Small Talk: Chili's

[Glory]

Bummer about the forums. I still read through the watercooler thread occasionally.

I bought a new washing machine after the poop barf incident. It's glorious. You guys, it plays music when it's done washing!

I'm hosting Easter at our new house this year and I'm super excited! What are everyone's Easter plans?

[MMLEsq]

In this announcement by TWoP Pembleton it says the forums will not be available even in archived form.  

Bummer....   sometimes, when I was having one of "those" days at work, I would randomly pick some spot in the middle of The Watercooler thread and read about how bad/ridiculous other people's jobs/offices were and usually I would be laughing so much that I would soon feel a lot better about my own job.

[dread pirate]

Yeah, I'll miss the forums, especially the GoT forums. Some of the speculation from fellow book walkers about future plots were amazing.

Thanks for the dog tips. I'm going to be researching dog walker/doggy day care options. Got to make sure the pup is taken care of. I'm thinking I'll probably try to get a dog in August/Sept. I'll need to take time off to help the pup get acclimated.

I don't know how to schedule that along with my annual US Open trip (this year will mark ten years of glorious tennis trips). My best friend and I are also talking about the French Open next year. I want to see Nadal on clay before his knees give out.

[smrou]

It's here.

[MichelleAK]

I'm hosting Easter at our new house this year and I'm super excited! What are everyone's Easter plans?

 

We're going out for an early dinner to one of my favorite restaurants.  It's been awhile since I've been there, so I'm looking forward to it. It will be pricey, but really not much more than what I normally contribute to the family dinner we usually have at my sister's place.

[Pixel]

I'm going to my brother's house for Easter. He has a huge place. We tease him and call it his estate, because it has a motorized gate at the end of the driveway.  And 5 garages. And an in-ground pool.  Among other things. Luckily, he lives close enough to me for me to enjoy the spoils of his wealth, so you can bet I'll be sunning by the huge salt water pool this summer.

I've been going back and forth between this and TWOP to try to keep up with my shows and be prepared to move all discussion over here, and what I'm noticing is a perponderance of people posting the exact same comments in both places. That's gotten pretty annoying because I end up rereading the same things.  I guess it's just something I have to live with until TWOP forums are gone.

[King of Birds]

Just was noticing-- they have a messenger /PM thing up near my name.  So it's like Previously has become twop.

sunning by the huge salt water pool

Salt water? Really? Is this normal?

Edited April 15, 2014 by King of Birds

[Pixel]

Salt water? Really? Is this normal?

 

It's becoming more common. It's much easier to keep your pool balanced this way, because you don't need the other chemicals. My brother just dumped in however much salt was needed and never has to do any other maintenance to keep the chemical balance except to add water. When the water evaporates, the salt stays behind, so you never have to add any. Of course, you have to make sure you have the proper setup and equipment, but it's awesome. You don't feel all dried out and squeaky when you get out, and your eyes don' t get red and irritated.

I just got back from getting my new RGP lenses. I've been having vision issues and was trying soft lenses for a few weeks, but because of previous eye surgeries they weren't working for me. Boy, RGP lenses are an adventure! To be fair, I've actually worn them a total of about a half hour so far, and I know it's going to take several days for them to fit properly and for me to get used to them. Keep your fingers crossed for clear vision for me moving forward!

Edited April 15, 2014 by Pixel

[frenchtoast]

Crossing my fingers! I'm too lazy to go the contacts route and still wear glasses. I got new frames last week, and they were too tight. So I went and had them adjusted and they still feel too tight. But I like that they don't slip off. I'm torn between having them adjusted again or just dealing with it. The problem is that it hurts in the morning like a bruise when I put them on. I guess that answers my question.

[possibilities]

What kind of music does the washing machine play? And do you get to choose?

I love the idea of a pool that uses salt instead of chlorine!

I'm sad abut the TWoP archives, to. Someone needs to by them from NBCU and make them available.

I am happy PMs are now available here, too. The announcement thread here is quite the hopping place, news all the time.

frenchtoast, is there a happy medium where your glasses will stay on but not be pinchy? I would think bruises are a bit too much. I am squeamish about my eyes, though, and I understand why you can't wear contacts. The idea of sticking something in my eye on purpose fills me with profound horror. Good luck with yours, Pixel! I don't really know anything about RGP lenses, but whatever they are, I hope they work for you!

[bethbox]

I have sort of the opposite problem, frenchtoast. I got new glasses and they fit okay until my face gets oily/sweaty and then they start sliding down my nose. But I think if i get them adjusted again, they'll start hurting my ears. New glasses can be such a pain.

I know we talked about books a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to recommend a series to my fellow YA readers - the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (no relation to Stephanie, as far as I know). It's got all my most favorite things - somewhat dystopian future, science fiction, and each book is loosely based on a fairy tale! I swear, it was written just for me. If you like any/all of those things, you should check it out! Although fair warning - the next book doesn't come out until next February, which is toooooo long!

[King of Birds]

Figures bethbox is the death chicken.  I should've signed on over here immediately and claimed some twop names. I coulda made a fortune selling "bethbox" to Linda in Minnesota!

What kind of music does the washing machine play? And do you get to choose?

You need to answer this Glory.  You got Method Man singing "party in the mosh pit" or some Dead Or Alive on the 1s and 2s?

Edited April 18, 2014 by King of Birds

[dread pirate]

 

What kind of music does the washing machine play? And do you get to choose?

What? "Dirty Laundry" too obvious? what about "The Laundromat Song"

[bethbox]

Well KoB, I'm sure that if you DID sell my username to Linda in MN, she would have signed up with my email address and I'd have been able to post anyway!

[Glory]

Ha! It plays a jaunty little tube that my husband says sounds like the washing machine is leveling up!

[King of Birds]

 <<<< ~~~ wavy lines means this takes place in the future ~~~ >>>> 

"Honey, let's go see a movie. What do you want to see, The Nest, or Star Wars Episode 7: Buckets o' Cash"?

"Hmm. This isn't like one of those, 'does my ass look fat in these jeans' type of situations, is it?"

Good luck to Amy and Tina!

[bethbox]

Yay, Amy and Tina! I think the answer to that question is, "double feature!"

[King of Birds]

Double feature?  That's like answering "French toast"  to the question "Would you rather have pancakes or waffles?"

 

BTW, Did LiberryLady and I pretty much kill "Lukes" with too much TWSS?

[frenchtoast]

Heeeeyyyyy!

[possibilities]

I was staying out of Luke's in deference to the Grand Finale of TWSS-- I thought we all wanted the last words to be epic.

[King of Birds]

Deference to a TWSS!! Ha!  Twop's open for another month, do as you wish.  I fully intend to post a missive about Jetpacks before I'm done there.

 

eta.

frenchtoast- I did not mean to demean your handle. But my sister did exactly as I described, I sent her a comic (see the P&R chat thread if you're so inclined) with the pancakes/waffles query and she replied "french toast." I verbally abused her about that this weekend.

 

Continuing on the idea of yummy foods, have y'all ever tried to make cake pops? A few friends of mine "liked" a cakepop shop here in LA and I was checking it out and I think this is what I'm sending my Mom this year instead of See's.  Of course I WANT ONE NOW.

Edited April 29, 2014 by King of Birds

[frenchtoast]

I know, I know, king of birds. It's just a tic for me now when I see/hear french toast. Even when I've ordered them myself.

 

Cake pops? Eh. Not my thing. Crostini wants to make them--I think it involves baking a caking and then crumbling it up, adding frosting to the crumbs, rolling that mixture into a ball and than frosting that. Personally, I'd rather the regular cake, and this is coming from someone who will eat frosting out of a container.

 

Apropos of nothng, I saw this today and it spoke to me. I remember when I first heard the word rhetoric and had no idea it was that word. Thought I'd share my friends here. Also, I'm the type to immediately, but nicely, correct usage. (And sadly, I only got 11 out of 18. Yikes.) Pronounciation is my formidable enemy, though, so I always welcome correction.

 

Because there's a big difference between thought and though.

Edited April 29, 2014 by frenchtoast

[MichelleAK]

Cake pops? Squishing leftover cake into balls and dunking them in runny icing? Bleck. If someone makes a pie pop, then I will be impressed.

 

 

Yeah, I don't get the cake pops thing either, unless it's for a party of 5 year olds.  Plus, the ones I've seen are obnoxiously overpriced for what you get.  I love cake, but just give me a normal cake slice, or a cupcake. 

 

I think if someone gave me cake pops instead of Sees, I'd be annoyed. But then, Sees are pretty much my fave chocolates, so I'm biased in that regard.

[possibilities]

I never heard of cake pops before now. I must have been living a sheltered life. They look fun, to me. But I am always up for a food experiment.

 

To be honest, I like French toast more than pancakes or waffles, but when King of Birds posed the question, I was obedient and followed the rules. Though in reality, I am more like Ron in my breakfast preferences, than I am like Leslie. I will eat me a hefty pile of eggs and sausage more often than I will eat pancakes or other carb-heavy menus alone. Cave Woman likes protein!

 

I also scored 11 out of 18 on the vocabulary test. Most of my mistakes were words I had literally never seen before, or ones with multiple meanings and I chose one instead of the "more of the above" options. My general idea about words is if you see it once, you can look it up and then know. But if you never saw it before and it doesn't have obvious roots or components, and there's no context in the usage (it's just randomly there, not in a sentence) how are you to know?

[smrou]

Cake pops? Squishing leftover cake into balls and dunking them in runny icing? Bleck. If someone makes a pie pop, then I will be impressed.

I got cake pops at Starbucks a couple of times a while back--the tiramisu flavor--and thought they were great. 

 

lus, the ones I've seen are obnoxiously overpriced for what you get.

Yeah, they're no bargain, which is one reason I haven't had one in a long time.  I might try making them sometime for a party or other event because I do think they're good and might be fun to make.

 

I like French toast more than pancakes or waffles

Ditto.  

 

I got 12/18 on the vocab quiz, but two were lucky guesses.  On the other, in one case I knew the word but just chose the first one (since I knew it was right) because I wasn't paying enough attention to notice that "all of the above" was an option.  So I give myself 11/18.

[King of Birds]

etc etc ... from a pig picking I went to this weekend.

Excuse me? A pig picking?  First I didn't know about cake pops, now this.

 

I will eat me a hefty pile of eggs and sausage more often than I will eat pancakes or other carb-heavy menus alone

+ 1

[King of Birds]

Just because.

[Pixel]

That video is too cute. 

 

Cake pops. Love to look at them, hate to eat them. They are too sweet for me, and I love sweet stuff.  It's like cake balled up with frosting to stick it together and then dipped in coating. 

 

Now...an Edible Arrangement of mostly chocolate dipped pineapples and strawberries would make me very happy.

[EllieH]

 

I was staying out of Luke's in deference to the Grand Finale of TWSS-- I thought we all wanted the last words to be epic.

 

Wow, that's going to be hard.  Do you really think you can go all month long?  I mean, you always left me satisfied and smiling....

 

I'd like to welcome myself back after I finally got the internet set up at my new place!  Pancakes (or eggs and bacon/ breakfast tacos) would be my preference, and I have made cake balls (pops minus the stick) before, for a party, they were not that hard and the ones in stores are way overpriced compared to homemade ones.

[Pixel]

And the person who sends it to you very broke for the week! Ha I went into one of those stores one time and that stuff is super expensive! But, yes, if someone sent me one I would demolish it in one sitting.

 

Oh, I know. They are ridiculous. 50-75 bucks for a few chocolate dipped strawberries? But I can't help but be seduced by the pineapple flowers!

 

I keep participating in various show threads over there. I'm assuming business will pick up over here when the final day passes.  I haven't been back to Luke's because I thought everyone had moved over here for MM stuff already.

[Glory]

I had it in my head the last day was May 1st, so I got confused it was still active

[LiberryLady]

Heeeey... I followed this forum; why haven't I been getting updates the last couple of weeks? And y'all were discussing cake pops! I love cake pops!  I've MADE cake pops! (And they're not dipped in frosting, btw -- they're dipped in chocolate.)

 

Question for those who are on the Facebook. Have you ever had to de-Friend/block a close relative? If so, did it come back to bite you in the butt?  My nice mom (who NEVER used to discuss politics) is now one of those Tea Party posters you hear about, and it pains me to see the nutty like-bait she posts. I can just block her feed, right? Advise me, Chili-ites.

[King of Birds]

Hey, LiberryLady... you make cake pops? Are they easy to make, say so like if someone was gonna stop by your house and say... pick up some tomato plants? or take a book from the free library ... something like that?  That this person could try a cakepop? 

 

I ended up just getting my Mom the See's. My cousin who I tried to rally to help me find a cakepop-pery (that has to be a word, right?) in the general area where my parents live, has seemingly not come back with an answer.

[DowntonStabby]

 

 

Question for those who are on the Facebook. Have you ever had to de-Friend/block a close relative? If so, did it come back to bite you in the butt?  My nice mom (who NEVER used to discuss politics) is now one of those Tea Party posters you hear about, and it pains me to see the nutty like-bait she posts. I can just block her feed, right? Advise me, Chili-ites.

You can unfollow without unfriending. You can unfollow directly from your newsfeed, I believe. I did that with a relative I've purposely distanced myself from (don't want to get into the why on here). Would unfriend, but he's the type that would take unfriendings not so awesomely. It's not that I'm not confrontational; it's just that sometimes, there's only so much shit I want to deal with, and from certain people (such as this relative), it's not really worth it.

[Pixel]

Yeah, it's very easy. Just click on a post they've made and a box will come up with the option to unfollow the person. That way you are still friends, but you won't see their stuff in your newsfeed. They have no way of knowing you've done that, because from their end they still see your stuff the same way and still can contact you, etc.

[LiberryLady]

Thanks, y'all. The King of Birds also pointed me to an option where you can click on that person's offending post, and tell Facebook you don't any more of that shit. (Paraphrasing.) 

 

Hey, LiberryLady... you make cake pops? Are they easy to make?

 

 

They're not difficult to make, but they are very labor-intensive and take for-ev-er.  And you end up with a meeellion.  So, no go, dude.  Since the LiberryLord is on Weight Watchers, it would just be me working my way through those tasty balls. (TWSS)

[King of Birds]

Harumph! I help ya with the facebook, and I get no cakepops? This is the kind of anti-jetpack attitude that I run into every. day.

 

ETA: Ha! Top o'the page!

Edited May 8, 2014 by King of Birds

[Too Late Kev]

King of Birds, I'm so glad you went with the See's Candies. I expect your mom looks forward to those each year. If she didn't like them, she would have gently (or not-so-gently, I don't know your mom) steered you in a different direction. If she's expecting See's and gets cake pops? Fail.

 

But I recommend you buy yourself some cake pops, since they look so good to you!

[King of Birds]

I really do need to try some cakepops.  Not like it's a bucket-list thing.

 

And for those of you at home who kept track of my long search for Girl Scout cookies this year (noted in Luke's) ... I am ALL OUT. All gone. Even the Samoas, Setlist! Even the Samoas.  Shoulda bought more.

[frenchtoast]

We did not buy Girl Scout cookies this year, for which my jeans are grateful. Given that SB has chocolate chip cookies every night, it's kind of moot. Because I eat them, too.

 

So...my mom called me last night to drop a bombshell. My dad wants a divorce. Actually, my stepdad who I don't really have a relationship with anyway. She's terribly hurt and shocked. The biggest issue, for me, is her limited knowledge of finance. She's 63, and would like to retire but I don't think she has the means to. My dad told her he wants her comfortable and is going to give her the money from the sale of the house, but he has to fix it up and who knows how long that's going to take. She's also going to need a car because the one she has is starting to fall apart--the gas tank had a hole in it. So finances and transportation--she doesn't have access or know how to use the internet, so it's going to be difficult for her to find information. So, yeah, weird time right now.

[possibilities]

Divorce in your 60s is rough. But maybe she will be happier once she gets her legs under her. She needs to learn how to manage basic stuff for herself, but if she's going to be left with enough of a settlement to be comfortable, she might find the freedom exhilarating. The marriage can't have been too fabulous if her husband wants out of it. Sometimes I think people settle for what they're used to, but then discover life's better without it. Maybe she will even find a new love. My great-grandmother buried three husbands and then in her 80s shacked up with a boyfriend, scandalizing her daughter (my grandmother) with a wicked salacious grin and the explanation that "I need someone to warm my feet at night."

 

Meanwhile, it does sound like you may be fielding some panicked grieving phone calls. It's a bad position to put your kid in, though, and maybe you could gently direct her to peer-oriented sources of support? Around here, they have free estate-planning, financial, and other counseling available for seniors through the council on aging. Once you turn 60, you become eligible for lots of advice and supportive services that your mom might appreciate. I have a friend who at age 59 was kind of tapping her foot waiting for the day she would turn 60 and could finally get free legal advice for a longstanding problem she was dealing with. Your mom should probably have a lawyer even if the divorce looks amicable on the surface, because it sounds like she's not used to and has no idea how to look after her own interests.

 

RE cookies, my understanding is that no matter how many you have, they will always run out sooner than expected. It's the Elastic Cookie Continuum, in which the number of cookies needed always exceeds the number available over time.

Edited May 10, 2014 by possibilities

[Pixel]

Sorry to hear about your mom's divorce, Toast. That's not going to be fun.

 

I freaked because I checked in here and the Office section was gone from forums. Whew.  Glad I refound it.

[Setlist]

Even the Samoas, Setlist! Even the Samoas.

 

I have maybe four left. They're my emergency stash. The rest have all, uh. Mysteriously disappeared. 

 

So sorry to hear the news, FrenchToast. But StewedSquash is right - she has you! I'm sure you'll be a tremendous help and huge support throughout all of this. It'll be a super difficult transition period. At least he's kind of trying to be nice about it, by making sure she's comfortable. 

 

Anyone here interested in seeing Godzilla? I was meh, but after seeing the trailer, I think I'm sold. Plus: Bryan Cranston!

[frenchtoast]

I was not at all interested in Godzilla, but the trailers have been really intriguing. But, we've seen a lot of movies this year and we still have more to go: The LEGO Movie, Muppets Most Wanted, Winter Soldier, Spider-Man, Days of Future Past, Maleficent and How to Train Your Dragon. So I don't know if we'll be able to squeeze in Godzilla. I think I'll wait and hear what others think.

 

It would probably be better for my mom helping her if I lived nearby, but that's not the case. I'm doing what I can from here, and trying to help her navigate through the shock and uncertainty. Thanks for pointing out the council on aging, possibilities, because she could definitely use something like that to navigate taxes and other stuff. I found a community office when I was looking up health insurance exchange stuff, because that was highly successful in NY and that gave me the community outreach info, so at least I know there are places she can go.

[Too Late Kev]

Sorry about your mom, toast. :( How long had they been together?

[frenchtoast]

They've been married about 35 years. She's going to try to "make it work" but I'm hoping she eventually realizes she wants something better for herself. Only time will tell, 

 

Speaking of mothers, Happy Mother's Day all you fabulous Chili's Moms! You are all awesome and inspire me to be a better mom.

[King of Birds]

Yes- Happy Mother's Day to all the Chilians near and far! May you get all the hugs and goodies you deserve.

[Glory]

Toast, I'm sorry about your mom's divorce. Does she live near you?

 

Guts wants to see Godzilla because he loves Bryan Cranston. I'm not sure yet. I have not been swayed either way. 

[King of Birds]

Godzilla... yeah, I'm not sold on it either.  But what about that Xmen movie, huh? Those trailers have just been amaze-balls, amiright?

 

I still have checked in on twop a lil bit. Just a lil. It does seem like it's cleared out, not as many posts, etc. But I'm thinking I may post there a few times more before it all goes away.  I can kill LiberryLady's TWSS post "finale"  with "Jetpacks: A Promise Unfulfilled" right?

[MichelleAK]

Godzilla... yeah, I'm not sold on it either.  But what about that Xmen movie, huh? Those trailers have just been amaze-balls, amiright?

 

 

I definitely plan on seeing the new Xmen movie. I don't have any interest in Godzilla, though.  

 

How is everyone's spring/summer going?  It's definitely summer here; nearing record-high temps.  Unfortunately, it's really dry, and there is a very high fire danger, with not much in the way of relief in sight.  I'm loving the sun and warmth!