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


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I'm not too fond of parallel parking either, though I do have to do it in certain areas of the city.  It's the worst when it's a busy street and if you take too long, cars who want to use that lane are impatient.  I find it quite difficult to gauge how much space there is, though I suppose some cars now have rear-view cameras which can help.  Parallel parking was part of my drivers' test, but only one component, so you can pass as long as the total deductions are not lower than the specified amount.  Good luck!

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Parallel parking was part of my drivers' test, but only one component, so you can pass as long as the total deductions are not lower than the specified amount.  Good luck!

Here, the only instant fail I know of is hitting the curb or the poles. I'm hoping if I'm a little too far from the curb or something, it'll just be a deduction.

I've heard that in many states in the US, parallel parking is no longer a requirement. The only reason it's still a thing around here is that they want to test how well you can control the vehicle. Parallel parking is rare outside of older downtown areas.

Edited by KingOfHearts
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I completely failed the parallel parking portion of my driver's test and still passed. However, I had been rear ended and totaled the small sedan I was driving two days before the test and I had to take the test in my dad's van, so I wasn't at all ready for trying it with that car. In college I got really good at parallel parking because it was either get into a tiny spot or pay exorbitant amounts of money to pay at a ramp. I had a tiny Ford Escort, so I could fit into the smallest spaces, but it was a stick shift which made things a bit more challenging.

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I just moved to a larger city than what I am used to, so I SUCK at parallel parking. Its pretty sad to watch. 

I also got a new job, which means new insurance, which means I have not had my anti depression medication, and I haven't found a new therapist yet. I have felt like crap for weeks, just a ball of sad and anxious. It sucks. 

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17 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I just moved to a larger city than what I am used to, so I SUCK at parallel parking. Its pretty sad to watch. 

I also got a new job, which means new insurance, which means I have not had my anti depression medication, and I haven't found a new therapist yet. I have felt like crap for weeks, just a ball of sad and anxious. It sucks. 

That really sucks, @tennisgurl. I guess I can somewhat relate. I'm getting ready to move to a larger city, too...in another country...in another continent...where I don't speak the language or read their alphabet. Granted, it's only temporary, but the anxiety leading up to it isn't fun.

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2 hours ago, Curio said:

I'm getting ready to move to a larger city, too...in another country...in another continent...where I don't speak the language or read their alphabet. Granted, it's only temporary, but the anxiety leading up to it isn't fun.

I've done this four times, four and a half if you count moving to England (separated by a common language, etc). Try not to worry. It's scary at first, but you'd be surprised how much can be communicated with hand gestures, and most people are usually pretty nice. I'd suggest learning the words for 'hello,' 'goodbye,' 'thank you,' 'please,' 'excuse me,' 'please help me,' 'how much,' and if possible 'I'm sorry, I don't speak [language], do you speak English?' Also, try to find out if the hand gestures or body language cues are significantly different to US ones. For example, in China and Japan, people use different fingers for counting or indicating numbers. Little things like that can go a long way when you're trying to communicate. Once you get through the first few weeks, things become much less overwhelming and you'll start to develop a routine and feel more comfortable with things. 

 

Do you mind if I ask where you're moving?

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11 minutes ago, profdanglais said:

I've done this four times, four and a half if you count moving to England (separated by a common language, etc). Try not to worry. It's scary at first, but you'd be surprised how much can be communicated with hand gestures, and most people are usually pretty nice. I'd suggest learning the words for 'hello,' 'goodbye,' 'thank you,' 'please,' 'excuse me,' 'please help me,' 'how much,' and if possible 'I'm sorry, I don't speak [language], do you speak English?' Also, try to find out if the hand gestures or body language cues are significantly different to US ones. For example, in China and Japan, people use different fingers for counting or indicating numbers. Little things like that can go a long way when you're trying to communicate. Once you get through the first few weeks, things become much less overwhelming and you'll start to develop a routine and feel more comfortable with things. 

Wow, that's impressive! It helps that the person I'm staying with is fluent in English, but I still need to practice a lot more. I like the DuoLingo app, but it only teaches you random phrases like, "My mom is at home," or, "I like to eat honey." Those aren't exactly ideal survival phrases like the ones you listed.

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Do you mind if I ask where you're moving?

I don't mind! I'll shoot you a PM.

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Well, I cancelled my Vancouver reservation. When push came to shove I just couldn't shell out for the gold package and no reason to pay extra to go to Van if I'm not doing the tour.

I'll make reservations for Burbank in November. Gives me more time to save for it anyway.

I'm bummed I won't get together with everyone but real life trumps fan life. Perhaps I can take the kids to Disneyland next year. That's better than a one hour tour.

I will still get my passport in case my situation changes. But unlikely.

I'll still get my JMo and Colin pic.

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So, here's a little update on the driving test. I had to cancel my first appointment for it due to flooding. Then today I go in, and they tell me the document I brought for it was expired. (Even though the document had no markings on it saying it would ever expire.) Now I must complete an online course (again), take the written test after already having passed it, and schedule another appointment. I really hate dealing with this stuff, so as you can imagine I'm not too thrilled. I struggle with anxiety and the anticipation has been killing me. I have another week or so tacked on to deal with that.

Edited by KingOfHearts
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Oh, man, that sucks! I'm so sorry! What a hassle!

I did not have to parallel park for my driver's exam -- which is good, because I was never taught how to do it. One of my first days on the job, I had to go pick something up and had to parallel park. First time I ever tried and I got in on one perfect motion. The epitome of beginner's luck -- and it took me years before I could duplicate that feat! I have no idea how it happened.

When I took my driver's test, the car wouldn't start. They told me to go pull the car around, and I had to sheepishly walk back in and say that it wouldn't start. I was so embarrassed. Luckily somebody there went out and looked at it and it was just a wire had come loose, so I was still able to take the test. 

A friend's daughter failed because she couldn't drive backward for the required length. She ended up going to another city in the county where they don't require that. I find it utterly bizarre that two cities in the same county would have different requirements.

I think my driver's test must have been pretty lax. I simply had to drive for awhile and do a three-point turn.

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I spent some time in the TWOP archives tonight. You know what I don't miss? Tennison yelling at me for using initials, you know like BTS? Yes, I found a post she yelled at me about...

looks like I stopped lurking mid Oct 2013 and started posting. Not much. Still mostly read and liked.

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4 minutes ago, daxx said:

I spent some time in the TWOP archives tonight. You know what I don't miss? Tennison yelling at me for using initials, you know like BTS? Yes, I found a post she yelled at me about...

looks like I stopped lurking mid Oct 2013 and started posting. Not much. Still mostly read and liked.

As someone who has always preferred to use actor's initials over their first names (or in some cases having to make sure I am spelling their full name correctly), that is one rule I definitely do not miss! 

Edited by InsertWordHere
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I was against using acronyms for a while, but then I realized how impactful such a short phrase like TS;TW or REC can be. A&E, TLK, and OUAT are much quicker to type as well, but I find myself switching back and forth between typing out the full phrase and acronym-ing it based on how lazy I am in the moment.

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Once more, I am having fence issues.  A neighbor for a board I'm on asked to be invited to discuss boarder markers our organization put up to mark the property line.  He ranted at us for a good fifteen minutes, made very little sense, and explained that we should be relieved that he hadn't poisoned the trees or damaged/torn down the fence.  He even lied about the property history.  (I know.  I've been secretary/treasurer of the board for several years now, and was on the board for years before that.  My family makes regular inspections.)

At no point did he tell us that our markers were on his property.  He did, however, bring paperwork that he thought would change the boundaries to his advantage.  They did not.  It actually increased our property by 1500 feet.  He stomped away twice and came back to say something else before actually leaving.

I don't get people.

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Just got back from seeing Deepwater Horizon. Absolutely f*cking brutal to watch; can't imagine having to live through it, or deal with the aftermath. Great job, though, movie-wise. Kurt Russell and Mark Whalberg were amazing.

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So I've officially moved from The Midwest to Eastern Europe. I'm only here for a few months, but it's still a culture shock. The architecture is gorgeous and the people are friendly, but...I really miss my American television shows lol. (Priorities, right?) To any European (or anyone outside the U.S.) posters here: how do you access watching this show so quickly? I could always fish around for some illegal links, but if some of you have better options feel free to give advice! It feels weird to be so behind on this discussion board even if it's only been about a week.

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19 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

Is there a way to preview posts before posting?

There's a little icon with a magnifying glass in the options that allows you to preview your post.

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Still have a while to wait before I can watch tonight's episode.  But you know it's gonna be "good" when the Continuity thread lights up, LOL.  Hook centrics tend to be better written so I will keep HOPE going.  I have faith that making myself read "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" will really pay off tonight.  

Edited by Camera One
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I'm so excited that I just have to share. Hubby gave me my anniversary present today (a few days early, but I'm not complaining) It's a red leather jacket!

He knows I've been looking for one and why, so he went on Amazon and looked up Emma Swan leather jacket (why didn't I think of that?). He's even going to watch the show with me tonight, so it better not be a crappy one.

The funny part was when he told me that he wants me to wear it 'tonight', with no idea how loaded that statement was (he never watches the show).
 

Edited by Jul 68
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2 hours ago, Jul 68 said:

He's even going to watch the show with me tonight, so it better not be a crappy one.
 

Okay.  I'm being nosy.  (Almost sorry.)

But . . . did he like the episode?  

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I mentioned the "Hookalike" guy in my choir, who could pass as Colin's younger, slightly taller, bass instead of tenor brother (turns out, his family is of Irish descent, so that explains the looks). Well, last night, he was wearing black skinny jeans and a black shirt, which added to the effect. Since he's a doctoral student in music, our choir director is having him direct one of the pieces we're doing, so he was conducting in part of the rehearsal. I take off my glasses for choir rehearsals because the way my vision is, I can read the music better that way, and my distance vision isn't so bad that I can't see the director. He's just slightly blurred. That slight blur was enough to turn this guy in his outfit that looked like you'd expect Storybrooke Hook to look like without the vest and leather jacket into Hook, to the point that it was a little disconcerting to look up from my music to the conductor and see that he had a left hand.

To top it off, his wife is a pretty blonde. They could totally go as Hook and Emma for Halloween.

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I was wondering why the Belle/Rumple relationship feels so familiar and then I realized that WE ARE BELLE.  We always get burned by this show, yet we come back to it over and over, frustrated since it has the potential to be good, even though it is never realized, and eternally hoping it would change even though it never does. 

Edited by Camera One
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So, I live in that part of the Northern Plains that got rain and then heavy snow last night.  (It's still snowing, and is supposed to keep snowing for the next 36 or so hours.)  I tried to go to work, but my car is literally stuck in the driveway.  

I'm so relieved; it's like God decided that I shouldn't leave my house today.  

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3 hours ago, Souris said:

I think we need to collectively find a new show to talk about. I don't see ever watching Once again but I don't want to lose seeing posts by you fine and intelligent people!

 

I was just thinking about this. Even though I really don't like much about OUAT at the moment, I still love the discussions here. I'm enjoying Westworld a lot, but not to the extent where I feel the need to read up on every spoiler, every cast interview, and dissect everything about it online every week like I do with OUAT. It'll be hard to find another show I'll become this obsessed about.

In the meantime, maybe I'll finally get around to posting weekly OUAT Offscreenville comics every Sunday night to make up for the lack of quality we're currently getting.

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Westworld is amazing, but the wait for the next season is like a year, and most of the questions raised in S1 were answered. But, yeah--it's a fantastic show.

I have the same issue with OUAT. I still want to participate in the forums and tumblr, but I kinda also want to stop watching the Show. We'll see how I feel in March, I suppose.

Edited by Rumsy4
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The Magicians is pretty good, and will be starting up during the mid-season hiatus. I read the first book years ago and didn't like it much (I thought it was way too derivative of Harry Potter and Narnia without doing anything to really put a new spin on it), but I liked the series. I thought the writers of the TV version did a good job of adapting the books into something that worked better. I recently went back and reread the first book, and liked it better though I still feel like it's derivative. Then I read the rest of the series, and I liked the second book a lot (even if part of the plot is almost exactly Voyage of the Dawn Treader -- at least file the serial numbers off, please). I'm almost done with the third book. That series gives a lot to dissect in the series itself and in the comparison to the books.

I'm not sure I can entirely quit this show, though. There are characters I really like, and I want to see what happens to them. And I get a lot of fun (and ideas, and learn a lot about writing) from analyzing where they went wrong and from trying to fix it. I did find myself saying repeatedly last night "I wish I could quit you."

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I've been having a lot of fun with Timeless. It's not great art, but there's quality snark to be had, and so far at least the characters are somewhat consistent. On the other hand, there's not much to dig into for discussion.

I tried Dirk Gently, but in spite of being a Douglas Adams fan, I just couldn't with this adaptation. It was aggressively unpleasant and I realized I wasn't enjoying myself, so I gave myself permission to stop.

There's not much of anything right now that I like enough that I feel compelled to discuss it with others. With this show, it's not just the show itself, but the overall fairy tale/literature angle, plus the contemporary-set fantasy, and other stuff that sets it firmly in my wheelhouse. Watching and discussing it almost count as "work" for me.

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