Pet Peeves: Aka Things That Make You Go "Gah!"

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, bilgistic said:

We were talking about vacuums a few days ago. I just vaccuumed and was reminded how astoundingly terrible my vacuum is (Hoover upright red plastic piece of shit). I would like to drop if off a tall building.

I live in an 800-square-foot apartment and it takes half an hour to vacuum because I have to go over everything three to 10 times. Half of the time, it spits back out more cat hair and dirt than it just picked up.

I need to start a GoFundMe for a new vacuum.

Any chance you've flipped it over and cut all the hair off the roller and replaced the filter recently?

Speaking of vacuums, I decided I'm getting myself a Roomba 690. I can't handle the cat hair constantly all over the floors and under the couch anymore.

[bilgistic]

Yeah, I've done both. I also turned it upside down over a bag to shake out the cat litter that gets into the carpet outside the bathroom. Litter (and fur and dust) collects and clogs in a little cupped area instead of being sucked into the collection bin. It's just a terrible vacuum and has been for a long time. I'm going to have to buy something new. It looks like there are decent options under $200, not that I have anything to spend, but I need a functional vacuum to battle the black cat fur that blankets my world.

[NutMeg]

On 3/18/2018 at 2:00 AM, Maharincess said:

 

@Wiendish Fitch, I am so with you. I HATE having my picture taken and I'm pretty sure I am the least photogenic person ever born.  There is only one picture taken of me in my entire life that I like, just one and I was 16.  I did relent and let my daughter take pictures of me and the grandkids because she convinced me that the kids would want them one day.  I let her take a few pictures of us once a year and I try my damndest to hide behind the kids as much as I can. 

And here I was thinking I was the least photogenic... 

On 3/18/2018 at 2:04 AM, bilgistic said:

You all can't be the least photogenic because I am.

well...

Although I must say, sorting through pictures taken when I was younger, I find that I don't look too bad in some of them. Wish my younger self had known... 

On 3/18/2018 at 3:20 AM, Mountainair said:

My 5 year old is the best at "Chandler Bing-ing" every picture he takes. Great, perfect little smile in everyday life but tell him to smile for a picture and he just can not do it. He thinks he smiling but it is so not a smile.  

Any child posing will not be the real deal. You just have to go with candid and you'll get good stuff. It was easier with analog cameras, I made great portraits of people where I captured what I wanted because, while they were aware I was taking pictures, I worked with a zoom and was not in their face (also: phone pictures of people are very unflattering, I don't know why, but there is a harshness that you don't have with analog).  

On 3/18/2018 at 9:13 PM, janestclair said:

You all can't be the least photogenic, because it's absolutely me.  The only pictures I have allowed to be taken of myself in recent memory are my ID photo for work and my driver's license.  I haaaate taking pictures.  I look ridiculous, and if it's a group picture, I can never hide because I'm usually the shortest, and thus in the front.  

Pantyhose were clearly invented by a man, because they're torture.  I cannot remember the last time I wore a dress or a skirt, so it was probably my sister's wedding 5 years ago.  I know I didn't wear pantyhose then.  They're way too itchy and confining and impossible to not get a snag and a run.  Screw that.    

Black pantyhose = gold. Opaque with shorts or short skirt in winter, under a long coat, for quick errands, and/or less opaque with anything that is not trousers - I have good legs, but they look better "dressed"! 

On 3/22/2018 at 9:58 PM, bilgistic said:

The exciting saga continues. The maintenance man came by this morning and said my dryer hose has a hole in it, which is part of why I'm getting lint and moisture inside when I use the dryer. I can't see it (too short to see over the back of the dryer), but I believe him. Here's the problem: he/they won't help me replace it because I own the dryer--some liability issue. So I've got to coordinate moving the dryer out of the laundry closet and unhooking/replacing the hose with them coming to blow out the vent and remove the birds.

The closet is literally only big enough for the washer and dryer and has bifold doors with a track on the floor. So I don't know how I'm supposed to move my dryer out of the closet by myself. I have no friends or family here, and I really don't want to pay $50 or $60 for a tech to come out and do it. The maintenance crew and management won't schedule a call, either, so I just have to put in a call and wait for them to come, so I could theoretically wait all day. This is a real pain in the ass.

I feel for you, hope that gets resolved soon. As a fellow singleton, I wish I could find a handy handyman/woman nearby, because since I moved in I keep finding things that need to be done but that I'm not equipped to.

[Sigh - I should find a carpentry class...] 

[theredhead77]

23 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Yeah, I've done both. I also turned it upside down over a bag to shake out the cat litter that gets into the carpet outside the bathroom. Litter (and fur and dust) collects and clogs in a little cupped area instead of being sucked into the collection bin. It's just a terrible vacuum and has been for a long time. I'm going to have to buy something new. It looks like there are decent options under $200, not that I have anything to spend, but I need a functional vacuum to battle the black cat fur that blankets my world.

Check Bed Bath and Beyond, they have a bunch and 20% off will save you some $$$

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/bissell-reg-powertrak-compact-upright-vacuum-cleaner-in-black-lime/1047075467?Keyword=vacuum cleaners

Edited March 24, 2018 by theredhead77

[SuprSuprElevated]

52 minutes ago, forumfish said:

I wish I could remember which comedian did the bit about how so many of us, while vacuuming, will pick up a thread that the vacuum misses, then put it back down on the carpet to give the vacuum "one more chance" to pick it up.

Bwahaha!!  100%

[AgentRXS]

So the useless exterminator visit was actually a blessing in disguise. An oil tanker spilled on the highway I use to get to work last night and the highway was closed off while they cleaned the spill. With all the extra traffic due to Ultra Music Festival this weekend, my commute would have been a nightmare this morning. Of course, my neighbor is the only one with bugs out of our whole quadplex.

I mentioned the smoking issue to the landlord's assistant (the landlord is out of town apparently) and she said she would mention it to the landlord. What really bugs me is that this man is a PITA and yet he is offered a lease every year and I have been living month-to-month for 2 years now. I am the only one in the building not on a lease and it terrifies me.  I'm nervous to bring it up and overplay my hand as I am paying way under market value for a highly desirable unit in a good neighborhood.

[SuprSuprElevated]

4 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

So the useless exterminator visit was actually a blessing in disguise. An oil tanker spilled on the highway I use to get to work last night and the highway was closed off while they cleaned the spill. With all the extra traffic due to Ultra Music Festival this weekend, my commute would have been a nightmare this morning. Of course, my neighbor is the only one with bugs out of our whole quadplex.

I mentioned the smoking issue to the landlord's assistant (the landlord is out of town apparently) and she said she would mention it to the landlord. What really bugs me is that this man is a PITA and yet he is offered a lease every year and I have been living month-to-month for 2 years now. I am the only one in the building not on a lease and it terrifies me.  I'm nervous to bring it up and overplay my hand as I am paying way under market value for a highly desirable unit in a good neighborhood.

Be a negotiator.   Ask for the lease first, and if met with resistance, offer up a little extra rent in exchange. (preferably long-term)  

[DeLurker]

15 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I'm going to have to buy something new.

Check to see if there is a vacuum repair shop in your area.  I went into mine at some point last year looking for some replacement filters for my upright and the guy had some for sale too.  He had a few brands that he really had confidence new for sale, but he had a bunch of name brand models that he had gotten when the owner decided the cost to repair wasn't worth the hassle and they'd rather get a new one.  He ends up with the old one, reconditions and fixes it, and then sells it.  He was very willing to negotiate on prices on the used ones and was just very informative to talk to (which brands and features I should look for based on my flooring, pets, etc...).  He also would accept my current one as a trade in since he can always resell it or scavenge it for parts.

My Mom insisted I get a Dyson cordless like her's for quick clean ups so I did thinking it really wasn't worth the money (because pet hair was probably going to instantly clog it or break it).  I bought it from the manufacturer online and got a better deal on not the latest model plus some extra accessories I wouldn't have gotten at a store.  I've got to say I am really impressed with the little thing and I have a big fluffy dog who sheds like crazy and a cat who sheds at the normal cat rate.  And a teenage daughter with long hair.  True it isn't my main vac and the canister fills up pretty quick, but the power and design is impressive, the ability to clean the filters (part of the design, so not extras you have to replace).   I do end up using it as my primary vacuum for the second floor though which probably has about as much carpeting as your apartment (assuming kitchen and bath are tiled).

I've used it on my couch and it included a special attachment for mattresses.  I also bought an articulated floor tool (has bristles) for my slate floors with an uneven surface (in half the downstairs and a PITA to clean because things get caught in crevices.  I use a microfiber sweeper first and then the Dyson after that).  The articulated tool makes me ridiculously happy.

I've had it for about 6 months now and it has held up through daily use.    My main vac is a Bissell Pet Something-or-nother and it is probably 4 - 5 years old.  It does a good job, but not a great one and I have to clean out the canister each time I use it, plus pull it the various filter parts and clean them of accumulated pet fur once at least once a week.  The regular roller head shouldn't be used on the slate floors and the attachment pieces are pretty much worthless.  When I decide to retire this one, I will seriously consider a Dyson upright - even though the price pains me.

Saturday AM peeve:  Ants in my kitchen!  I'm making my coffee and see these large ants taking a stroll around my sink.  I can't track where they came in, but I clean up as many as I can see.  Ants before coffee is very unsettling.

[janestclair]

30 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

Saturday AM peeve:  Ants in my kitchen!  I'm making my coffee and see these large ants taking a stroll around my sink.  I can't track where they came in, but I clean up as many as I can see.  Ants before coffee is very unsettling.

I had an ant infestation in my classroom.  They somehow managed to get in the drawer where I put water bottle, and they got all over it.  I did not notice the ants until I had accidentally drank one because somehow they got into the bottle.  It was vile, and I had taken the sip while I was in front of my class so I couldn't react.  Since it's a school, I can't use pesticides, so I tried diatomaceous earth.  Reduced the ants but they were not gone, and then they were crawling on my desk.  War was subsequently declared because I was over the damn things.  I made up a borax/sugar solution and dipped some cotton balls in it and put them all around.  They swarmed the cotton balls in less than 20 minutes. No more ants, finally.

[DeLurker]

30 minutes ago, janestclair said:

diatomaceous earth

That's my next step - I'll use it in the house and then go around the outside and dust near the house and any windows where they might be entering.  

I'm used to the Ants of August when the little tiny ones come looking for water, but these were good sized ones - but not fire ants thank goodness.  We're already seeing a lot of fire ants this year since the last few months have been so wet.

[biakbiak]

18 hours ago, bilgistic said:

It looks like there are decent options under $200, not that I have anything to spend,

Try looking at Goodwill. My boyfriend hates bagless vacuum cleaners with a passion. So when mine broke he found an old bagged Hoover at GW. That thong is a beast and still going strong for several years and he has found several more for friends and orgs there over the years that also work a lot better than cheaper newer models and basically cost nothing.

[bilgistic]

There's a Shark with great reviews that will end up being $120 after coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond. I can get cashback at ebates, too. I think I'll do that and just eat beans for a month. Ha.

[peacheslatour]

21 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

UPDATE: 

The loud mouth I work with keeps leaving pubes on the toilet seat and announcing when she has to take a dump. 

Its bad enough she's noisy and bitchy as hell but this is also revolting. She has absenteeism and it's always some sob story or issue with her kids truancy or tickets.

He manager and other girl eat that shit up and even buy her lunch and fuss over her. I guess I'm the BITCH for not being snowed or thinking it's cute or cool. I'm sorry I'm not disgusting and show up on time daily and don't bring my personal problems to the job. Silly me! 

(Also they don't use her sick time for her missing or 3 hour breaks. I came early hour and left hour early a couple x for a family matter and got a rash of shit and denial for it. It's nice to see fair standards). 

That's terrible. I don't understand why people act that way. Are you still looking for another job? The job market is pretty good right now but it may not be for very much longer what with trade wars and possibly real wars. :,(

[walnutqueen]

Have you tried cinnamon for the ant problem?

The one year they were coming in my front door, I got a big packet of powdered cinnamon at my corner Mexican market (it was WAY cheaper than at grocery stores), and sprinkled a line across my threshold.  Problem solved.

[rcc]

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

There's a Shark with great reviews that will end up being $120 after coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond. I can get cashback at ebates, too. I think I'll do that and just eat beans for a month. Ha.

The best vacuum I've ever owned.

[BooksRule]

Quote

I wish I could remember which comedian did the bit about how so many of us, while vacuuming, will pick up a thread that the vacuum misses, then put it back down on the carpet to give the vacuum "one more chance" to pick it up.

I wouldn't stake my life on it or anything, but I think it was Jerry Seinfeld. I don't know if it was in his show anywhere, but I seem to remember that bit from his book 'Seinlanguage'. 

[TattleTeeny]

On 1/21/2018 at 12:54 PM, TattleTeeny said:

Oh, you rock! I think I was starting to become too creative and, as such, created only gibberish!

In case anyone's curious, here's why I am looking: I saw this dress on an old blog post and I want it! It's nowhere to be found so I figured I could make something similar.

OK, I am quoting myself, but I HAD TO report back and say I finally found this damn out-of-production (from 2012 or so) dress I've been looking for! Hooray for Poshmark!

[SuprSuprElevated]

4 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

Have you tried cinnamon for the ant problem?

The one year they were coming in my front door, I got a big packet of powdered cinnamon at my corner Mexican market (it was WAY cheaper than at grocery stores), and sprinkled a line across my threshold.  Problem solved.

They don't like things on their widdle feets.  Any sort of powder...talc, etc.  Lay a line and they won't cross. 

[ABay]

I've tried baking powder and it didn't even slow the little bastards down.

[SuprSuprElevated]

7 minutes ago, ABay said:

I've tried baking powder and it didn't even slow the little bastards down.

So you're saying my entire life has been a lie.

<gutted>

[WritinMan]

On 3/21/2018 at 6:27 PM, peacheslatour said:

What do you mean, you dumb mug, get your mitts off the marbles before I stuff that mud-pipe down your mush—and tell your moll to hand over the mazuma. ;-)

I read this post with James Cagney's voice in my head.

[Nordly Beaumont]

On 3/23/2018 at 6:02 PM, theredhead77 said:

Speaking of vacuums, I decided I'm getting myself a Roomba 690. I can't handle the cat hair constantly all over the floors and under the couch anymore.

I know three people that have gotten Roombas  - they all love them. Two of them love them so much they've given the Roombas names and treat them like pets!

On 3/19/2018 at 5:45 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I also like giving people directions on the street--in a crowd, I'm always the one they pick out to ask, for some reason.  Whatever--I like doing it, and kind of rue the rise of smartphones and their maps because it's almost put me out of business

Oh, man - I won't give directions unless I can point right at the building and say it's right there. Not that I don't want to be nice, or don't know where things are - I just get plain stupid when a stranger asks me. I'll say left when I mean right, two blocks when it's more like ten. I decided it's better for everyone if I just tell them I'm sorry that I can't help, because every time I try, I walk away and think "DAMMIT! That was wrong!!"

Retail pet peeve, when you ask where something is and they say "If we have it it's in aisle X" If you don't know whether or not you have it, ask someone who will know! Otherwise I'm possibly wasting my time in aisle X looking for something you don't even have.

[SuprSuprElevated]

I would love to have a Roomba, but I have two cats.  Cats = cat yak.  Roomba + cat yak = No es bueno.

We've all seen that Roomba video, right?

[DeLurker]

On 3/22/2018 at 5:40 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I know that these days, everybody just wants to click on their phone for restaurants within 50 feet of where they're currently standing, but if I'm traveling somewhere and there are two routes that I can use, one of which takes me past a Schlotzsky's location, I'll pick that one.  But I can do that only if I know it's there, and it takes a lot of time to enter city names one after the other (or worse, zip codes) to try to figure out if there are any locations on my route. 

My brother told me some companies pay to get all their locations loaded on a GPS unit and they show up whether you want them or not (I have a Garmin and every Shell station shows up).  I believe there are files you can pick up and load that will show all XYZ company locations.  I don't believe these are corporate sites, just people who kind of crowd share (source?) to put them together.

[ebk57]

2 hours ago, DeLurker said:

My brother told me some companies pay to get all their locations loaded on a GPS unit and they show up whether you want them or not (I have a Garmin and every Shell station shows up).  I believe there are files you can pick up and load that will show all XYZ company locations.  I don't believe these are corporate sites, just people who kind of crowd share (source?) to put them together.

I was just informed of this yesterday by Mr ebk and I now feel dumb that I didn't realize it.  I was navigating a couple days ago with Google Maps and it said the exit was right past the Arby's.  We never saw the Arby's, but it was fine since the exit was well signed.  Yesterday we took the same route and I saw the Arby's and mentioned it was weird that Google would pick that as a marker since it's back from the road and he told me they probably paid for it.  Duh! 

[DeLurker]

40 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

I was just informed of this yesterday by Mr ebk and I now feel dumb that I didn't realize it.  I

Nah, don't waste your energy feeling dumb.  What's true today in technology is probably already outdated - staying up to date with it is about as easy as catching a hummingbird with your hands.  Not impossible, but highly unlikely.

[SuprSuprElevated]

Sort of a peeve, but more of an eye-roll annoyance.

Those signs prominently placed in restaurant bathrooms, "Employees Must Wash Hands".  I would really rather not have to think about whether or not their employees are washing their hands, or that they're only doing so because there is a sign on the wall mandating it.  Health Dept. code or not, it's dumb.  1) If your employee has to be reminded by a sign, let me know please, before I order.  2) An employee that has to be reminded probably isn't doing it anyway.  Let's just take the signs down, k?

[StatisticalOutlier]

16 hours ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

Oh, man - I won't give directions unless I can point right at the building and say it's right there.

And if it's me asking directions, chances are what I'm looking for will be right there.  I have a knack.

 

Quote

I just get plain stupid when a stranger asks me. I'll say left when I mean right, two blocks when it's more like ten. I decided it's better for everyone if I just tell them I'm sorry that I can't help, because every time I try, I walk away and think "DAMMIT! That was wrong!!"

Your forbearance is appreciated because it's really annoying to ask and be given wrong directions.  At least now I know there's a possibility that the person just spazzed, like you, instead of intentionally led a lost person even more astray.

Speaking of getting stupid, here's something that I found interesting--a university Mandarin professor (from China, teaching Mandarin at a university in the U.S.) said that numbers can be vexing in a foreign language, and used herself as an example.  She hated getting asked the time by someone because it took her forever to answer in English, even though she's very fluent, and by the time she noodled it out in her mind the person would be gone.  Which may have been a slight exaggeration, but I get her point.

[peacheslatour]

12 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I would love to have a Roomba, but I have two cats.  Cats = cat yak.  Roomba + cat yak = No es bueno.

We've all seen that Roomba video, right?

My aunt loved her Roomba and she had two long haired cats. But she was retired so I guess she would pick up the cat hork before the Roomba got to it. I guess don't run it when you're not home?

[SuprSuprElevated]

11 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

My aunt loved her Roomba and she had two long haired cats. But she was retired so I guess she would pick up the cat hork before the Roomba got to it. I guess don't run it when you're not home?

Except that my girls have an innate ability to secrete their yak outside of the pedestrian pathways.  I can totally see them considering the Roomba a thrown gauntlet.  They're devious that way.

[Bastet]

Riley has made tremendous strides transforming from a scaredy cat to a typical cat who is skittish about certain things, but I am fairly sure a Roomba roaming the house would fall into the category of those certain things.  So I am destined to do my own vacuuming.  If she was one of those cats who'd hop on and take it for a ride, I'd get one.

My latest peeve: The lack (at least at Staples, where I went) of a multi-pack of binder clips.  When I worked in the corporate world, I just stole them from the office as needed.  But working for non-profits, I'm careful that what I take home from work for use in my home office not be used for personal stuff.  For personal use, I do not need one package of 15 medium binder clips, another package of 30 small ones, and a package of 5 large ones.  I would like a multi-pack of five of each size.  But no.  So I bought the package of medium clips, since I can use those when a small clip would have sufficed, and hope the large clip stragglers lurking in my desk drawer will be enough.  Maybe I can find what I'm looking for online; the next time the need arises, I'll look, but I just wanted to pick something up and spend the weekend on my project.  Which is about 75% completed, so yay.

Edited March 25, 2018 by Bastet

[ratgirlagogo]

22 hours ago, WritinMan said:

On 3/21/2018 at 6:27 PM, peacheslatour said:

What do you mean, you dumb mug, get your mitts off the marbles before I stuff that mud-pipe down your mush—and tell your moll to hand over the mazuma. ;-)

I read this post with James Cagney's voice in my head.

Yes, and as one of the TCM fanatics here I can think of many others.  The one I bet all of you would recognize is Robert Armstrong - the guy in the original King Kong who said,  "Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast."

[theredhead77]

I'm fairly certain the catcat will hate the Roomba but I desperately need something to get under the bed, under the couch and get the floating cat hair on a daily basis. I have seen "those" videos and don't intend to run it while I'm not home. 

[backformore]

7 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Sort of a peeve, but more of an eye-roll annoyance.

Those signs prominently placed in restaurant bathrooms, "Employees Must Wash Hands".  I would really rather not have to think about whether or not their employees are washing their hands, or that they're only doing so because there is a sign on the wall mandating it.  Health Dept. code or not, it's dumb.  1) If your employee has to be reminded by a sign, let me know please, before I order.  2) An employee that has to be reminded probably isn't doing it anyway.  Let's just take the signs down, k?

It's just a liability issue for the restaurant. If an employee doesn't wash, and someone gets ill, the owner can point to the sign as proof that there was a policy in place. 

[BooksRule]

Quote

 

I would love to have a Roomba, but I have two cats.  Cats = cat yak.  Roomba + cat yak = No es bueno.

We've all seen that Roomba video, right?

 

I thought about getting a Roomba, but I do have one cat (of my two) who tends to upchuck occasionally.  And, I haven't seen that video, and I don't think I want to.  However, I do occasionally have to watch the one with the cat wearing a shark costume riding a Roomba around the kitchen.  That one never gets old.  :) 

[theredhead77]

I went to the doctor last Thursday, doctor wrote a short-term prescription and sent it to the mail-order pharmacy instead of Costco, like I asked. So I've been waiting all fucking weekend for my prescription to show up. Who knows how much it will cost (Costco has the super cheap generics) and they better have not turned it into a maintenance medication. I'm already super pissed about this.

[bilgistic]

Time for another neighbor complaint.

My new neighbor downstairs has a new dog. It is being house-trained. I know this because after many days and nights of hearing whining and barking for hours and hours, I went to the leasing office and complained.

Them: "Yeah, they warned us that they were house-training a new dog."

Me: *blink, blink*

Me: "I get that, but the rest of us have to live."

Them: "There's not really anything we can do."

(Except that there are overnight "quiet hours" people are supposed to observe in the complex, per management, but whatever.)

The dog barked Saturday night and last night ALL NIGHT LONG. I don't know if the guy works overnight or what. The dog is quiet now, so the guy is either home or took the dog somewhere. This shit is not okay. I plan to slide a note under his door with the name of my petsitter.

My nextdoor neighbor saw me in the hall the other day and mentioned it, so she's hearing it, too.

WTF, PEOPLE, WTF!!!

[bilgistic]

I left my neighbor a note as I was leaving home earlier. Here was my cheerful missive.

"Hey, neighbor-

Could you please have someone look after your dog at night? It is barking and whining all night long. Here's the info for my petsitter [card attached].

Thanks!

Bilgistic in apartment #”

We'll see if there's a flaming bag of dog poo on my doorstep when I get home.

[emma675]

bilgistic, did you ask the other neighbor who has heard the dog if she/he was going to say something to the front office or the owner? Sometimes it helps to have more than one person complaining in these cases.

[StatisticalOutlier]

23 hours ago, Bastet said:

My latest peeve: The lack (at least at Staples, where I went) of a multi-pack of binder clips.  When I worked in the corporate world, I just stole them from the office as needed.  But working for non-profits, I'm careful that what I take home from work for use in my home office not be used for personal stuff.  For personal use, I do not need one package of 15 medium binder clips, another package of 30 small ones, and a package of 5 large ones.  I would like a multi-pack of five of each size.  But no. 

I've noticed that in dense big cities, stores will sell things like binder clips as singles.  Sometimes it's stationery type stores, and sometimes it's "local" hardware stores that have a decent selection of office supplies.  I see them like that periodically, and always think, "That's a good idea for people who don't have room for a ton of office supplies." 

In fact, I saw some just the other day and can't for the life of me remember where it was.  Maybe Cliff's Variety Store in the Castro District in San Francisco.  Or an art supplies store in downtown Santa Cruz.  Oh, and it just occurred to me that I think I've seen them at college bookstores.  Anyway, that's the sort of place you might try looking.

Although it would probably be cheaper to buy the regular sized boxes and donate the extras to your office.

[riley702]

Sunday was much better than Saturday, anyway. Came home from work Saturday after it snowed all day and the exit off the interstate was at a complete standstill in BOTH directions! Still have no idea why or where the problem(s) were. After 10 or 15 minutes of NO options, a few semis started moving into the truck stop north of the interstate and I headed that way, then headed off on a miserably small country road that hadn't been plowed at all. In an old Camry that isn't exactly heavy, high up, or with snow tires.

When I made it home (south of the interstate), the driveway had about 6-8 inches of snow. Bless my brother, Jay, for shoveling a little more than a car's length of the driveway up by the garage. After I managed to get to the shovelled part, he helped me with directions as I slowly managed to turn around so I was pointing back out toward the road, as I felt that trying to back out the next morning was a VERY bad idea. Sunday morning at 0530, I pointed toward the road and firmly accelerated. A snowplow had left a hump of snow at the end of the driveway, and I think that helped keep me out of the ditch on the other side. Yay!

By the time I made it home from work Sunday, the neighbor had plowed our driveway with his new toy! Today, the temp has shot up to the 50s and I have one hell of a sinus headache. Stupid, stupid groundhog!

Edited March 26, 2018 by riley702
spelling

[ABay]

Today I am my own pet peeve. I'm writing a presentation and all I've managed to do so far is a very rough draft outline with quotes from sources pasted more or less in place. However, I can't write anything myself because I would need words, sentences, and paragraphs expressing...something. I used to have a decent vocabulary and the ability to at least fake sounding like a scholar for up to 30 minutes.  Nowadays I'm lucky if I can keep my speech profanity free.

This is only the first draft but that is not helping and neither is reminding myself to keep it simple (,stupid) and keep it fun for myself. It started as a way to talk about something I'm interested in and enjoy and who cares what the audience thinks....but now I don't want to sound like an idiot. I can't get out of my own way.

[SuprSuprElevated]

25 minutes ago, ABay said:

Today I am my own pet peeve. I'm writing a presentation and all I've managed to do so far is a very rough draft outline with quotes from sources pasted more or less in place. However, I can't write anything myself because I would need words, sentences, and paragraphs expressing...something. I used to have a decent vocabulary and the ability to at least fake sounding like a scholar for up to 30 minutes.  Nowadays I'm lucky if I can keep my speech profanity free.

This is only the first draft but that is not helping and neither is reminding myself to keep it simple (,stupid) and keep it fun for myself. It started as a way to talk about something I'm interested in and enjoy and who cares what the audience thinks....but now I don't want to sound like an idiot. I can't get out of my own way.

Don't give up.  Remember, there's always plagiarism. 

[bilgistic]

4 hours ago, emma675 said:

bilgistic, did you ask the other neighbor who has heard the dog if she/he was going to say something to the front office or the owner? Sometimes it helps to have more than one person complaining in these cases.

She hadn't said anything. :\ I always ask her to talk to the management when she mentions something to me.

I did get a nice note back from my dog-owning neighbor.

Quote

Hey neighbor!

I apologize for the noise! We just adopted him from Animal Control on Saturday. We keep him kennelled at night for our house's safety. He apparently has some kennel anxiety! We will try a few things to help make him and you guys comfy! So sorry!!!

Sincerely,

Jensen, 186

I do get it, really, and I feel sorry for the little pup. I'm glad a shelter dog found a home. Buuuuut, barking all night isn't cool.

And he didn't just get that dog Saturday. Maybe LAST Saturday, but not the one that was two days ago.

***

And speaking of neighbors, the new couple on my bedroom side with the female cackler were hollering (not in a mean way, just in a way like, "Hey, babe, did you wash towels?") across the apartment at each other the other day. I was in the bathroom and could hear it almost like it was in the next room. She yelled something at him, and he hollered, "I'm in the bathroom!"

It took all I had not to yell, "Hey, so am I!" I'm doing it next time.

Edited March 26, 2018 by bilgistic

[auntlada]

@bilgistic, it occurs to me that these people probably don't know how much sound carries between the apartments because you are quiet. You should make more noise.

[ABay]

1 hour ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Don't give up.  Remember, there's always plagiarism. 

Only be sure always to call it, please, "research."

Edited March 26, 2018 by ABay

[bilgistic]

29 minutes ago, auntlada said:

@bilgistic, it occurs to me that these people probably don't know how much sound carries between the apartments because you are quiet. You should make more noise.

Apparently I should! I try to be very quiet because I know how much the sound carries. I watch TV a lot and use closed captioning so I don't have to have the volume up too high. I have excellent hearing, too, though, so that's part of the problem. I hear sounds only dogs should hear.

The cats are pretty quiet until they chase each other around, but I can't imagine that makes too much noise since they weigh a sum total of 17 pounds. Little Mama is fond of standing in the kitchen alone and howling, but I make her stop quickly. I don't understand the need for the plaintive cat wail in the dark at night, but that's cat for you.

In other super-exciting apartment "news", I figured out what to do about the dryer vent/duct/hose/birds issue. I've hired a guy on Takl (an app) to come over and pull out the dryer, remove the existing duct/hose, wait while maintenance blows out the vent, then the guy will attach a new duct/hose and move the dryer back. There's a $50 credit toward the first job you book on the app, and the job charge is $57. There's a $5 charge for which I don't remember the purpose, making the job charge $12 before tip.

Hopefully I won't end up murdered. The app runs background checks on the people they hire out and the guy I hired has a five-star rating. The maintenance guy from my complex will be here at the same time, so here's hoping.

[auntlada]

Well, if you end up being murdered, try to make it as loud as possible for your neighbors.

[bilgistic]

Hilarious!

[JTMacc99]

14 hours ago, riley702 said:

Stupid, stupid groundhog!

My dog Danny is a known groundhog killer. He and I are working on a plan...