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

[PRgal]

14 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

Despite living near a major city we have very limited local news coverage on the week-end on TV,  so if you want to hear updates on local stuff or a weather forecast geared to our area, well, you won't.    First world problem of course but it's annoying.

That’s probably because no one watches local TV.  My television is either on sports (husband), the finance channel or CNN.  Or The Food Network (my home workout indulge).  We stream everything else. 

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

Despite living near a major city we have very limited local news coverage on the week-end on TV,  so if you want to hear updates on local stuff or a weather forecast geared to our area, well, you won't.    First world problem of course but it's annoying.

It is annoying.  My preferred local news station has news from 4-7 Monday through Friday, but it's nearly always pre-empted by some sporting event or other on the weekend.  They do run news for a couple of hours in the mornings on Saturday and Sunday, but sometimes I'd like an evening update, too.

[peacheslatour]

33 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

It is annoying.  My preferred local news station has news from 4-7 Monday through Friday, but it's nearly always pre-empted by some sporting event or other on the weekend.  They do run news for a couple of hours in the mornings on Saturday and Sunday, but sometimes I'd like an evening update, too.

I'm one of those weirdos who still gets the local paper.

[Bastet]

38 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm one of those weirdos who still gets the local paper.

I only get the Sunday edition in print anymore; the rest of the week I read it online.

I read more news than I watch, because it's faster.  Instead of TL;dr, I'm a TL;dw person -- I hate when I click on what I think is an article and it's a video instead.  And I have a really hard time hanging for any length of time with podcasts that are audio only.

Edited January 29, 2023 by Bastet

[Rose Quartz]

8 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I read more news than I watch, because it's faster.  Instead of TL;dr, I'm a TL;dw person -- I hate when I click on what I think it's an article and it's a video instead.  And I have a really hard time hanging with podcasts that are audio only.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who feels that way!  I much prefer a written version since I can read it more quickly and easily skim any parts that I'm not interested in - it's hard to skip ahead in a video without missing something.

I also have never been able to get into podcasts.  I'm sure some have interesting content but I don't have the patience to sit and listen to an extended discussion just to hear the parts I care about.  

[stewedsquash]

I like to read my news and only listen to podcasts without video. My babyboy son bought me a gadget that allows my iphone to play through my car speakers (2004 Lexus r330 crossover 255,000 miles never had any work except a fuel pump/tires/oil change and no dear sons I will never get another car I am driving this one to my grave) (we also have a relatively new Tahoe but it makes me carsick, which I have never experienced before ever,  so I only use it under duress) ( I can however drive all of our farm trucks no problem but thst year of Tahoe? Whoa no bueno) and it has changed my life! I am currently catching up on HandelOnTheLaw that my local station stopped playing years ago. He is hilarious. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by stewedsquash

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm one of those weirdos who still gets the local paper.

Me, too.

[Calvada]

I subscribe online to 2 newspapers, plus I can access The Washington Post and The New York Times online through my public library.  I enjoy reading my news instead of listening to it.  I have a couple podcasts I enjoy and I like to listen when I'm cooking or washing dishes.  

Regarding smoke alarm batteries going dead in the middle of the night, once several years ago I was awakened at 2:30 a.m. by the beep! of the alarm.  I tried burying my head under the pillow but that didn't work, so I got up, got the step ladder, pulled the battery out, and fell back into bed.  A few minutes later:  beep!  I thought damn, it wasn't the one in my bedroom, it's the smoke alarm in the hall (literally 3 feet from the one in my bedroom, but required by law to have one in every bedroom and hallway), so got out of bed again, up the step ladder, and pulled the battery from the one in the hall.  Got back into bed.  A few minutes later:  beep!   WTF?  I got up, stared at the smoke detectors wondering why they were still beeping, debated ripping them both off the ceiling and throwing them out my front door, when suddenly I remembered the carbon monoxide detector plugged into the wall behind my bedroom door.  

An equally annoying peeve, at least for people like me who live in the snow belt:  why does the light in the overhead garage door opener burn out only in cold winter weather?  

[PRgal]

I subscribed to the Washington Post and NYT and comment fairly regularly on their articles (usually in the advice or opinions articles)! 

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

I subscribed to the Washington Post and NYT and comment fairly regularly on their articles (usually in the advice or opinions articles)! 

We have the Washington Post delivered.  But I prefer to read it online so I can share my brilliant ideas and opinions in the comments section 😁 (also a great place to vent!) 

[Cloud9Shopper]

When people say to me “just go back to work” or “just get any job.” It’s like they automatically think I’m lazy and holding out for a six figure job rather than thinking about how much harder it’s become to get a job. If you’re applying for a full-time professional job, even at the lower level I have to have a hour-plus long interview with a hiring manager or have three rounds of conversations with multiple people. I went to a chain restaurant the other day to not only hear they actually have no hostess jobs open but that even if they did, even that requires two interviews to get hired. And gig apps are no longer a good deal because everyone else has the same idea when they don’t want a traditional job or they get laid off themselves, so good luck finding any work in a lot of areas.

Believe me, if I could have “just gone back to work” because “everyone is hiring” I would have been there already. Perhaps I just didn’t find the magical “everyone” yet. As my grandfather used to say to my mom, “who is everybody?” 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Cloud9Shopper

[Yeah No]

On 1/26/2023 at 11:24 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

You will laugh, but my husband and I both like to stop and talk about the show we are watching together, so we have to stop and ask for a pause if the other person is holding the remote.  We have two remotes for the Roku, so we each hold one ourselves!  We call the remote the pauser as a joke.  My brother in law sometimes watches a movie with us and he thinks we are crazy.  Oh, yeah we always use closed captions as well, but that's just 'cause we can't hear so well anymore.

Oh we do that too.  Sometimes both of us hit the pause button at the same time, LOL, because we both want to talk about what just happened on the screen.  And yeah, the closed captions are on for other reasons.  One of our pet peeves involves shows that insist on having loud music or background noise drowning out the dialog.  It has been getting worse over the years and it's not just our hearing that's to blame.  Also on reality shows people slur their words and don't talk in a way that's easy to hear over the booming music.  

[EtheltoTillie]

We stopped getting the hard copy papers when we realized we were reading the on-line versions before the papers showed up, sometimes in the case of the NYT, days earlier, as that is their posting schedule.  I feel bad about putting the paper delivery folks out of work, but we were creating a lot of waste.   This has an impact on us personally, as my brother-in-law's paper delivery business has really tanked, and it was lucrative for many years.  We are having to help support him now.  Now he delivers food in addition to keeping up with his few paper clients left.  People will still need food delivered. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Yeah No]

On 1/26/2023 at 6:08 PM, Elizabeth Anne said:

My sister's pet peeve - often loudly expressed - is the way so many of the younger generation feel that baby boomers had it all and continue to have it all as they march towards a golden retirement.  She has gotten into many a FB argument with friends of her children (all in their 20s and 30s) who blame the boomers for all society's ills and insist that all boomers are rich.  Demonstrably not true of course but FB arguments aren't going to sway anyone's opinions!

Oh this is one of my biggest pet peeves ever, she sounds just like me.  My personal opinion is that later boomers are not really of the same generation as earlier boomers, many of whom did have it easier at getting and keeping good paying jobs, affording homes, and being generally immune from some of the stuff that us later boomers unfortunately had (and still have) to deal with.  Although there is some truth to that it is also a stereotype that's not true across the board, but even knowing that, boomers don't tend to blame other boomers or any generation for their problems.  We were taught that our destiny was largely under our own control and that we could overcome any obstacle if we really put our minds to it.  So if we don't succeed we tend to blame ourselves, not our parents, society or anyone else.  Not saying that was realistic either but it was how we were raised.

[supposebly]

I think many of the younger generations take issue with the attitude of older generations that argue they had it hard too and if you worked hard you would be fine, implying that younger generations are lazy. That's just not the case anymore and that started with gen X already. We just never get mentioned in this discourse for some reason. It also just shows that making broad generalizations about a generation is often not useful. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by supposebly

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

When people say to me “just go back to work” or “just get any job.” It’s like they automatically think I’m lazy and holding out for a six figure job rather than thinking about how much harder it’s become to get a job. If you’re applying for a full-time professional job, even at the lower level I have to have a hour-plus long interview with a hiring manager or have three rounds of conversations with multiple people. I went to a chain restaurant the other day to not only hear they actually have no hostess jobs open but that even if they did, even that requires two interviews to get hired. And gig apps are no longer a good deal because everyone else has the same idea when they don’t want a traditional job or they get laid off themselves, so good luck finding any work in a lot of areas.

Believe me, if I could have “just gone back to work” because “everyone is hiring” I would have been there already. Perhaps I just didn’t find the magical “everyone” yet. As my grandfather used to say to my mom, “who is everybody?” 

I had the same exact thing happen.  When I was unemployed for 2 years (thanks to being over 50 and in a recession) well meaning friends and acquaintances kept telling me I should just take a job at McDonald's or the supermarket or something as if that's so easy to do when you are unemployed from a career and looking for a better job.  Employers in those businesses don't want to hire someone like that.  That's why you don't see too many unemployed PhDs or MBAs in fast food, LOL.  We would be told we were "overqualified".   Maybe that was possible in earlier times but not today.  I know because I tried it.  I even tried getting a job at Penzey's Spices, a nice store (part of a chain) in my area, because I have an appreciation for them and am an avid home cook.  But no, I got nowhere with that.  They like hiring housewives looking to make a little side money, but not an out of work exec. assistant from the corporate world, because they knew I'd be out the door as soon as I found a better paying full time job in my regular field.

Also, what people also don't understand is that when you are on unemployment the expectation is that your job is looking for a job.  If you take another job, even if part time, that takes away from your ability to find a better job.  And contrary to what people seem to believe, it doesn't make you look more attractive to prospective employers in your field.  I've found it actually counts against you.  Desperation is never a good look.  Plus depending on how much you earn in a part time job or "gig" work, you may take a hit on your unemployment benefits, although it may help to extend them since you're not getting as much every week.

Anyway, again, "I hear you", this is another big pet peeve of mine.....

[Yeah No]

16 minutes ago, supposebly said:

I think many of the younger generations take issue with the attitude of older generations that argue they had it hard too and if you worked hard you would be fine, implying that younger generations are lazy. That's just not the case anymore and that started with gen X already. We just never get mentioned in this discourse for some reason. It also just shows that making broad generalizations about a generation is often not useful. 

Well as usual, it depends.  I personally know of quite a few cases where specific younger people I know have convinced themselves based only on what they hear online that they have no good opportunities, when I can see for myself that they have more opportunities open to them than I ever had.  And then they proceed to create a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Not saying that's true for everyone across the board because there are issues now that didn't exist back in the day, but a person's pessimism based on what may or may not be reality can also be a big factor in whether or not they succeed.  And that's not about laziness but about giving up hope.  One thing I know is that giving up hope never works.

P.S.  One of those young people is one of my nephews by marriage, whose mother had to convince him he had more opportunities open to him than he thought he did.  She finally got through to him and now he's making a lot more money at his age comparatively than my husband or I ever made.  He just had to be convinced that he could do it.  He had been discouraged by all the negative talk on social media, and that held him back more than anything else.

Edited January 29, 2023 by Yeah No

[Bethany]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

I had the same exact thing happen.  When I was unemployed for 2 years (thanks to being over 50 and in a recession) well meaning friends and acquaintances kept telling me I should just take a job at McDonald's or the supermarket or something as if that's so easy to do when you are unemployed from a career and looking for a better job.

Yep, my husband actually interviewed at Home Depot when he was unemployed because he figured if he had to work retail this was a good choice for him.  He didn't get the job because of course the manager knew that an engineer was going to leave as soon as a better job offer came along!

For me what kept happening when I was job hunting after being at home with my kids for a few years was people would say "oh you're a librarian, I heard the university is looking for a head librarian"  or "they need a curator at the museum" and the like.  They meant well but honestly!!

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

P.S.  One of those young people is one of my nephews by marriage, whose mother had to convince him he had more opportunities open to him than he thought he did.  She finally got through to him and now he's making a lot more money at his age comparatively than my husband or I ever made.  He just had to be convinced that he could do it.  He had been discouraged by all the negative talk on social media, and that held him back more than anything else.

Here's another case in point:  The 30 year old daughter of our good friend and lawyer.  She comes from a family of high achievement and education level, presents well and is very personable, and was an excellent student in high school.  She was convinced by her peer group, largely online, that a college degree wasn't worth getting because "there were no good opportunities anyway".  So in spite of her parents' encouragement and an offer from her rich aunt to pay for her entire education, she didn't go to college.  Now she is waiting tables and taking on gig delivery work and crying to her father about how she and her boyfriend don't have enough money to pay their rent!  So this is the kind of stuff I'm talking about!

[TattleTeeny]

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Also, what people also don't understand is that when you are on unemployment the expectation is that your job is looking for a job.  If you take another job, even if part time, that takes away from your ability to find a better job.  And contrary to what people seem to believe, it doesn't make you look more attractive to prospective employers in your field.  I've found it actually counts against you.  Desperation is never a good look.  Plus depending on how much you earn in a part time job or "gig" work, you may take a hit on your unemployment benefits, although it may help to extend them since you're not getting as much every week.

YES! So far, I have been lucky in that no one has said to me to just get "any job." But that idea is crazy and shortsighted if you are collecting UE. In order to maintain my lifestyle from before a layoff (which is not extravagant or anything; in fact, the term "lifestyle" sounds too fancy!), I need to earn about as much, give or take,* as I was making before the layoff. And, as you said, it makes no sense to take something that pays less than UE pays, which is less than I was making. Further, that is what unemployment insurance is for -- people need to shut up with the implications that someone is lazy or greedy or somehow unjustly taking something from others by collecting UE (especially people who may lose money by taking "any job," such as those who may have to pay for daily transportation and childcare). People pay into UE their whole lives and sometimes never use it at all, so come on now. 

*I would accept a pay cut within a certain realistic amount, should I find something that really makes me feel happy for the majority of the workweek. I would like to not cry at least once a week due to job stress (that's a positive result of this layoff, haha!).

Edited January 29, 2023 by TattleTeeny

[RealHousewife]

You all make great points.

The one person I've said needs to just get a job, any job, is my sister's boyfriend. He hasn't worked in several years and shows no initiative. He has an excuse to be against any job. Either the schedule is too early, and he must get a workout in, the job doesn't pay enough, the job is beneath him, the job is too stressful, etc. Just get a job.  

[SuprSuprElevated]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I feel bad about putting the paper delivery folks out of work, but we were creating a lot of waste.

Our local rags switched to delivery via USPS a few yrs ago, which in some cases now, doesn't arrive until 6pm. I stopped delivery probably 15 yrs ago when they became available online, and stopped online when they went behind a paywall and became unreadable delivery vehicles for AP stories, obituaries, and classified ads, all of which can be had for 'free' elsewhere.  No point.

[Bethany]

15 minutes ago, RealHousewife said:

The one person I've said needs to just get a job, any job, is my sister's boyfriend. He hasn't worked in several years and shows no initiative. He has an excuse to be against any job. Either the schedule is too early, and he must get a workout in, the job doesn't pay enough, the job is beneath him, the job is too stressful, etc. Just get a job.  

I have a cousin like this.  She is 43 and lives off her parents.  Her grand plan for the future is eventually living off her inheritance.  We're not talking Veronica Lodge here - her parents are what I would call comfortable middle class.  I don't think she has any clue that the inheritance she thinks will support her for life just really, really won't.

[Cloud9Shopper]

Thanks for the support guys! I wish I could quote and reply to all of you but it’s always good to know others can relate. 

I do believe there are good opportunities out there; just that it’s more challenging to get them with the amount of applicants and the processes these days. I’ve had a couple interviews where the employer says to me “We’ve had this position open for a while and we’re really looking for a fit.” I figure there’s a lot in my control to do my best on interviews and applications but at the end of the day you can’t predict hearing something like that, or help that the hiring manager likes you until a candidate comes along that just blows you away. I’ve heard even of non-management jobs requiring 3-5 interviews because employers get hung up on “fit.” (There is such a thing at some companies as a “culture fit interview.”) There are also some jobs and companies that require assessments or presentations during the interview. It’s gotten very long and drawn out. 

I was not raised in such a way that my parents would let me just sit around at home doing nothing. My mom would always welcome me back if it were needed (though we’d rather not go there) but I’d be expected to have a job. I was depressed a bit about having to take a pay cut if I do get offered a lower paying job, but I’ve come around a bit today and realized it doesn’t have to be forever and that now that I’ve been out of work almost two months, being home and not having a job just isn’t that fun anymore. 

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Cloud9Shopper

[festivus]

Let's take the job talk over to the thread dedicated to it. Thanks. 

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Our local rags switched to delivery via USPS a few yrs ago, which in some cases now, doesn't arrive until 6pm. I stopped delivery probably 15 yrs ago when they became available online, and stopped online when they went behind a paywall and became unreadable delivery vehicles for AP stories, obituaries, and classified ads, all of which can be had for 'free' elsewhere.  No point.

I need my NYT crossword puzzle though. Doing online is too much like work.

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

One of our pet peeves involves shows that insist on having loud music or background noise drowning out the dialog.  It has been getting worse over the years and it's not just our hearing that's to blame.  Also on reality shows people slur their words and don't talk in a way that's easy to hear over the booming music. 

This article includes quotes from a sound mixer, talking about how the changes in technology have, in some ways, made things worse, resulting in what you're talking about:

Quote

But if you’re switching subtitles on because you simply can’t make out what the actors are saying, it’s (probably) not your ears that are to blame. Hard-to-hear dialogue is a known issue in the industry, says the sound mixer Guntis Sics, who has worked on movies including Moulin Rouge! and Thor: Ragnarok.

There are a lot of contributing factors but, paradoxically, it all comes back to advances in technology.

“As technology evolved, especially when it took the leap to digital, a tsunami of sound appeared all of a sudden,” Sics says.

The problem starts on the movie set. In decades past, actors had to project loudly towards a fixed microphone. The advent of portable mics has allowed a shift towards a more intimate and naturalistic style of performance, where actors can speak more softly – or, some might say, mumble.

It’s an approach to acting Sics says has been around for a long time now, but something he’s certainly noticed more in younger performers.

“Tony Hopkins on Thor spoke like a normal human being, whereas on a lot of other films, there’s a new style with young actors – it’s like they just talk to themselves. That might work in a cinema, but not necessarily when it gets into people’s lounge rooms,” he says

Other technological advances have also complicated things. As audio tech became more sophisticated, film-makers started including more sounds: where we once would have heard a door slam as someone angrily exited an apartment, today we also get the handle turning, a clock ticking and a character heavy breathing. And when sound is mixed with the best possible audio experience in mind – say, at a cinema – much of that detail can be lost when it’s folded down to laptop speakers, or even your television. It’s often the dialogue that suffers most.

Because back in the day – “when TVs were just TVs,” as Sics says – the small, tinny speakers they came with pushed out the high frequencies where the voice sits clearly and loudly. But as technology progressed, Sics says, electronics companies began to expect consumers to buy their own sound system separately. Relying on the TV’s small built-in speakers could leave you with a subpar experience.

But even if you do invest in an expensive speaker set-up, failing to tune it perfectly to your living room means you may end up hearing the big explosions better, but not voices.

“Think back to the old black and white movies and how clear the dialogue is there – it’s partly to do with the speaker technology,” Sics says. “[Today] you might get lucky, plug your speakers in and it sounds perfect. But most people plug it in, and all of various frequencies bounce off the walls and confuse what you’re listening to. If you set it up in a room with no carpet and just floorboards, it’s going to sound like crap. Whereas the old tinny speaker managed to cut through that.”

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Bastet

[SuprSuprElevated]

53 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I need my NYT crossword puzzle though. Doing online is too much like work.

I don't do that one because again, paywall, but I do a couple of online versions with my PC, and the keyboard makes it lightning fast. I can skip through the "nopes" with wild abandon. 😂

Edited January 29, 2023 by SuprSuprElevated
Trying to improve my punctuation usage. Futility.

[Bethany]

Today's peeve: pop ups during online games on FB, like Candy Crush or slotomania for instance, where they pop up reminders of how to play the game  (got that covered thanks) and constant pop ups trying to get you to buy stuff from them (not gonna happen).  I expect a few, I get it that they are going to try and make some  money off me,  but not 7, 8, 9 and counting pop ups before I can even play one round!

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I need my NYT crossword puzzle though. Doing online is too much like work.

I hate trying to do crosswords online.  I don't go through the clues the way the online programs would prefer I do.

[peacheslatour]

31 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I hate trying to do crosswords online.  I don't go through the clues the way the online programs would prefer I do.

It's just so tedious. I like too kick back on the sofa and grab my trusty pen and go at it.

[EtheltoTillie]

6 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

It's just so tedious. I like too kick back on the sofa and grab my trusty pen and go at it.

I'm with you here.  I pay for the yearly crossword puzzle subscription, and I print it out to write in the answers.  But I do the acrostic on line; which is easier than doing it in pen.

Edited January 29, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[TattleTeeny]

The neighbors below me have newspapers delivered. Only they just pile up in the shared hallway, which I assume is likely some kind of bylaws violation or some shit. At the risk of this not being a peeve -- because whatever; it's not really in anyone's way and this place is somewhat casual on the rules -- I will bring it back around to peevedom: these neighbors may or may not have complained about my bird feeders. So that is my peeve -- and the hypocrisy of this terribly irresponsible newspaper behavior! (Part of that was sarcastic; while the possible hypocrisy is annoying, I really don't care about the newspapers in the hall.)

Edited January 30, 2023 by TattleTeeny

[EtheltoTillie]

Speaking of hallways, our co-op board decreed that we can no longer have doormats in the common hallway, i.e., outside our individual doors.  They decided to take the extreme CYA view of NYC fire regulations.  And no wet shoes may be left in the hall.  Only self-important busybodies join a co-op board, then they have to tinker with everyone's little daily routines.  The same people keep getting elected, as no one else wants to do it.  They haven't yet banned the delivery of newspapers by your door, but they might get the idea.  Shhh. 

Edited January 30, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[TattleTeeny]

Because I am still sad about my bird feeders, I go back and forth between "Fine; you want to play bylaw games? Let's play bylaw games..." and "Check out my chillness and feel bad about your lack thereof." 

The latter usually wins because (a) I really don't care what they do, so it's kind of like work to actively make myself feel different; (b) one of the rules that some people here violate is the one about dogs being less than 25 pounds; I would never do anything that contributes to someone having to rehome a pet*; and (c) I still have to live here among everyone, so I prefer it be noncontentious. 

*Unless of course they were treating the pet badly! 

Edited January 30, 2023 by TattleTeeny

[RealHousewife]

Hotel room keys. Wish they were more reliable. I’ll think I’m being careful with them, and I’ll still run into trouble. The worst is when you’re in heels carrying stuff, and have a long walk to get a new key. 

[Bethany]

It's ridiculously cold out right now which is fine since I don't have to go out in it (she said selfishly) but my peeve is that our front window is now coated with ice along the frame inside.  Which means we should probably be looking at replacing it sooner than we wanted to (it's original to the house so about 40 yrs old).  Anyway on a day like today I once again wonder how the hell our ancestors coped in winter and more personally why didn't my great grandparents emigrate to New Zealand instead of Canada!

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

It's ridiculously cold out right now which is fine since I don't have to go out in it (she said selfishly) but my peeve is that our front window is now coated with ice along the frame inside.  Which means we should probably be looking at replacing it sooner than we wanted to (it's original to the house so about 40 yrs old).  Anyway on a day like today I once again wonder how the hell our ancestors coped in winter and more personally why didn't my great grandparents emigrate to New Zealand instead of Canada!

But people in warm climates feel cold at much warmer temperatures.  When my family and I were in Hong Kong in 2011, we saw young women huddled together, wearing lined coats, complaining how "cold" it was.  The temperature?  Probably around 15 C (around 59 F).  Cold for Hong Kong in December, but bliss for us Canucks!  My cousins thought we were crazy to wear light jackets.  Perhaps they forgot that we're Canadian?

Edited February 3, 2023 by PRgal

[Bethany]

40 minutes ago, PRgal said:

  The temperature?  Probably around 15 C (around 59 F).  Cold for Hong Kong in December, but bliss for us Canucks! 

True!  When we lived in the UK we'd see people wearing hats and mitts and heavy coats in the fall and wonder how they'd ever cope when it got Canada cold!  But that said even this born and bred Canadian is waving the white flag of surrender today.  According to the weather network it's -26c and feels like -40.  I believe them!

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

But people in warm climates feel cold at much warmer temperatures.  When my family and I were in Hong Kong in 2011, we saw young women huddled together, wearing lined coats, complaining how "cold" it was.  The temperature?  Probably around 15 C (around 59 F). 

I wouldn't need a lined coat, but, yep, I (in Los Angeles) would definitely consider that cold.  Anything below 60.  A friend of mine moved from here to a mountain climate and had a terrible time acclimating to freezing and below freezing temperatures, but she eventually did.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

I wouldn't need a lined coat, but, yep, I (in Los Angeles) would definitely consider that cold.  Anything below 60.  A friend of mine moved from here to a mountain climate and had a terrible time acclimating to freezing and below freezing temperatures, but she eventually did.

Weenie!  LOL.  I'm heading home now in NYC.  17 F. 

Edited February 3, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

True!  When we lived in the UK we'd see people wearing hats and mitts and heavy coats in the fall and wonder how they'd ever cope when it got Canada cold!  But that said even this born and bred Canadian is waving the white flag of surrender today.  According to the weather network it's -26c and feels like -40.  I believe them!

It wasn't THAT cold in Toronto, maybe -17 C, feeling like -26?  But my face nearly fell off walking to the dentist (her office is about five minutes from where I live).  And I was dressed warmly!   I hope you're snug and indoors!!!

[Mondrianyone]

It's -19F here now, which is -28C (I think). Cold as a witch's you-know-what, at any rate.

I meant to add that this isn't Canada, so you have to endure all this cold and it doesn't even come with free health care!

Edited February 3, 2023 by Mondrianyone

[PRgal]

34 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

It's -19F here now, which is -28C (I think). Cold as a witch's you-know-what, at any rate.

I meant to add that this isn't Canada, so you have to endure all this cold and it doesn't even come with free health care!

I don’t know where you are, but parts of Canada can be warmer than the US.  And I don’t mean Alaska!  

[Spartan Girl]

New phrase that bugs the crap out of me: “You have a touch of (insert whatever illness).”

No. No, there is no such thing as “as a touch of flu” or a touch of COVID” or “a touch” of any disease. It’s a stupid phrase. You either have it, or you don’t.

[oliviabenson]

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Weenie!  LOL.  I'm heading home now in NYC.  17 F. 

I practically flew home lol

[Mindthinkr]

On 2/2/2023 at 12:27 AM, RealHousewife said:

Hotel room keys. Wish they were more reliable. I’ll think I’m being careful with them, and I’ll still run into trouble. The worst is when you’re in heels carrying stuff, and have a long walk to get a new key. 

That happened to me this week. I went to a ice hockey game and due to the distance needed to get a room. I got my 1st key only to find it worked, but there was a man in the room doing carpet cleaning. Second key was exchanged 4 times before a desk person went with me to verify that I was using the key correctly. Then he had maintenance try it. Nope. Back to the front desk. The third room took only two trips back to the front desk. I put in 5k steps just trying to get off my feet! Oh, the front clerk was cranky because I kept disturbing his personal phone call. Sigh. 

[GaT]

I'm going to try & phrase this delicately. I've watched a number of cooking/baking competition reality shows, & one thing has always bugged the hell out of me. When the judges taste the food, they stare directly at the contestant while slowly putting the food in their mouths & swallowing. It looks like they're in a porn movie giving oral sex, & it doesn't matter if the judge is male or female. I'm currently watching Great Chocolate Showdown on Hulu, & Cynthia Stroud (one of the judges) is particularly bad at doing this. It's gotten to the point where I look away when they show her. Just taste the food like it's food & not an audition for a porn movie!

[peacheslatour]

Just now, GaT said:

I'm going to try & phrase this delicately. I've watched a number of cooking/baking competition reality shows, & one thing has always bugged the hell out of me. When the judges taste the food, they stare directly at the contestant while slowly putting the food in their mouths & swallowing. It looks like they're in a porn movie giving oral sex, & it doesn't matter if the judge is male or female. I'm currently watching Great Chocolate Showdown on Hulu, & Cynthia Stroud (one of the judges) is particularly bad at doing this. It's gotten to the point where I look away when they show her. Just taste the food like it's food & not an audition for a porn movie!

It's very intimidating to me. If that were my food, I'd be afraid.

[PRgal]

On 2/3/2023 at 9:35 PM, Spartan Girl said:

New phrase that bugs the crap out of me: “You have a touch of (insert whatever illness).”

No. No, there is no such thing as “as a touch of flu” or a touch of COVID” or “a touch” of any disease. It’s a stupid phrase. You either have it, or you don’t.

At the same time, saying one has this or that and here are the symptoms implies, to some people, anyway, that it always has to be this way.  There's a spectrum.  It's like, two people test positive for COVID.  One person is basically functioning normally while in isolation, even working from home and attending meetings.  The other person ends up hospitalized.  And both of them have the strain that seems to be going around at the time.  Maybe the first person has a "touch" or they'll tell people they do while the other person will, once recovered, be telling everyone how sick she was (or maybe she was telling people while she was still in the hospital, sharing photos online).