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

[BookWoman56]

13 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Cosign all of this. I make roasted sweet potatoes and sweet potato pie. No marshmallows.

In my family, a sweet potato casserole gets a topping of chopped pecans, a little butter, and a little brown sugar. A sweet potato pie has a slightly different filling, with eggs and some cinnamon, but the topping is only marshmallows. Personally, I prefer just a plain baked sweet potato with nothing on it. 
 

@Bastet, I don’t know what kind of green bean casserole monstrosity your friend encountered. It’s pretty hard to fuck up green bean casserole unless you put in some really weird spices. That said, a friend had a former girlfriend who made rice krispy treats with red hots mixed in, which was not at all the flavor he wanted. 
 

Fortunately, my mother was compulsive about writing down her recipes, and an upcoming project is to get her various handwritten cookbooks scanned in and have some copies made to distribute to family members. Unfortunately there’s some overlap of recipes but I will try to ensure the final version has all of her recipes without any duplicates. 

[ABay]

30 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Cosign all of this. I make roasted sweet potatoes and sweet potato pie. No marshmallows.

I don't like sweet potatoes much but I make sweet potato muffins that I love. Canned is the only way to go--one attempt to peel and cut a sweet potato for a soup was one attempt too many.

[peacheslatour]

48 minutes ago, Silver Bells said:

About twice a week, I just bake giant sweet potatoes in my big toaster oven at 400 degrees for 70 minutes.  Cut in half and put butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on.  I hate peeling potatoes.

I make roasted sweet potato fries. Cut them lengthwise, toss with olive oil salt and pepper. Roast at 425 for 20 - 30 minutes. They get nice and crispy.

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, BookWoman56 said:

@Bastet, I don’t know what kind of green bean casserole monstrosity your friend encountered. It’s pretty hard to fuck up green bean casserole unless you put in some really weird spices.

One of my cousins managed to royally fuck it up the only year my mom didn't host Thanksgiving.  We're not "fancy" in my family and our green bean casserole is straight off the container of onions or soup. Basically I need to look at it for milk measurements. I think she added salt and cream of something that was not cream of mushroom. It was terrible.

[Brookside]

 

5 hours ago, WinnieWinkle said:

Two "American" food items I've read about all my life are green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.  Some Cdn thanksgiving I'm determined to try my hand at them if only to say I've finally had them!

 

Passing off sweet potato casserole with marshmallows as a vegetable side dish is a crime.

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

A friend of mine is British, but has lived here nearly 50 years; she still shudders at mere mention of green bean casserole, even though she only had it once (about 15-20 years ago; I was there for the initial OMG, what the hell did I eat? story after dinner with the family of her son's then-girlfriend, and it was epic).  She likes green beans, so they must have made a bad batch for her to be so appalled by it - no matter how good a cook (and she is indeed), no one could find canned soup and onions that offensive!

Believe me, I can.

[BookWoman56]

46 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

One of my cousins managed to royally fuck it up the only year my mom didn't host Thanksgiving.  We're not "fancy" in my family and our green bean casserole is straight off the container of onions or soup. Basically I need to look at it for milk measurements. I think she added salt and cream of something that was not cream of mushroom. It was terrible.

There are some “cream of ...” soups that would work okay in lieu of cream of mushroom, but then there are things like cream of asparagus or something that would dramatically alter the taste of green bean casserole. I sometimes experiment, so I have added cream of chicken and cream of celery to the family recipe for dressing, reducing the amount of chicken broth added to make the consistency right. My biggest culinary disaster occurred a long time ago when babysitting my nephew a few days while my sister was out of town. I decided to make Mac and cheese from scratch. Somehow I got so distracted I failed to notice I had opened a can of sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk, to stir in with the cheese I was melting. That was some wretched Mac and cheese, but my nephew begged for some anyway and loved it. (He was 3 at the time. ) 

[auntlada]

1 minute ago, BookWoman56 said:

My biggest culinary disaster occurred a long time ago when babysitting my nephew a few days while my sister was out of town. I decided to make Mac and cheese from scratch. Somehow I got so distracted I failed to notice I had opened a can of sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk, to stir in with the cheese I was melting. That was some wretched Mac and cheese, but my nephew begged for some anyway and loved it. (He was 3 at the time. ) 

My husband did the opposite for his pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving this year. He didn't realize we had both sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk and didn't look at the label. So the pumpkin pie had no sweetening at all. I didn't try it after he did and said it tasted wrong. He said it wasn't horrible; it just wasn't sweet. My son liked it, but he had as much Cool Whip as he did pie on his plate so I suspect he didn't miss the sugar.

[SuprSuprElevated]

3 hours ago, Silver Bells said:

I’m going to try the canned ones.  To bake, what do I put on?  There are so many variations.  My mother in law used to put butter and maple syrup on, then bake them.  They were sticky, and that’s what I liked about them.  

The recipe I linked has a butter/flour/brown sugar/pecan crumble that you make and sprinkle before baking, and that is all.  I added small pats of butter across the top of that.  I know what you mean about the sticky version - that's what my mom's were like.  She would slice the canned yams and lay them in the glass casserole, then add some sort of a glaze that would make them very sticky.  Not sure what she used.  May have just been brown sugar and butter.  I'll ask her, but she may not remember.

The recipe up there^ is for mashed potatoes.

[Hangin Out]

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I make roasted sweet potato fries. Cut them lengthwise, toss with olive oil salt and pepper. Roast at 425 for 20 - 30 minutes. They get nice and crispy.

Oh boy.  Will definitely make them this weekend.  Thanks.  I use olive oil and garlic on just about all of my veggies.

[Hangin Out]

5 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Yes, they're very hard!  I use them, but sometimes when it's a busy meal prep, the shortcuts are welcome!

Yes, I guess I hijacked the thread, sorry.  I guess Chit Chat would be a better place.

 

No .. everything is fine.  We all had a great conversation and learned and saw good stuff.   Btw, where the heck is Chic Chat anyway?  I’ve never seen it except on the N.Y. Housewives thread, I think.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Silver Bells

[Calvada]

I don't like the green bean dish with cream of mushroom soup and the fried onions.  I've found a recipe I like, with sour cream and Swiss cheese.  I put crushed Ritz crackers mixed with a little melted butter on top, and then sprinkle sliced almonds over it.  However, one of my sisters often brings the traditional recipe to holidays, and she always seems to put about three times the amount of soup in it, since the green beans are swimming in it.  I usually take a spoonful to be polite.  

[Hangin Out]

6 minutes ago, Calvada said:

I don't like the green bean dish with cream of mushroom soup and the fried onions.  I've found a recipe I like, with sour cream and Swiss cheese.  I put crushed Ritz crackers mixed with a little melted butter on top, and then sprinkle sliced almonds over it.  However, one of my sisters often brings the traditional recipe to holidays, and she always seems to put about three times the amount of soup in it, since the green beans are swimming in it.  I usually take a spoonful to be polite.  

A lot of people do not like all those onions in it.  I made it once and my husband said make it again in ten years, lol.  He likes long fresh string beans with butter on top.  Plus, he likes all veggies cooked until soft.

[Hangin Out]

Here’s my Pet Peeve and then I’ll say Good Night.  I live on Long Island.  We have pizza, bagels and Italian restaurants on every block.  Why don’t we have southern food here?  I love all the dishes the South has.  Grits, all the stuff Paula Dean makes, and all the dishes that you get in New Orleans and the other Southern states.  I’m sick of Chinese food too.  We have Kentucky fried chicken and the other one and that’s it.  When I watch Southern Charm, I see them eating all kinds of great southern food which we don’t have here.  That’s all.

[SuprSuprElevated]

9 hours ago, Silver Bells said:

No .. everything is fine.  We all had a great conversation and learned and saw good stuff.   Btw, where the heck is Chic Chat anyway?  I’ve never seen it except on the N.Y. Housewives thread, I think.

It's a sub forum that is in the same forum as this one, the "Everything Else" forum.  I copied the URL from the page I'm on, and it left the specific post below, but if you click on the Chit-Chat heading, it will take you there.

 

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

but even more rage-inducing are the ones that presume to tell you that if you are over a certain age, then certain items should not be part of your wardrobe or, in the case of furniture and so forth, not be in your house at all. 

SERIOUSLYYYYYY! Come on now! I did not get to this age (and accompanying "who cares what they think?" mindset) to be told what I can and cannot wear, man! Jeans and DMs from college? Battered band Ts? Super-short skirts (possibly even from Hot Topic, hahahhaaa!)? Long hair? Fine with me, all of it! While it is true that I am hitting the big landmark birthday soon, I doubt that I am going to wake up with Blanche Devereaux hair and a Talbot's wardrobe (am I?! I don't know how!).

(Also, no shade to someone who does have those things because they make you happy and not because someone implied you should.)

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh KILL ME NOW!!! Freaking Grocery store ALREADY put out Valentine’s Day candies, chocolates, and other crap!! It’s still FRACKIN’ DECEMBER!!!!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[TattleTeeny]

A thing that peeves (and baffles) me is people who put off doing tiny things that would take mere minutes, if that. My BF is the king of this and I just don't get it. I don't expect him to be exactly like I am; I tend to get all of the quick shit out of the way as soon as it comes up--not because I am just so very awesome, but because why think about it for longer than I need to? An example: my dad sent my BF a gift card via my email address. So I forwarded it days ago. Today, I get a message that it's still unclaimed. BF tells me to send it again. No big deal--it's literally just hitting a button--but why didn't he just take 3 seconds to hit a button when the message first hit his inbox? It would have been all done! That guy has always got a to-do list of things that could be done in less time than it takes to say, "Oh, I have to remember to do this and that" (or, worse, "No, I still didn't do that yet because A, B, C, D, E..."). I guess there are worse things, but sometimes he does this with important stuff and that's where the real peeve is!

Edited December 31, 2020 by TattleTeeny

[emma675]

34 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Oh KILL ME NOW!!! Freaking Grocery store ALREADY put out Valentine’s Day candies, chocolates, and other crap!! It’s still FRACKIN’ DECEMBER!!!!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

Girl, they were in the stores here on MONDAY! I was excited that the giant Reese's peanut butter hearts were out and they weren't, so then I was appalled at how early things were out. 😂

[ParadoxLost]

11 minutes ago, emma675 said:

Girl, they were in the stores here on MONDAY! I was excited that the giant Reese's peanut butter hearts were out and they weren't, so then I was appalled at how early things were out. 😂

Easter display the day after Christmas and before the Valentine's stuff was put out.  The egg shaped Easter Reese's peanut butter cups to be exact.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, emma675 said:

Girl, they were in the stores here on MONDAY! I was excited that the giant Reese's peanut butter hearts were out and they weren't, so then I was appalled at how early things were out. 😂

I only went out today cuz I had to get my Moët Chamoagnee  and spiced rum (for my eggnog); the grocery store is across the lot and I thought to get some veggie/fruit/cheese trays. No luck on the latter, so just got some veggie dip tray and a fruit tart. That’s when my eyes were ASSAULTED by rows and rows and rows of giant heart chocolates, my otherwise go to sparingly consumption of Hershey’s, Reese’s, etc. wrapped in pinks and reds and maroons!😱😱😱🤯🤯🤯

But in 8 hours I’ll be 🥴🥴🥴🥴 so there’s that!

Hope everyone has a happy and SAFE New Year! 2020 can just get the Fuck outta here and it won’t be too soon! Yeah, not gonna be nice as there was barely anything that was good about this dumpster fire of a year!

Edited December 31, 2020 by GHScorpiosRule

[peacheslatour]

And good fucking bye to 2020! May we never see it's like again.

[SuprSuprElevated]

Devil's advocate here.  With the year that retailers have dealt with, I'm going to try and be understanding that they do any and all they can to spark sales, like merchandising Valentines Day product in late December.  It is only six weeks away.

 

[ParadoxLost]

40 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

A thing that peeves (and baffles) me is people who put off doing tiny things that would take mere minutes, if that. My BF is the king of this and I just don't get it. I don't expect him to be exactly like I am; I tend to get all of the quick shit out of the way as soon as it comes up--not because I am just so very awesome, but because why think about it for longer than I need to? An example: my dad sent my BF a gift card via my email address. So I forwarded it days ago. Today, I get a message that it's still unclaimed. BF tells me to send it again. No big deal--it's literally just hitting a button--but why didn't he just take 3 seconds to hit a button when the message first hit his inbox? It would have been all done! That guy has always got a to-do list of things that could be done in less time than it takes to say, "Oh, I have to remember to do this and that" (or, worse, "No, I still didn't do that yet because A, B, C, D, E..."). I guess there are worse things, but sometimes he does this with important stuff and that's where the real peeve is!

I resemble this remark.  Root of it...  My Mother is incapable of relaxing until everything she could possibly do is done the minute its possible to do so.  I could (and to this day still can) feel the stress of it vibrating off of her.  My personality developed by going the other way in reaction.  I don't do it with stuff that is important (to me) or is going to create a problem later.  

I also find it baffling that people need stuff done immediately and can't relax if its not done.  But I prioritize doing things that are important to them, in some circumstances, because of the level of anxiety it causes them seems unhealthy.  Its weird, but whatever.

[ParadoxLost]

14 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Devil's advocate here.  With the year that retailers have dealt with, I'm going to try and be understanding that they do any and all they can to spark sales, like merchandising Valentines Day product in late December.  It is only six weeks away.

 

I generally find that the grocery stores that do this are the ones that dedicate a large portion of the store to seasonal sales.  In one store that has the equivalent of a whole aisle of seasonal stuff there is just nothing else to put there but stuff for the next holiday.  They can't leave the shelves bare. The other grocery store I go to that has a much more limited seasonal strategy just puts items on sale on those shelves until the Holiday is closer.

[TattleTeeny]

19 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

I resemble this remark.  Root of it...  My Mother is incapable of relaxing until everything she could possibly do is done the minute its possible to do so.  I could (and to this day still can) feel the stress of it vibrating off of her.  My personality developed by going the other way in reaction.  I don't do it with stuff that is important (to me) or is going to create a problem later.  

I also find it baffling that people need stuff done immediately and can't relax if its not done.  But I prioritize doing things that are important to them, in some circumstances, because of the level of anxiety it causes them seems unhealthy.  Its weird, but whatever.

This is me. I have gotten better about it and I don't wish that feeling on anyone, much less my BF. But sometimes I am thinking, " just do the thing and stop talking about it," haha! And the funny part is that once he does do the thing, he gets on a roll and does more and feels so happy about it! 

Edited December 31, 2020 by TattleTeeny

[Brookside]

Here's my New Year's Eve pet peeve - 

Why do television presenters insist on proclaiming that they're broadcasting live, when they're obviously not?  I'm on the West Coast, so if I turn on the TV at 11:59 to watch the ball drop, it's actually 2:59am at Times Square, yet our local west coast broadcasters are all yelling that the ball is about to drop.  How stupid do they think we are?

 

[Bastet]

While I certainly think 2021 will gradually be a better year than this was (because it has indeed SUCKED; a whopping two things, one personal and one national, to celebrate in an entire year swallowed up by - I hope - the worst pandemic I'll ever experience and a horrifying response to the changes it necessitates?!), nothing is going to be different tomorrow other than putting up a new calendar.  So while some of them are funny, I'm mostly just tired of all the "So long, 2020" memes people keep emailing me, like we just have to get through today and then we can breathe a big "it's all good" sigh of relief.  2020 is a period in the sequence of time, not a villain being vanquished at the stroke of midnight.

[Suzn]

28 minutes ago, Bastet said:

While I certainly think 2021 will gradually be a better year than this was (because it has indeed SUCKED; a whopping two things, one personal and one national, to celebrate in an entire year swallowed up by - I hope - the worst pandemic I'll ever experience and a horrifying response to the changes it necessitates?!), nothing is going to be different tomorrow other than putting up a new calendar.  So while some of them are funny, I'm mostly just tired of all the "So long, 2020" memes people keep emailing me, like we just have to get through today and then we can breathe a big "it's all good" sigh of relief.  2020 is a period in the sequence of time, not a villain being vanquished at the stroke of midnight.

Thank you!  I'm sick of the idea that there will be some magical transformation in our fortunes.  We can hope that things will be better but I really don't think we are out of the woods with the pandemic and who can know what other less than delightful things may happen.

[WinnieWinkle]

15 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

And if we are all really honest about it, social media tends to be extremely negative.

I've been avoiding a lot of the on-line places I normally visit (I know we're supposed to avoid getting political so won't name names) but the main reason I stopped isn't because I stopped agreeing with them it's because they were so damn negative. The last few months have been stressful enough - no one needs a constant barrage of negativity - even if it's true.  Hmm, especially if it's true!

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

While I certainly think 2021 will gradually be a better year than this was (because it has indeed SUCKED; a whopping two things, one personal and one national, to celebrate in an entire year swallowed up by - I hope - the worst pandemic I'll ever experience and a horrifying response to the changes it necessitates?!), nothing is going to be different tomorrow other than putting up a new calendar.  So while some of them are funny, I'm mostly just tired of all the "So long, 2020" memes people keep emailing me, like we just have to get through today and then we can breathe a big "it's all good" sigh of relief.  2020 is a period in the sequence of time, not a villain being vanquished at the stroke of midnight.

Taking response to Chit Chat.

[Browncoat]

Revisiting a peeve from July, because it's appropriate -- frickin' frackin' fireworks.  

[DrSpaceman73]

I hate the word 'lowkey'

It's the new 'borderline'.  Pointless way of trying to modify what you say. 

[Brookside]

4 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I hate the word 'lowkey'

It's the new 'borderline'.  Pointless way of trying to modify what you say. 

I hate "influencer" with a passion, and I don't even know what it means.

[Cobb Salad]

3 hours ago, Brookside said:

I hate "influencer" with a passion, and I don't even know what it means.

I think it’s another way of saying “salesman/salesperson”.  I’m with you on this.  

[DrSpaceman73]

36 minutes ago, Cobb Salad said:

I think it’s another way of saying “salesman/salesperson”.  I’m with you on this.  

Typically it means unemployed

[KittyMom4]

On 12/29/2020 at 10:30 PM, tinkerbell said:

  Meanwhile, I'm happy with one grand-kitty and one grand-dog.

@tinkerbell I have 8 grand kitties and couldn't be happier. I also love seeing my children live their own lives, while I do not regret having children in my early 20's I missed a lot while raising them. Seeing them have experiences that I was not able to have like traveling anywhere anytime, having hobbies that give them joy, and having the freedom to take job opportunities without the burden of worrying about having enough vacation/sick time if the kids get ill makes me happy. Again, it's their choice and I would never dream of guilting them for not giving me grandchildren.

In defense of gray walls and white countertops, I grew up in a house with zero decor style, very cluttered, dark and busy. Every shelf was full of knick-knacks, every wall loaded with pictures and wall hangings. The walls were dark paneling and furniture was browns, reds and dark blues. For my space I prefer the clean, simple design that gray walls and white counters provide. To each his/her own, I love seeing everyone's different ideas for home decor, I just choose the simple clean look. 🙂 

[supposebly]

There is a happy medium between exclusively white and grey and to me overwhelming colors on the walls, especially if you add natural wood and colorful accents in small measures. But of course, to each their own.

 

[BookWoman56]

@BexKeps, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with liking a simple, clean decor. My pet peeve is less with that particular style trend and more with the various TV interior designers who seem to insist that every house they touch must use that style. I’d feel the same if they were insisting that everyone use dark paneled walls, dark furniture, and cluttered display shelves. Not everyone likes the same style. But too many of the TV designers are way more interested in imposing their own preferences than in finding out what the client likes and figuring out a way to express those likes. I personally prefer dark furniture. Most of my interior walls are a light color, with the exception of my dining room, where I chose the burgundy color to match one of the colors in my mother’s china (and to complement the colors in my own china). But if I were ever to have a house near a beach, for example, I would opt for a light and airy decor. No damn shiplap, though. 

[auntlada]

1 minute ago, BookWoman56 said:

@BexKeps, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with liking a simple, clean decor. My pet peeve is less with that particular style trend and more with the various TV interior designers who seem to insist that every house they touch must use that style. I’d feel the same if they were insisting that everyone use dark paneled walls, dark furniture, and cluttered display shelves. Not everyone likes the same style. But too many of the TV designers are way more interested in imposing their own preferences than in finding out what the client likes and figuring out a way to express those likes. I personally prefer dark furniture. Most of my interior walls are a light color, with the exception of my dining room, where I chose the burgundy color to match one of the colors in my mother’s china (and to complement the colors in my own china). But if I were ever to have a house near a beach, for example, I would opt for a light and airy decor. No damn shiplap, though. 

It's the same way the TV designers insist on removing all the walls so everything is "really open." Sure, it makes the rooms seem bigger at first glance, but (to me, at least), eventually it makes the spaces seem smaller because they keep encroaching on each other. Also, everyone can see your messy kitchen (you know, during all the times you're entertaining), and you can't sneak cookies without having to share them with your kids. Also, the kitchen noise really interferes with the TV -- not that they discuss where the TV is going to go because that would be gauche, even though these particular designers depend on the TV for their livelihood.

[TattleTeeny]

I like a neutral wall color for the most part because we are total wall art and tchotchke people, and those things are what tend to do the work of adding color (I even switched out all of out light-switch plate things). I like to switch out curtains and make new pillow covers at a whim and I like busy, ‘70s-inspired fabrics for that, though I do try to keep them kind of all in the same palettes. We do have one dark purple wall in the bedroom (and leopard pillows and comforter) and my bathroom is bright blue with zebra accessories. 

My peeve is that the previous owner seemed to think that all beige neutral paint is the same and opted for one with a horrific institutional green undertone! Ick.

Edited January 1, 2021 by TattleTeeny

[KittyMom4]

I agree with both of you @BookWoman56 and @auntlada, the fact that every designer uses this design style is annoying and clearly not a design so much as a one size fits all strategy. And I used the color gray only because it was mentioned, I personally prefer warm colors, light (not pastel) shades of yellows, blues and greens.  A good friend of mine prefers a more formal decor, she loves wood paneling and rich burgundies and blues and I love what she has done with her house. 

[BookWoman56]

1 hour ago, auntlada said:

It's the same way the TV designers insist on removing all the walls so everything is "really open." Sure, it makes the rooms seem bigger at first glance, but (to me, at least), eventually it makes the spaces seem smaller because they keep encroaching on each other. Also, everyone can see your messy kitchen (you know, during all the times you're entertaining), and you can't sneak cookies without having to share them with your kids. Also, the kitchen noise really interferes with the TV -- not that they discuss where the TV is going to go because that would be gauche, even though these particular designers depend on the TV for their livelihood.

I have read in a few places that covid is having a serious effect on the appeal of completely open floor plans. That is, with so many people working from home, these people recognize the need for rooms with a defined space so they can shut the door to decrease noise and be able to work. Given the trend of many companies to make working from home a long term option, it will be interesting to see if new house designs move away from open floor plans. I was working from home well before the pandemic, and when I bought my current house a few years ago, one major selling point was that despite the open floor plan for most of downstairs, there was a dedicated office with doors. 
 

Inevitable pet peeve of New Year’s day: damn fireworks and the people who think they need to set them off not just at midnight but off and on for days before and after. 

Edited January 1, 2021 by BookWoman56

[peacheslatour]

30 minutes ago, BexKeps said:

I agree with both of you @BookWoman56 and @auntlada, the fact that every designer uses this design style is annoying and clearly not a design so much as a one size fits all strategy. And I used the color gray only because it was mentioned, I personally prefer warm colors, light (not pastel) shades of yellows, blues and greens.  A good friend of mine prefers a more formal decor, she loves wood paneling and rich burgundies and blues and I love what she has done with her house. 

I was recently looking to replace a wingback living room chair. Every damn one I looked at came in various shades of grey. I still haven't found one in the color I like.

Edited January 1, 2021 by peacheslatour

[peacheslatour]

7 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I woke up this morning and the television doesn't work  Compared with what is going on in the real world, it isn't that big of a deal.  It sure is frustrating.  I don't want any of that smart tv shit.  All I want is a television that has a center base, and not legs spread so far apart that the television won't fit on the bedroom television stand.   I have twenty inch base length and about eight inches deep to work with on the tv stand.  I had the twenty-eight inch television since 2006.  I only buy local, so at some point I am going to have to look around and see what's available.

I don't think it matters what subject is being talked about if the people that are having the discussion don't have an open mind.   There is nothing more frustrating than talking to someone about a subject, and having that person so thoroughly convinced that they are right, that they won't acknowledge the possibility that they might be wrong.   I have no problems admitting when I make a mistake, even though I know there is a very good chance that it will be thrown back in my face during a future discussion, even if that discussion involves an entirely different subject.

One of the reasons I stopped watching all cable news a few years ago is because I was getting horribly depressed and I felt as though I was being manipulated into disliking people who had different opinions, thoughts, beliefs, than my own.   If you think about it, that truly is horrible that a person's value as a human being and how they should be treated could be solely bases on their thoughts and beliefs not matching mine.   I think that is why the word "tribalism" is thrown around so much.   In any case, I quit watching all of it.   I like reading and listening to what others say, whether I agree with what they say or not.   It doesn't matter.  Their thoughts and beliefs have no less and no more value than my own.

 

For me, I don't watch cable news because I figure they have a 24/7 news cycle to fill so they fill it with pointless speculation and talking heads blabbing their opinions, which everyone has. It's not news it's just opinion. Bring back real journalists like Walter Cronkite.

[Browncoat]

29 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I was recently looking to replace a wingback living room chair. Every damn one I looked at came in various shades of grey. I still haven't found one in the color I like.

Can you get one upholstered?  The sofa I bought a few years ago came with my choice of fabric. And there were LOTS of fabrics to choose from. 

[bilgistic]

21 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

This is me. I have gotten better about it and I don't wish that feeling on anyone, much less my BF. But sometimes I am thinking, " just do the thing and stop talking about it," haha! And the funny part is that once he does do the thing, he gets on a roll and does more and feels so happy about it! 

It's like we have the same boyfriend.

[peacheslatour]

Just now, Browncoat said:

Can you get one upholstered?  The sofa I bought a few years ago came with my choice of fabric. And there were LOTS of fabrics to choose from. 

I looked in vain for a place that would have free fabric swatches like Pottery Barn used to. I have a flat cardboard thing they sent me with about eight or ten swatches from when I bought some draperies from them. I use it like a palette for my house. I also have paint fan decks from which I have cut "my" colors that I made into a palette. I know exactly what I want but I can't find the colors. I like dark green, moss green, wine red, cream and black and white. In the bedroom I have these colors along with touches of sea green. I like dark wood and cream walls. I was born in the wrong century.

[Cobb Salad]

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

I woke up this morning and the television doesn't work  Compared with what is going on in the real world, it isn't that big of a deal.  It sure is frustrating.  I don't want any of that smart tv shit.  All I want is a television that has a center base, and not legs spread so far apart that the television won't fit on the bedroom television stand.   I have twenty inch base length and about eight inches deep to work with on the tv stand.  I had the twenty-eight inch television since 2006.  I only buy local, so at some point I am going to have to look around and see what's available.

 

My little 13” TV from 2001 died last spring.  I found a non smart 28” TV replacement pretty quickly.  There aren’t a lot of them out there but they exist.  I didn’t want to adjust the space where the old TV sat either and this new TV just about fits there.  Although I wasn’t happy about the old TV going (I had it a while and it did see a lot of use so I’m happy with that) I’m just as happy with the replacement.  

[WinnieWinkle]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

For me, I don't watch cable news because I figure they have a 24/7 news cycle to fill so they fill it with pointless speculation and talking heads blabbing their opinions, which everyone has. It's not news it's just opinion. Bring back real journalists like Walter Cronkite.

This is me.  In the aftermath of the US election I was turning to the major news networks constantly - and checking my more local news outlets constantly for Covid updates.  As if there was going to be anything significantly new 5 minutes after I last checked.  Eventually I realized (duh) that a lot of my stress and anxiety could be tied to turning to the news constantly!!  There is no way I would describe what I was watching as fake news but it wasn't exactly new  news either.  Taking a major step back from all news outlets was a huge help for me in getting through the balance of 2020 relatively calm.  Relatively.

[DrSpaceman73]

My wife leaves her inbox full of old emails.  Hundreds of them.  It doesn't really drive me crazy because I don't have to look at it, but just thinking about it makes ME a bit stressed.  DELETE SOME!  its not that she ignores them, she peruses and reads the important ones...... but then leaves them. 

AHHHHHH.......DELETE, DELETE, DELETE, DELETE!!!!  Or save to a different folder if needed. 

it would drive me crazy to know all those are in there.