the unresolved subplot?

[Camera One]

LOL, that's really good.  Pretty much a mind map for this show's writing process.

[Shanna Marie]

I think I may have had my weirdest OUAT-related dream yet. It was an update of my recurring "I've gone back to school for graduate school and am living in the dorm" nightmare (I have no idea why I have that one so often as I haven't even considered grad school and it would be pointless in my field). I was the resident assistant/house mother type person in the dorm, and most of the students were actual teen/college age girls I know in real life, but Regina was also living in the dorm, next door to me, posing as a student so she could follow Henry to college. In the part of the dream I remember, I was trying to work/study when really loud music disrupted me. I thought it was coming from next door and muttered something like "dammit, Regina, again?" before heading out to deal with it, but it turned out to be the people across the hall, and Regina was already out there, wearing a fancy Asian-inspired print silk bathrobe. The girls playing the loud music were being stubborn about turning it down because it was Regina asking them to, and then I was torn because I didn't want to let her win, but I hated the noise, too.

[tennisgurl]

I finally started my garden! I started by planting Hydrangeas, and I am going to go from there. 

[pezgirl7]

Shanna Marie, your dream actually makes sense! I had a crazy OUAT dream last night that didn't make much sense at all. I don't remember a lot of it, and it seemed quite long, but what I do remember is that ABC accidentally aired part 2 of the OUAT season premiere. Nothing made sense, since we hadn't seen part 1 yet. Hook was wearing this really weird disguise which consisted of a large head piece that looked like a bony fish tail. He was not happy at all to be wearing it, but I think he didn't have a shirt on, so at least there was that. Then later Ariel was there, and I got the impression that she and Hook had been dating while Emma was gone, which I thought was odd. Then there was a flashback to Hook buying the Jolly Roger from Blackbeard, but he said he would only buy it if it had indoor plumbing and a shower. Then he was on the JR, and evil Emma was there, and she cut Hook's arm really bad. Then Hook cut the tentacle off of a badly CGI'd octopus that was attacking the ship, and he was going to do some type of true love, magic blood ritual to save Emma from the darkness. And he would die if it didn't work, but he was willing to die for Emma and was convinced that it would work. That's all I remember, but what the heck was that dream?!

[Curio]

Then Hook cut the tentacle off of a badly CGI'd octopus that was attacking the ship

 

Ha! I don't know why, but the fact that you actually visualized a badly CGI'd monster is hilarious.

 

The only Once dream I've ever had was a quick scene of Hook and Emma riding horses together. It was cute, fluffy, and basically everything this show isn't. Which made me very disappointed when my alarm clock woke me up.

[pezgirl7]

 

Ha! I don't know why, but the fact that you actually visualized a badly CGI'd monster is hilarious.

 

LOL Yea, I actually remember thinking, 'Wow, that CGI is so bad.' I think it was a purple-ish almost pink color, too, which made it worse. I think the reason I dreamed of it was because of the cool commercial for Kraken rum.

 

Aww, Hook and Emma riding horses together! We're not suppose to talk about the show here, so I better say what I have to say about that in the speculation thread.

[tennisgurl]

That dream sounds like an awesome episode, actually. Octopus attack! 

[Shanna Marie]

Then Hook cut the tentacle off of a badly CGI'd octopus that was attacking the ship, and he was going to do some type of true love, magic blood ritual to save Emma from the darkness.

That actually sounds kind of interesting. And like perhaps you had a craving for seafood.

 

I have to vent a little so that I don't end up killing someone, and the friend I need to vent about has infiltrated just about all my social media outlets, so I think this may be my last safe space (unless he's stalking me here without letting me know here's here and monitoring me -- we already had that fight about TWOP, sign up and participate, but don't lurk just to see what I say, no matter how amusing it is). Anyway, there's a convention this weekend, and we're riding together because I hate to drive and he likes driving and likes having company for the drive. So, win-win. But we have very different views on time. If I say we're going to do something at a certain time, it happens at that time. I like to get an early start on trips so there's more time once you arrive, and I generally pack and have almost everything together the night before for less stress. He's pretty much the opposite. He claims he's been up since six, but I have no idea what he was doing because he wasn't ready to leave until almost ten, when he told me he planned to be at my house at nine to pick me up. He just called to say that his truck didn't start, but he had an extra battery and he was now on his way. I guess he was irked that I sounded irked about his truck not starting, which wasn't his fault, and didn't get that what I was irked about was that he didn't find out his battery was dead until nearly an hour after he told me he'd be here. And that meant I got up a lot earlier than I needed to and was already ready long before he even got started loading up. There's no real time constraint other than not wanting to hit Houston at rush hour when thunderstorms are in the forecast, and there was a place he wanted to stop for lunch along the way that's now a bit far to go for lunch.

 

And he wonders why he's totally friendzoned. I like him as a friend, and I know he's in love with me, but I just don't see him that way, and I know I wouldn't be able to live with him. Also, this relationship is why in 3B I never thought Hook was being stalkery or that Emma wasn't interested. I know what it looks like when a man is in love with a woman who only sees him as a friend, and it looks nothing like Emma and Hook.

 

Now I guess I'd better shut down the computer so I'll be totally ready when he gets here. I need to maintain the upper hand. :-)

[KingOfHearts]

I had another OUAT dream last night. (Crazy, right?) Some time had passed since S4. Regina pretty much gave up on finding Emma and started planning her wedding with Robin. Someone, I'm not sure who, approached her while she was having dinner with Henry somewhere. They urged her to look for Emma again, because apparently her absence had some magical ramifications, but Regina just became agitated and shooed them off. Henry was indifferent, lol.

Edited June 19, 2015 by KingOfHearts

[pezgirl7]

That actually sounds kind of interesting. And like perhaps you had a craving for seafood.

 

Hah doubtful! I absolutely hate seafood. The only seafood I eat is tunafish sandwiches. I would make a horrible pirate. :( The dream was pretty exciting, but it was just so disjointed, and the scenes kept jumping all over the place. I suppose that's not too different than some episodes of OUAT. :P

 

I didn't have an OUAT dream last night, but I had a very short dream about Colin, and like my last Colin dream where I pissed him off, this one wasn't good either. I dreamt that Colin's house was locked up by the police, and then Colin got arrested for breaking into his house to get some coke that he didn't want the police to find. And there was actually video footage of it, because the police put cameras in his house. All his fans were shocked, and were sure that the drugs must belong to a friend, because Colin doesn't seem like the type to do drugs. WTF?

 

I just realized I've been on some new medication, and one of the side effects is having crazy dreams, because apparently the drug can actually alter the way the brain functions. Kinda scary.

 

Shanna Marie, that sucks that your friend is always late. Maybe you should do what my mom does with my brother, and that's tell him to be there an hour earlier than you actually want him there. :)

Edited June 19, 2015 by pezgirl7

[HoodlumSheep]

I remember an ouat dream that took place in 3b. Basically the heroes were running around in circles and accomplishing nothing (so no different than what actually happened in 3b), and then all the sudden the Wonderland crew (Alice, Cyrus, Will and Ana) showed up (complete with some awesome rock n' roll music) and proceeded to accomplish everything that the main group could not (all in the time span of one episode), and also laid waste to Zelena. Ana proceeded to sass everyone, Regina tried to sass back, but Ana sassed her right back (and burned her royally--figuratively of course). Everyone was smirking because Regina totally got out-sassed. Alice and Ana flipped their hair, locked arms with their boys and they all vanished through the rabbit portal.

It was a glorious dream. As people probably can tell, the Wonderland cast, especially Ana, are my precious cinnamon rolls.

[KingOfHearts]

 

Basically the heroes were running around in circles and accomplishing nothing (so no different than what actually happened in 3b), and then all the sudden the Wonderland crew (Alice, Cyrus, Will and Ana) showed up (complete with some awesome rock n' roll music) and proceeded to accomplish everything that the main group could not (all in the time span of one episode), and also laid waste to Zelena.

Totally believe that. Team Wonderland got crap done on their series. They weren't just wandering around the woods - they were completing goals. When the episode title was released, "A Curious Thing", for 3B, I was really wishing that meant there'd be a Wonderland crossover.

[HoodlumSheep]

After seeing what happened to Will, I'm thankful that there was no crossover. Alice wouldn't put up with any of the Once gang's nonsense, nor would Ana, Will wouldn't either. Cyrus would probably end up as the diplomat. They'd get stuff done! Anyways, probably veering too far into show discussion than small-talk, so I'll stop here.

Wonderland 4eva!

I've got a cousin's wedding to go to tomorrow. And there's the annual arts and crafts fair this weekend too. And Father's Day of course.

[Shanna Marie]

Maybe you should do what my mom does with my brother, and that's tell him to be there an hour earlier than you actually want him there. :)

Unfortunately, since he's driving, it's not really up to me to set the departure times. The 9 a.m. was meant to be an hour before we really wanted to leave, with the hope that this meant he'd make it by about 10. He made it at about 10:45, which is good for him.

 

And then the fun began. It turned out that he hadn't replaced the battery, just jump started it. So we got his big SUV that was already totally full loaded with my stuff (a small suitcase, a tote with snacks, and some books) and made it about ten miles from my house when his truck just died, right on the freeway. Fortunately, we were close to an exit and he was able to coast off to the access road, where he couldn't get it started again. It was totally dead. So he called a tow truck. We waited about 45 minutes for that, then had his truck towed back to my house, where we had to try to fit as much of the stuff that was in his Expedition into my Focus. It's amazing what you can fit in a Focus. But I'm also surprised by the amount of junk he was taking for a three-day trip -- like two boxes of computer networking gear, most of which he'll never use (he likes to set up his own Wi-Fi network in hotels) but that he likes to have. I had my one little suitcase, my tote of snacks, and my books, and every other inch of my car was full of his stuff. Unloading at the hotel, he had a bell cart full of stuff, and I was able to carry everything I had. So I don't tolerate jokes about women overpacking. And I ended up having to drive anyway. Oh, and it turns out it was just a totally dead battery and he had a spare in the truck that he's been planning to get around to swapping out, but he wanted to build this whole new system with multiple batteries and a new alternator, and all that, but he hadn't gotten around to it. But once he figured out what it was, it turns out he could have fixed it there on the road. But I kind of felt better having my car that I know is running. We were so very, very lucky that we were so close to my house and could get back there easily and swap cars. It would have been awful if we'd been in the middle of nowhere. I managed to stay pretty mellow in spite of wanting to kill, but now that I'm away from him I'm having to unwind a bit. Fortunately, I have wine.

 

Another recent OUAT dream that I think came Sunday night after Game of Thrones, because it seemed somewhat influenced (seemed almost like GOT, but with OUAT characters slotted in): Emma was in a very imposing throne room, dressed in a very princess-type dress, but more GOT princess (simple lines, heavy fabric, lots of embroidery) than OUAT princess (fairy tale/medieval/Georgian/Victorian/1980s by way of Bob Mackie). She didn't seem to be a prisoner in the sense of being in chains, but she didn't seem happy to be there and probably couldn't just have left. Some guards come in, half-dragging, half-carrying a prisoner. He'd been pretty banged up and didn't seem to be fully conscious -- he probably couldn't have remained upright on his own -- but he was still putting up a fight. His head was down, so his face wasn't too visible from up on the dais until the guards got him just in front of the thrones, and he finally looked up at Emma, and it was Hook, but his hair was all messed up and falling into his eyes, and his face was bloodied and bruised. She was kind of glad to see him, but at the same time not glad at all because he was in danger. She scolded him about trying a stupid rescue attempt, and he said, "I'm not the rescue attempt, love. I'm the diversion." That's all I remember, and I still can't figure out how him getting captured like that was any kind of helpful diversion.

[Souris]

Dear Lord, Shanna Marie. What a pain. Kudos to you for not smacking this guy upside the head!

[legaleagle53]

Dear Lord, Shanna Marie. What a pain. Kudos to you for not smacking this guy upside the head!

 

That's what siblings do -- they put up with all kinds of crap from one another because they can't divorce them and their parents won't let them kill them.

[ABitOFluff]

I managed to stay pretty mellow in spite of wanting to kill, but now that I'm away from him I'm having to unwind a bit. Fortunately, I have wine.

Oh boy, your story reminds me a little of my platonic male friend. We've known each other for years, but I began to realize that he was treating me like a surrogate girlfriend, meaning, someone who'll go to concerts or movies with him and someone he feels he can sponge a free meal off of when he's broke. which is always. He's in his 40s and keeps getting fired from food delivery jobs and he refuses to do any kind of job because he considers himself an "arteest" (he deejays once in a while and hosts a weekly radio show on the community radio station). OH! And then he wonders why he can't get a real girlfriend!

 

Eventually, every time we hung out, he would tick me off. I even can't talk about the Tom Petty concert last year, or it'll wind me up all over again. I finally had enough and decided I didn't want to hang out with him anymore. I think he now he realizes what an awesome friend I was because he'll occasionally message me about hanging out and missing me. Sorry pal. I'll call you when I miss you back.

[OnceUponAJen]

One thing that really bothers me is people who have no consideration/respect for other people's time. I know several people who just can't seem to get themselves together any less than an hour late, even when other people are waiting on them. If it's once or twice ok...I can understand running late, but it's every time. I feel the same way when I go to a doctor and have to wait an hour or more. I won't put up with that for very long.

Edited June 20, 2015 by OnceUponAJen

[Shanna Marie]

I'm definitely the surrogate wife/girlfriend. This guy has a really close friend who's like a brother. They were even roommates for a while because the friend let my friend move in with him after a divorce, and then he got laid off from his job, so he stayed longer, and they did everything together (one of our other friends referred to them as "heterosexual life partners"). Then the friend met a woman who had kids, they were married a little more than a year later, and now the friend not only has a wife, but has an instant family and likes being a family man. I'm friends with both the friend and his wife, so it's very convenient to have me around so he doesn't feel like the odd one out in the group, and he loves it when people assume I'm his wife. Fortunately, he's not a freeloader at all. In fact, I have to stop him from buying me things or trying to pay for meals, and he's the first one to jump up and lend a hand when people need stuff. He's installed a ceiling fan and a faucet for me. But I know he wants our relationship to be more and I just don't feel it, and the more time I spend with him, the more clear I am on that. He's fun to hang around with for a few hours, to go to a movie with, or something like that. But after all day yesterday, I need a break from him. Unfortunately, since we drove to this convention together, he's acting like we're here together and therefore have to do everything together, and I want to spend time with other people, including some friends from college who are here. I did have lunch with him and another friend I see about once a year, but I'm currently hiding out in my hotel room to avoid him because if I have to spend five hours in a car with him Monday, plus the additional time he's going to spend at my house fixing his truck so he can get home, I need to be away from him for a while. And I know we'll probably be hanging out some on Sunday night because a lot of people will have gone home by then.

 

At least I'm pretty sure we'll be able to leave on my schedule Monday, since I'm driving and I know he knows he needs to get back in time to do repairs. Whether that translates into him actually getting up and getting his act together in time remains to be seen. On a previous trip there was something he wanted to do on the way home, and he still was about an hour late because he overslept.

 

We just have very different philosophies when it comes to travel. I travel light because I don't like to be burdened with stuff, I like to get an early start to spend more time at my destination, and I like to prepare ahead of time so I'm almost entirely packed the night before and just need to get up, get dressed, and throw whatever stuff I need for getting ready in the morning into the suitcase and then I'm ready to go. He likes bringing everything with him in case there's something he might need and doesn't mind needing three trips to unload the car and taking an hour to pack to come home. And he doesn't even start packing until he starts getting ready the morning of the trip and just leaves when he's ready, whenever that is. A clash is inevitable because I feel like he's wasting my time when I have to wait for him to pack and unload all that stuff, and he feels like I'm being too uptight. So basically, we should never, ever marry or we'd kill each other on the honeymoon. I've been known to be able to be gone for a week with just two tote bags. Meanwhile, if he'd been around in 1944, Eisenhower would have been like, "Dude, we're only going across the Channel. Do you really need all that crap?"

[ABitOFluff]

I feel ya, Shanna Marie. My friend isn't technically a bad guy, and he would try to pay me back for stuff when he could. Like, if I got dinner one night, he'd try and pick up the check the next time or the time after that. And we've had a lot of fun together too, but as long as it's a few hours at a time. It's just that surrogate girlfriend thing that bugged me, because the things we have in common seem to be very shallow things like liking the same kinds of music. And unfortunately, he has no handyman skills. Unless I wanted an album burned to disc (which I could do myself) he's a bit useless, bless his heart.

 

Last time we did hang out together, we went to see Joan Jett at the NC State Fair. Now, if had just been the concert, it would have been fine, but he wanted to make a day of it. So, we were there for about 8 hours, but since he didn't want to ride any rides or play games, the day was me primarily suggesting exhibits to see while he talked about his dating woes. I think that was it for me. I needed a break from him.

 

On a separate note, recently I've started working primarily from home. Our current home office is being shut down and while some people are relocating to the parent offices in New York, a lot of people have left the company. Since I'm a web producer, pretty much all of my job can be done remotely. Initially I planned to spend every lunch hour on the treadmill and making healthy salads, but after the first month, I realized that my lunch was mainly PB&J and nachos, and the only exercise I was getting was doing the laundry, So now I've made it a point to spend some time in the kitchen making healthy meals, or at least meals that didn't come out of a box or a jar. And I have to say I'm feeling like a real domestic goddess. This morning I made mini cinnamon doughnuts from scratch, and tonight's menu is shrimp tacos with slaw and avocado llme crema and chia chocolate pudding for dessert.

 

Exercise is on next on the agenda, but baby steps first.

Edited June 21, 2015 by ABitOFluff

[Souris]

OK, ABitOFluff, what time would you like me to show up for dinner? I hope you have some doughnuts left over, too. ;)

 

I have a guy best pal who is a cheapskate and likes to mooch things, so that's kind of annoying, but he's a good friend otherwise and luckily no "surrogate girlfriend" issues.

[ABitOFluff]

OK, ABitOFluff, what time would you like me to show up for dinner? I hope you have some doughnuts left over, too. ;)

 

I have a guy best pal who is a cheapskate and likes to mooch things, so that's kind of annoying, but he's a good friend otherwise and luckily no "surrogate girlfriend" issues.

Ha! Come on over! I just realized I might need to whip up some beer-garitas to go with dinner.

 

There are still doughnuts left, and if there are any left tomorrow, I'll go into the office for the sole purpose of giving them away. That's how I buy my co-workers' love. :)

[Souris]

LOL. I always take baked good leftovers into work, too. Both to buy co-workers love and to keep myself from eating them all.

[OnceUponAJen]

On a separate note, recently I've started working primarily from home. Our current home office is being shut down and while some people are relocating to the parent offices in New York, a lot of people have left the company. Since I'm a web producer, pretty much all of my job can be done remotely. Initially I planned to spend every lunch hour on the treadmill and making healthy salads, but after the first month, I realized that my lunch was mainly PB&J and nachos, and the only exercise I was getting was doing the laundry, So now I've made it a point to spend some time in the kitchen making healthy meals, or at least meals that didn't come out of a box or a jar. And I have to say I'm feeling like a real domestic goddess. This morning I made mini cinnamon doughnuts from scratch, and tonight's menu is shrimp tacos with slaw and avocado llme crema and chia chocolate pudding for dessert.

Exercise is on next on the agenda, but baby steps first.

Sounds awesome. I love to cook when I have time. By the way, I recommend this fish taco sauce. Tastes good with chicken or beef too:

http://soupaddict.com/2009/06/wickedly-good-fish-taco-sauce/

I just started on a diet, so of course I'm craving fish tacos now!

[tennisgurl]

Anyone watch the first episode of the new season of True Detective? Any thoughts? 

 

Mmmmmmmm shrimp tacos....FYI I`m a great dinner guest! 

[ParadoxLost]

So I need an impartial opinion on the appropriate approach to customer feedback. 

 

I paid (well I would have paid without the plane crash on the interstate) for a landscaping plan from the design service of a major/national nursery.  It went badly and kept getting worse as I went OCD on the mathematical impossibility of the plan (I now have a scale drawing of my entire property in excel -ruined my own Memorial Day with that one) and then got a do over plan.  These are my choices:

 

A. I can write a letter that explains how bad this landscape plan was.  it was shockingly bad.  If a customer got this plan and didn't look at it beyond 'hey its pretty' it would have cost them thousands of dollars and years of headaches and a complete redo.  Luckily I noticed and figured out that the landscape architect didn't actually write down the measurements on the yard (if he measured) and that a maple, 25 fairly large shrubs, and an annual bed can't fit in 100sq ft (somehow that property line was 30 ft when mine + my neighbors is less than 10 ft).  Then the new person (same company) comes out and he proceeds to advise that another 40 plants from the original plan won't grow where the original plan put them and none of the drains in the plan will actually drain anything.  Drainage was the goal, so major fail.

 

B. I can let it go because I'm pretty sure even though I gave myself a four week cooling off period. that a level headed letter will get this guy fired.  The second person came out and looked at the plan and said something like "that's John Doe" in a tone that made it clear that this is common knowledge in their office so the company will either do nothing (what's the point?) or fire him (which I'd rather not be the final nail).  Frankly, I had to explain what happened to get the other appointment so its either been escalated or not.

 

C. I can just leave it alone in terms of following up directly with the company and just do an online review that warns people that its best to get a personal reference for a specific person that works for this company and if you can't then double check the measurements and research the plant recommendations because the company being a known entity doesn't guarantee a better level of knowledge than a random landscaper.

Edited June 23, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[Souris]

Personally, I would write the letter AND do an online review. The original person caused a lot of wasted time for you and the second person who came out. It could have cost you tons of money. Chances are this will happen to someone else; it sounds like it's already happened to others. If they don't pay attention like you did, it could really screw them over. I'd feel worse about those future clients getting screwed over, and his co-workers having to clean up his messes, than him possibly getting fired, because frankly, it sounds like he should.

 

Also, I would like to hear more about the plane crash on the interstate. Um, what??? LOL.

[ParadoxLost]

@Souris.  That was what I was thinking too.  My real concern is the next customer and frankly the waste of my time was what I was most annoyed about and the reason I was willing to pay in the first place (to avoid more multiple and useless quotes).  But had I not noticed that the amount of mulch was insane and started measuring things would have been really bad. 

 

I'm going to have to pick a time when I'm not annoyed about other things and just write it.  Its just easier when you can rail at a companies' policies rather than give feedback on a specific person.  This is the first time I've come across someone that was just really bad at something who should have been better at their job.  Its much easier to let it go when you are dealing with call centers and stuff and not expecting them to be trained.  And by letting it go, I mean my default position is to put those companies on a list that I call when I'm in a mood (that mood is infrequent...I'm not a monster...I had to talk to Comcast 17 times to get a cable box, they deserve it in perpetuity) and tell them I don't want to pay them as much anymore but I don't want to change my service.  After the befuddlement, they usually reduce your bills.

 

Anyways, the plane crash.  The original appointment got cancelled because a small plane crashed on a major interstate around lunch time and he couldn't make it across town for the appointment because they closed it down.  This has happened a couple times since I've lived here.  We usually top the worse traffic in the country lists.  I find it amazing that both times this happened (once during rush hour) the plane has managed to land (although I think there were casualties on the plane this last time) and the cars have gotten out of the way.  This in a place where two inches of snow got us on the Daily Show for people being trapped in their cars for up to 24 hours.

[KAOS Agent]

 

These guys came to visit my parents the other day. Sunflower seeds appear to be quite satisfying for the mama.

[HoodlumSheep]

ParadoxLost, the small plane crash wasn't James Horner's was it? Probably not, because you mentioned it crashed on a major interstate, whereas I think they listed James Horner's plane as crashing in a rather empty area.

That's rather eerie though.

RIP James Horner. He composed so many great soundtracks (Titanic, A Beautiful Mind...).

:(

KAOS Agent, those bears are adorable!!! Apparenty a mama black bear got killed recently a county or so above us (I think people said she was hit by a vehicle of course). It's so sad. She had 2 or 3 cubs, but officials are leaving them alone because they are old enough where they should be fine.

[Shanna Marie]

Travel woes update: I got home yesterday evening and my friend was able to fix his truck and leave, and both of us are still alive. It did turn out to just be the battery, which probably had something to do with the fact that one of the battery connections was so badly corroded that it was no longer making good contact, something he knew about but hadn't gotten around to fixing. He thought it might be the alternator and took it to my neighborhood auto parts store to test it, and as soon as he described what happened, the guy at the auto parts store told him it sounded like the battery connection. I think it irked him that he has a physics degree and the kid at the auto parts store figured it out faster because he tried to act like this guy didn't know what he was talking about. And yet the repair worked. We did manage to get up and on the road early, but it was a little irritating having him still at my house for a couple more hours when I usually get home from a trip like that, instantly change into pajamas, and collapse.

 

I have another trip with him this summer that I've already agreed to, and then it will be a year before this comes up again. In the meantime, maybe he'll have met someone else, or maybe I'll find a gentle way to say no thanks to traveling together. At these events, it's fun for him but it's work for me (something he doesn't seem to understand no matter how many times I say it) and I have to be "on," which is very draining for someone as introverted as I am. I'm finding that when I travel with someone, that takes away a lot of the energy I need for the event, and I spend way too much time hiding in my hotel room. He was complaining a bit this weekend that I didn't want do do things with him in our spare time, and I may have to say that he can choose whether he wants to travel with me or whether he wants me being social with him at the event, but he doesn't get both. I hate driving, but at least when I drive I have four or so hours in my little personal pod. I may be physically tired when I arrive, but I still have social energy, and there's less stress from being in control and following my own schedule.

[Mari]

I was watching an old Musketeers movie on TCM, and they had a brief interview with Jane Greer, including brief clips of a movie they were promoting.  It was  a little startling how much she looked like Rose McGowan in them.

[HoodlumSheep]

^ Was it the Four Musketeers?

Caught the Sharktacular special preview/hype-thing for Shark Week. I'm still annoyed at it being about a whole month early this year. It was always one of those things that was set in stone scheduling-wise as far back as I can remember (so end of July/beginning of August).

We think the scheduling change could have to do with the one head honcho/whoever guy who's supposedly leaving Discovery or whatever.

Anyways, Eli Roth appears to be the host. At first I was like, who the heck is he? Looking at his filmography it's no wonder why I didn't recognize him. The only thing he's been in that I at least know of is the Brad Pitt Nazi hunter movie.

Anyways, Eli Roth favorited my tweet about how white his teeth were, along with the wife of one of the shark experts in the Sharktacular preview.

Now i feel special.

I do like his Shark Week shirt though. It has the Jaws picture on it (probably due to it being the 40th anniversary of the movie his year).

[ParadoxLost]

I do like his Shark Week shirt though. It has the Jaws picture on it (probably due to it being the 40th anniversary of the movie his year).

 

Jaws gives me brain damage.  I have this weird thing that I have to watch it sitting on the floor.  I don't even realize I'm doing it until I slam my head into a dresser.  I always slam my head into a dresser (don't know why I'm always near a dresser) because I can't remember when the shark appears.

 

My parents tell me it was my first movie at six months old.  I blame them for it even though it makes no sense.  The floor of my house does not resemble a car seat at a drive in movie theater at all.

 

I'm not even going to discuss the evil trees.

[HoodlumSheep]

Would you even really remember Jaws at 6 months old?

You've got to listen to the music, that helps a bit with predicting when Jaws will strike!

I had only recently watched Jaws for the first time maybe 4-5 years ago.

I don't typically jump at stuff in movies, but when I do it's typically because the volumes up too high. I do not like loud noises (especially sudden ones; loud music is fine though). I can stand thunder, although if it's bad enough I'll find myself cringing a bit. I don't like vacuums (our cat and I have that in common), lawn mowers, chainsaws, electric bread knives, etc.

Don't get me started on balloons either. I wince, shudder, and/or plug my ears and hide my face (and try to stay a good distance away) when I see them getting filled with air or floating around too close to my face. I do well when I can hold one on a string so it's not too close to my face, but it's pretty nerve-wracking knowing it could pop at any second.

When i was a kid we were playing that balloon game at school (the one where you stomp on the balloon to get the little prizes inside). Combined with the noise of the balloon popping, a piece of the balloon actually flew up and hit my face. It stung pretty bad (I was about 7/8 so the pain felt worse!). Ever since I've never had a good relationship with balloons.

I think that I wouldn't mind these noises if it wasn't for that piece of balloon that hit me in the face. That basically sealed my fate concerning loud noises.

Edited June 24, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[Mari]

^ Was it the Four Musketeers?

Why yes, yes, it was.  They did The Three Musketeers and then The Four Musketeers directly afterwards.  The Greer thing was a snippet in the middle.

 

I found the costumes amazing--and impressed they went for at least a little authenticity with the underwear. Overall, I thought the movie was both modest and less prudish than a modern version would be, I think.  (There was far fewer scantily clad people, but they were far more cheerful and upfront about Constance being a mistress and d'Artagnan not being faithful to her than I think would be made today.  Both would probably be played as a Bad Thing.)

 

Also, I'm a cringer and a jumper.  I love creepy and suspenseful, but absolutely loathe blood, torture, and gore.

[tennisgurl]

I always leap a little at jump scares. Even knowing their coming, even knowing how cheap they are, they get me every time.

 

I try to think of the flying cat from the zombie episode of Community everytime something jumps out in a movie to scare me.

 

"Is someone throwing it?!?!" 

[Shanna Marie]

I startle easily, so a jump scare in a movie is likely to result in about a three-foot vertical jump and an ear-piercing scream somewhere in the neighborhood of a high C. Pretty much the same thing that happens when the telephone or doorbell rings.

 

I don't go see a lot of scary movies. I can get the same effect from the postman or a telemarketer.