Small Talk: Chili's

[frenchtoast]

Yay for sturdy houses!

 

Pixel, office support/manager type stuff for a smallish business. Answering phones, scheduling, filing. There's an accountant that comes in monthly, but tracking that stuff too. Office stuff. Good people, awesome place--they do custom closet and storage. I'm so thrilled! It'll be a bit of an adjustment for me and the kids not being home, but I know we'll be fine.

[King of Birds]

Throwing a softball for LL to reply to.  Hey peeps, a reminder that Boxtrolls comes out tomorrow! Wake the kids and phone the neighbors...

[Kalliste]

YAY, congrats FT.

 

My bf and I went for a jog last night.. first time ever together and I've never seen him jog so that's good.

 

We also bought some fruit from the markets yesterday and he had weetbix, banana and honey for breakfast so I guess he is really over the current chocolate binge.

[Kalliste]

Aww, I love the Lulu story, I'm glad you were able to take her home and get her healthy again.

 

We very rarely had Pringles in our house either, I don't really like the texture of them anyway so it never bothered me. The one think I loved that we never had were croissants.. until I grew older and got a job I always thought they were very expensive and were this treat we could only sometimes afford.. turns out my Mum just didn't really like them :P

[MichelleAK]

How often do you have earthquakes in Alaska? All that is ever really talked about is the OMG!California!!! earthquakes.

 

 

Multiple times every day.  I just checked the Alaska Earthquake Info Center website, and we have had more than 90 (yes, ninety) so far today, starting at 12:06am.  Most are tiny, of course, and not noticeable, but we have very frequent activity.  It's probably similar for California and other earthquake-prone areas.  

[Glory]

Awww! I want to see a picture of LuLu!

 

Yes, Ikar, I'm pretty cheapy when it comes to grocery shopping. I do most of my shopping at Aldi since it's better priced but they don't carry everything so when I have to go into a regular grocery store my eyes bug out of my head. 

[Pixel]

But Pixel, do you eat the cookie part too, or just the inside?

 

Yes, KOB (I almost called you IKAR), I eat the cookie too. I usually take 3 of them, scrape the inside out from all three with my teeth.  Once I'm done enjoying the inside, I eat the cookies.

 

I have a few weird little eating rituals. Like, for Twinkies - I always take the whole top off, then lick out the cream on the inside (which probably says a little something about me, eh?) and then eat the sponge cake.  I also eat only the tops of pizza and eat the top of cheesecake first and then if I feel like it, the graham cracker crust.  Oh, and I dip Orville Redenbacher Movie Theater Butter popcorn in homemade ranch dressing.

[King of Birds]

Yes, Ikar, I'm pretty cheapy...

Yes, KOB (I almost called you IKAR)

What's with you guys? I am The King of Birds! Hear me roar!

 

Pixel:

Twinkies - that says something.

Pizza - but a good crust is yummy

Cheesecake - eh

Popcorn in ranch - you're terrible

 

BTW the Lulu story is fantastic, thanks for sharing.

Edited September 26, 2014 by King of Birds

[Too Late Kev]

I agree with the King of Winged Flying Creatures that the Lulu story is fantastic.

[Glory]

Ha! I didn't even realize I did that. Sorry King of Birds!

[smrou]

I have a few weird little eating rituals.

I have a few, too, though I don't know how weird they are.  I'm sure I've shared here about a couple.  Like how with a Kit Kat I eat the ends off first, then the sides, then I take apart the layers of the middle part and eat one layer at a time.  

 

Related to eating rituals, a couple years ago I was talking to some students about Skittles (no, I don't know why--probably one of them was eating some while I was walking around checking homework) and what our favorite and least favorite flavors are.  One student seemed surprised that anyone would have a favorite flavor because she just figured they're all the same.  She always ate them by taking a handful (mixed colors) and popping them all in her mouth.  

 

My reaction to this method of eating Skittles was much stronger than is rational.  I was basically horrified.  Just thinking of eating Skittles that way made me feel all twitchy.  Somehow it had never even occurred to me before then that anyone would eat Skittles without separating them by color.

 

[i've probably told that story before, too.]

[possibilities]

I have never eaten a Skittle in my life, but I have always assumed they were eaten by the handful. On the other hand, I would never eat M&Ms that way.

 

Congrats on the job, Frenchtoast!

 

I want to see the Lulu pictures, too!

[smrou]

I have never eaten a Skittle in my life, but I have always assumed they were eaten by the handful. On the other hand, I would never eat M&Ms that way.

I would never eat M&Ms that way either, but at least I can make sense of it since they're all the same flavor.  But not Skittles.  Never Skittles.  

 

Also, I happened to have Skittles yesterday during a professional development thing at work and discovered that the green ones are now green apple.  And not a good version (I sometimes like apple flavored candies) but a gross version.  This really screwed me up because my method of eating Skittles is to line up each color and stack the lines from longest to shortest and then I eat the longest lines until they're all even and then I eat by color from least to most favorite flavor.  I'd put green as third favorite, but now that it's changed it's officially my least favorite.  But I didn't know that until I'd already eaten orange and yellow.  Reflavoring it messed up my eating ritual!

 

[Yes, I know I'm crazy.]

[Too Late Kev]

I split Skittles into two piles -- "Red & Purple" and "Other." I eat the "Red & Purple" (2 at a time, not mixing colors) and get some fool to eat the "Others." So, no, I have no idea what you people are talking about in terms of weird little eating rituals. I'm extremely normal.

[smrou]

Heh.  I eat all of them, but eating the greens, oranges, and yellows is basically just killing time before I get to the good stuff: the reds and purples.  Except I might not eat the greens anymore.  They suck now.

Edited September 26, 2014 by smrou

[Kalliste]

I recently started eating skittles one by one.. a coworker had a jar of 'skittles' which translates to a jar of mixed skittles and m&ms. Accidentally eating an m&m and a skittle together is not fun.. which was exactly his point, for the laughs...

 

I like all skittles, but purple are best... and sour ones mmm!

 

I can't imagine eating cheesecake and leaving behind the crust.. sometimes it's the part I like most.

[Kalliste]

Do you have email set up on your blackberry? You should be able to email the photos to yourself.. also not knowing anything about blackberry's, if they have micro usb - usb charging you should also be able to plug it directly into your computer, it might also have a SD card in it that you might be able to slot into your computer.

 

Lastly, they probably have bluetooth, if your computer has bluetooth you could also transfer that way :)

[LiberryLady]

Throwing a softball for LL to reply to.  Hey peeps, a reminder that Boxtrolls comes out tomorrow! Wake the kids and phone the neighbors...

 

Even though I'm crazy-busy with student teaching, I saw it last night, at an early showing! Loved it!!

[Pixel]

I have a few, too, though I don't know how weird they are. I'm sure I've shared here about a couple. Like how with a Kit Kat I eat the ends off first, then the sides, then I take apart the layers of the middle part and eat one layer at a time.

Ahem. You can add me to KitKats Anonymous. I do this too.

[King of Birds]

Y'all are weird with your cookie and Skittles / candy eating.

By the way I have never had Skittles. Ever. 

 

I have made it known to the boys that when we have him stuffed, the phone will be placed in his hand, in talk position.

Put a wifi connection in the corner of the casket, so if - god forbid- he's just in a deep sleep, he can call you to get him out.

 

Wait... "when you have him stuffed"???   <slowly backs out of thread>

[Too Late Kev]

A figure of speech...that no one's ever heard before?

[Glory]

Purple skittles are of the devil. I will not eat them in a movie theater because it is dark and you might accidentally get a purple skittle and then DIE! 

 

Gross. 

 

My sister's wedding is Saturday. I have been the wedding planner for the last year. I can't wait for this wedding to be OVER. CANNOT WAIT. Giant Italian weddings with 100's of people are exhausting to plan. 

[smrou]

Has anyone watched any new shows yet?

I actually have, even though I still have episodes of some shows from last year sitting on my DVR (I'm way behind on The Good Wife, for example) and I have way too much work to do to be wasting time with TV. 

 

Shows I've Watched (and my reactions):

Madame Secretary (meh--won't continue to watch)

Red Band Society (ditto)

How to Get Away With Murder (entertaining and interesting, but super overdramatic, which is to be expected--will probably give it at least 5 episodes)

Black-ish (enjoyable--I'll probably keep watching it)

Transparent (different since it's on Amazon--I've watched the whole season now and I liked it a lot)

 

More exciting than any new shows, though, is Brooklyn Nine Nine, which came back last night.  And was awesome, as usual.

Edited September 29, 2014 by smrou

[Kalliste]

No new new shows for me. Just continuing on with Doctor Who, Gravity Falls and now I'm caught up on The Big Bang Theory so watching the new eps of that as well.

[MichelleAK]

The only new show I'm currently watching is Gotham.  I also plan to watch The Affair when it begins in a couple of weeks.  I'll probably watch Gracepoint, but since it's rumored to be practically a carbon-copy of Broadchurch, I may not keep watching unless they do a really good job.

[Pixel]

I haven't seen Broadchurch. It doesn't seem to be available on Netflix. I much prefer Tennant with his accent, so I'm really bummed about that, but I'll watch Gracepoint because I love him.  I did hear they changed the ending for Gracepoint, but since I don't know the ending for either I couldn't comment much more on that.

 

Speaking of Netflix, I recently accompanied a friend to Mexico for surgery. The hospital had crappy TV offerings, but free wi-fi, so I was trying to entertain myself with Netflix.  Imagine my dismay when I found that some of my shows that were on US Netflix were NOT on Netflix Mexico.  I felt very deprived when my series' were not available, most notably Lost Girl.

[EllieH]

I haven't really jumped into any of the new shows yet, but I did binge watch the first season of Orphan Black and loved it.  On to the second season now!

[smrou]

Oh, I'm sort of envious, EllieH.  I miss Orphan Black and there won't be more to watch for so long!

[frenchtoast]

I don't know that I'll watch Gracepoint. I saw Broadchurch on BBCAmerica and if they changed the ending, I would not be happy. Also, it was not a very cheerful show. I would still be a little irate if they changed the ending, though I would suppose it would depend on how it was changed.

[Glory]

I watched Selfie last night and... no. John Cho! What are you doing to me? WHY do you make such terrible televsion choices? I watched all of Flash Forward too! Grr... 

 

It's so bad I don't think I can watch anymore. Why can't he join up with Agents of Shield and run around looking fine and killing people? I'd watch that show!

[King of Birds]

I like that Glory was expecting more from a TV show called "Selfie."
 

I would still be a little irate if they changed the ending, though I would suppose it would depend on how it was changed.

It's funny because I didn't catch Broadchurch, but expressed interest in Gracepoint to a friend. She said "well, if they change the end that would be good."  That starts tomorrow night I think. I hit that for the DVR.

 

Oh man, I binge-watched Orphan Black S1 about halfway thru S2, and then was thrilled to start in on season two. Now, it's just waiting- the hardest part Tom Petty sez.  Lucky EllieH, I mean, Trish, for catching onto that show.

 

and now I'm caught up on The Big Bang Theory so watching the new eps of that as well.

I caught the most recent one, and it just bugged me that someone- even non athletic like Howard- could practice throwing and get worse instead of better. A 4 yr old can stand still and if the kid is so inclined to learn, throw better.  Anyhow- I'm just curious why you "caught up" on it. Is it not rerun to death Down Under?

Edited October 1, 2014 by King of Birds

[Too Late Kev]

I had really low expectations for Selfie (I think they put all the worst stuff in the commercials, for once) and I actually liked it. Karen Gillan 's accent would sometimes try to come out, but other than that, it was kind of almost charming. I like Scorpion, even though the cases are pretty ridiculous. I'm enjoying Forever, and I thought the first Gotham was quite good.

 

I liked Madam Secretary and will keep watching for a while. It might lose me after a while, though.

 

stewedsquash, there's no expression about having someone stuffed. That's why I said "...that no one's ever heard of before." ;) You had scared poor King of Birds (he's very delicate!), so I thought some levity was needed. :)

 

An Ohio artist who makes things from discarded books...plus she's a former TWoP Office Denizen.

Edited October 1, 2014 by Too Late Kev

[Kalliste]

I caught the most recent one, and it just bugged me that someone- even non athletic like Howard- could practice throwing and get worse instead of better. A 4 yr old can stand still and if the kid is so inclined to learn, throw better.  Anyhow- I'm just curious why you "caught up" on it. Is it not rerun to death Down Under?

I have no idea, I don't watch anything on regular tv.. I 'caught up' because I stopped watching it about season 4/5 and it was my bf's choice for watching a show (we alternate and then marathon whatever it is from the beginning.. that being said TBBT took nearly 2 months of after work/weekend watching.. currently we're watching Avatar: The Last Airbender") and he chose that because he hadn't seen a lot of it. I would have been ok never seeing anymore of it, it has gone down hill a lot since I last watched and my mind is boggled as to how it was renewed for 3 years.

[possibilities]

I'm behind on TV and forums because of life exploding. Too much going on, and not much that was expected or able to be delayed. So of course the TV habit suffers.

 

I did catch "black-ish" and I like it a lot. I also saw "Selfie" and thought it was waaaay better than expected, which might be because I expected it to be shiiiit. But my DVR is going to choke on itself if I don't empty it soon, because I'm not keeping up with old or new lately. Oh, I remember I did try Scorpion on a break from the what ifs; I like the idea of it but I think the writing is just terrible. And I watched The Good Wife and give it my "I liked the show before and I still like it" seal of approval. I still haven't watched the finale of Skin Wars or about five other new shows I was planning to sample. I find it's easier for me to watch short stuff or returning stuff than new shows or long stuff when I'm extra busy. I keep falling asleep during shows I know I like, like Key and Peele and The Daily Show.

I hope things settle down and my concentration comes back before Elementary returns. Been looking forward to that.

 

Good thing: we've had the rare very late frost (hasn't happened yet)-- usually everything's dead and frozen by 9/15 and we're still going strong. So we have brilliant fall foliage at the same time as full bloom summer flowers that are usually gone by the time the leaves get going. It's been super gorgeous outside.

 

I never thought of stuffing the family. But people stuff animals, so now I'm imagining what it would be like to go to someone's house and see their grandma's head sticking out of the wall above the fireplace, or to have all the relatives sitting full-body in taxidermied glory in the "family room." JD and Turk had "Rowdy" the dog. What if they'd had JD's dad stuffed and Rowdy and Dad could keep each other company when JD and Turk went to work? Why has no one ever written a book or made a movie or TV show where this happens? Get on it right away, Miss Havisham, please!

 

Anyone have a good salsa verde recipe? I had a lot of tomatillos in my garden this year and I have to either freeze them or make sauce fast before they rot.

[King of Birds]

so now I'm imagining what it would be like to go to someone's house and see their grandma's head sticking out of the wall above the fireplace, or to have all the relatives sitting full-body in taxidermied glory in the "family room."

For. The. Win.  This is what popped in my head after stewedsquash's post! 

 

Edit: And better yet... Grandma's head ... and HER CELL PHONE CURIOUSLY DANGLING A HALF INCH AWAY FROM HER EAR! Because that's what we all look like now.

 

I'm copyrighting ALL these ideas.

Edited October 2, 2014 by King of Birds

[Glory]

Oh, I did tape a couple episodes of Forever. I'm going to wait until after my sister's wedding (ON SATURDAY) to catch up on tv shows. I do like Ioan Gruffudd. 

 

I watched the pilot of Gotham and liked it. I didn't get around to the second episode yet. 

[Too Late Kev]

The second episode of Gotham repeats Friday night, 9 PM Eastern time. Same thing happens next week, and hopefully thereafter, because there's nothing else I watch in that time-frame at the moment. That will change whenever Grimm starts,which I just looked up and is 10/24. So at that point, I'll have to figure out what I want to do. No DVR here, although I know there's hulu and all that stuff. I just don't enjoy watching shows on my computer.

[sacrebleu]

I love Ioan Gruffold, but I couldn't get into Forever. I'm sort of over shows where the lead's intellect/powers of observation are practically a super-power 

 

I did like Gotham, though, and I'll probably watch The Flash, 'cause I'm a dork like that.

 

Glory have a good time at your sister's wedding. My sister's is the 25th-- so October is a crazy busy month. My sister is pretty low key as a bride, much to the frustration of the groom's sister. She called me the other day to ask about getting the key card for the newlywed's hotel room so we can decorate it with rose petals and champagne. Do people usually do that? Outside of the movies I mean? And why would I take part? That's my little sister she wants to 'set the mood for' and her brother.

 

that's just a little weird right? Or am I being a lousy maid of honor for not even thinking about that?

[Kalliste]

I have basically 0 knowledge of weddings but my understanding that preparing the married couples bed is a thing.

[frenchtoast]

I did not have a hotel room--got married at my home and just stayed :)--but if I did have one I would have been beyond pissed if someone put rose petals in my room. What a way to not know me at all and impose what you like on me. Because in this case, it is the thought that counts and they would have only been thinking of themselves and what they like. In short, if it's something your sister wouldn't want/doesn't like, don't do it. It's her wedding, not your sisters future SIL's.

[Kalliste]

I didn't really think about it in that regard FT but agree with you. While I think it is something that is done (although maybe not petals and things, maybe some champagne and chocolates) but if you think your sister won't enjoy it then I'd say no.

 

I've heard of some stories where people go into their rooms and trash/wreck them.. not even sure why you'd do it. But it's considered a wedding night joke, referred to on this forum thread:
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/a233673-ideas-for-wedding-night-room-jokes

[smrou]

that's just a little weird right? Or am I being a lousy maid of honor for not even thinking about that?

I think it's a little weird.  My sister got married in July and I was her maid of honor and it never occurred to me to do anything like that.  And I would not have wanted to.  And I doubt she would have wanted me to either.  

 

 

Now I'm getting ready for my friend's wedding two weeks from Sunday.  I'm one of her bridesmaids and there hasn't been much I've had to do, but the bachelorette is the night before the wedding and is at my house and I've been planning that with two other people and it's been kind of a pain.  Just mostly in terms of communicating with people on different schedules and in different places.  And I had to make a bunch of phone calls to arrange things and making phone calls is super stressful to me.  Like feeling sick to my stomach and losing sleep kind of stressful (yeah, my phone anxiety might be a bit out of control).  And I've got to get my house in shape to host the party, which I don't really have time to do but will have to manage somehow.  Other than that I've got a wedding rehearsal to go to the week of the wedding, and a dance rehearsal the day before the wedding (they're doing the Dirty Dancing dance so a bunch of us bridesmaids and friends need to participate as the group that dances up behind Johnny) and that's pretty much it. 

 

Oh, and I haven't heard anything about decorating the hotel room for the couple.  But at least in that case I'd be setting up for my friends rather than my sister, so I wouldn't find it as weird.  

Edited October 3, 2014 by smrou

[Too Late Kev]

I wouldn't want to have someone set up my hotel room (and I'd have words for the hotel management if they let someone in my hotel room). I'd refuse to do that kind of thing to anyone else and would encourage others not to, either. It's weird.

[King of Birds]

they're doing the Dirty Dancing dance so a bunch of us bridesmaids and friends need to participate as the group

smrou's on my list for making me look this up on youtube and seeing how many fraking versions of this have happened at weddings.

 

 

It seems that John is very friendly with high profile actors.

He probably asks them a buncha questions, like what it's like to be lead actor in a big movie. Stuff like that.

[Kalliste]

smrou, why do you have phone anxiety?

Because phones are scary!

 

I have worked in help desk/service desk for 10 years and I still hate talking on the phone outside of work. I hate the feeling that you don't know if someone will answer or not and what will they say if they do.. and what happens if you have to leave a voice mail! I hate leaving voice mail :P Granted I am a bit better at it now after buying a house and having to call real estate/mortage broker a lot.

[Too Late Kev]

I had my mom make appointments with the doctor for quite some time, until I finally had a doctor near my apartment instead of in my home town. So...maybe a few years after college? I'm better now...mostly. ;)

[smrou]

smrou, why do you have phone anxiety?

I don't think there's a reason for it.  I just do.

 

Granted I am a bit better at it now after buying a house and having to call real estate/mortage broker a lot.

When I decided to start house hunting for real and had to call a realtor--someone I'd known for years, incidentally, because I used to babysit for her kids--it took me weeks to build up the courage to make the call.  A couple times when I was trying to get myself to dial I felt so stressed about it that I started to cry.  And before I actually made the call I wrote out a little script for myself.  

 

I'm really a mostly emotionally stable and well-adjusted person, but something about phone calls, man.  I just can't handle them. 

[possibilities]

I think the Steve Carrell movie is "Alexander and the no good very bad day"-- it seems to be based on the book of similar title, at least.

 

Speaking of jetpack alternatives, how about hoverboards? They were featured on the "A to Z" premiere I sampled. Btw, I love that if I search for "A to Z" on my DirecTV program search function, it pops up as "to Z, A".

[Kalliste]

I have a bunch of 'firsts' or 'haven't done in a whiles' this week, I'm getting a bit nervous about them. I'll be alone in my place for the first time since moving in for about 5 nights. My place makes strange noises (like any place) that I'm not all that used to yet. I'll be having a job interview on Tuesday afternoon for the first time in a while. I'll be catching the airport shuttle buses in both my city and Melbourne, which I've never done before. I'll be catching a flight (or 2) by myself. I'll be wandering/exploring a city I haven't been to in a long time by myself.

 

I can't believe it's so much in one week, it's a bit scary but I'm sure it'll be fine.

[King of Birds]

is it possible that a drone will replace jetpack dreams?

Speaking of jetpack alternatives, how about hoverboards?

A drone is a small robotic plane multi-rotor type of flying contraption. How would that replace a device meant to lift off and carry a human where he/she wants to go?

 

I did not watch A to Z. I can't imagine hoverboards being as effective. (*Effective IF they can get jetpacks going as an actual thing) Hoverboards that can lift you more than 3 inches off the ground? We'll see.

 

I know- you set off the "jetpack" beacon and here I come running. I may just have to ignore the bat-signal next time.