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

[auntlada]

I started recycling in part because otherwise we'd fill up the trash cart too fast and in part (the biggest part) because we have curbside collection, and the city charges you the fee whether or not you use it. If I'm going to pay for it, I'm going to use it.

[Qoass]

Since I don't get curbside pickup at my address I put my recycling into someone else's bin after they've brought it to the curb.  The renter of that home chewed me out for doing so.  The bins belong to the town and my property taxes pay for it so am I wrong here?

[TattleTeeny]

Oh, my BF gets so pissy every time he takes out the recycling because he sees how other people don't regard the two separate and clearly marked bins. Because the regular garbage ones are on the end of the parking lot farthest from the driveway's only exit (meaning, if someone is leaving their place in the morning, they have to walk in the opposite direction to ditch the trash bag), people tend to toss their trash into the recycling bins, which are right on the way out of the driveway. Do they not get that this is a condo complex--we all pay the maintenance fees, which include trash and recycling removal. If you screw around with it and cause more work for the contractors, guess what? We all end up paying more later! Stop being so lazy!
 

Quote

Since I don't get curbside pickup at my address I put my recycling into someone else's bin after they've brought it to the curb.  The renter of that home chewed me out for doing so.  The bins belong to the town and my property taxes pay for it so am I wrong here?

Haha, was it a crazy amount of booze bottles or something the person thought would look bad? I'm just kidding...I was just projecting because once in a while I think, "Yikes! If my neighbors see me with this crate of bottles, they're gonna think I have a real problem!" (especially because I am all of 5'4" and 115 pounds, probably not your typical Wild Turkey guzzler).

That said, I would not care a bit, especially if you're sorting it properly and all that. But I guess I could see why someone might think it's somehow taking advantage (for lack of a better term; maybe the person incorrectly thinks that he or she is the one specifically paying for the bin?). I mean, I suppose you could ask first...though if someone did that to me, I'd probably wonder why they bothered and didn't just drop it in and go about their business.

[Qoass]

Nope, just junk mail and water bottles (caps and labels removed).  I did stare her down though and wish her a very nice evening.  And I still do it.

But I also get driven up the wall by my condo neighbors who think that if it fits in the dumpster, the service we pay for will take it away gratis.  I don't want to pay for your mattress removal, bucko.

[Blergh]

Pet peeve? How about forms that officials say HAVE to be filled out and returned by X amount of time- then said officials take forever to return calls re form queries and/or there's no way to access said website form is on.

[auntlada]

4 hours ago, Qoass said:

Since I don't get curbside pickup at my address I put my recycling into someone else's bin after they've brought it to the curb.  The renter of that home chewed me out for doing so.  The bins belong to the town and my property taxes pay for it so am I wrong here?

It would bother me if you did not ask. But in my neighborhood, everyone gets curbside recycling, and I would direct the person to the city website, which tells you how to request your own cart. But if you lived somewhere where you couldn't and we were friends and you asked, I'd probably say sure. And I'd probably ask that you bring it by the day before (or sometime before). Sometime ours is really full and can't fit anything else. Also, I'd want to make sure that everything you brought is actually allowable in the cart because some things aren't. Glass has to be separate and is only picked up once a month. We don't do that because we almost never have glass for recycling.

[Qoass]

Couldn't ask anybody as those bins are for a group of condos so they don't "belong" to any one person.  And I would never stuff things into an already full bin.

[MargeGunderson]

4 hours ago, Qoass said:

Since I don't get curbside pickup at my address I put my recycling into someone else's bin after they've brought it to the curb.  The renter of that home chewed me out for doing so.  The bins belong to the town and my property taxes pay for it so am I wrong here?

Does the neighbor have to pay for the pickup? My relatives live in an area with garbage and recycling curbside pickup but you have to pay for it monthly (not included in taxes).

[Qoass]

Nope:  included in taxes.  Which I also pay even though I do not get the same service.  But that's a whole 'nother peeve.

[Bastet]

Among my immediate neighbors, we all occasionally toss stuff into each others' bins once they're at the curb (because ours is full and theirs has room). 

A trash-related non-peeve, I guess: Some people are annoyed when people come by after the bins have been put out and sort through the recycle bins for things they can take to a recycling center for cash.  I could not get upset about that if I tried!  All I care about is that it's recycled, so if someone whose life has reached a point where they need to collect cans and bottles for cash wants it after I put it out, they are welcome to it.  I understand being upset if they make a mess or if they're rattling their shopping cart down the street late at night, and certainly understand being upset if someone seems to be studying papers, looking for info that can be used in identity theft, but the most-common scenario, where some person just trying to get by is pulling out cans, closing the bin, and being on their way?

[zxy556575]

@Qoass what kind of gerrymandered neighborhood offers recycling for some residents and not others? Is it an apartment building?

The recycling dumpsters in my former condo complex were a bit of a walk from my unit, but they allowed me to offload my collection whenever I wanted instead of having a specific day to put things out.

@Bastet, I agree about not caring one bit if someone goes through my bins to remove aluminum or whatever. Any paperwork I care about has been shredded, and people are welcome to rifle through my old grocery lists and junk mail.

I should create a peeve of the day calendar since I seem to have so many. Today I downloaded some software and gave my credit card info, as you do. I then got an email that said:

Your order is currently under evaluation by Avangate anti-fraud Specialists. We perform this verification to prevent unauthorized use of the credit/debit card used in the transaction and unauthorized use of your personal details. In order to validate your payment and complete your order, please provide us with the following documents during the next two business days:

- a copy of a recent credit card billing statement, confirming the name, address, and telephone number associated with the credit card presented for your order.

- a copy of a photo ID (identification card, driver's license or passport) of the Credit/Debit Card account holder.

Uh, no thank you! Please cancel my order. This was software with a monthly subscription fee, so too bad for them.

[Qoass]

My neighbors are in a strip of six condos.  I'm in a group of about 40.  Somewhere in between lies the magic number of getting what your taxes pay for, apparently.

[Petunia13]

I think where I live we are taxed on it but also pay a monthly fee for the bins  rental and pick up. 

[Quof]

Peeve of the day - incompetence.  Well, it actually peeves me everyday, but I digress.

I was in Starbucks, which I try to avoid because I find them awfully pretentious and self-important, considering they are just serving beans and water, not curing cancer.

The line was long, the staff appeared generally incompetent - getting orders wrong, forgetting drinks, etc.  The family in front of me placed an order that came to $12 and a few cents. The man handed the server $22.25.   The server didn't have a sweet clue what to do. He gave the man a handful of $1 bills and a bunch of coins, the man said "no, that's not right."   The server tried again, again he got it wrong. The customer had a thick accent, but spoke perfect English and kept explaining why it was wrong.  The server gave up.  A second server, then a third, couldn't figure out how to make the correct change. They had to get a manager.  The customer kept apologising to the rest of the line.   I said "It's not your fault, I've watched the entire transaction, and you're right."   

I almost left in frustration without ordering, but it was fascinating to watch.  The servers weren't flustered, feeling the pressure of the growing line up.  I don't think they even noticed all the people.  They just truly didn't know how to do basic math. 

[Bastet]

Doesn't the cash register do the math for them?

I never carry coins anymore (I just keep some in my car for parking meters), but I used to have cashiers stare at me in confusion when I'd hand them coins along with bills in order to get back a nice even amount, rather than more coins or a bunch of one-dollar bills, but then when they'd punch the amount tendered into the machine and see my change due pop up, they'd have a light bulb moment.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Bastet

[Quof]

Nope, the server had already punched in $20, assuming that's what the customer had given him. Free thinking is not encouraged apparently.

[topanga]

21 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Hey everyone!

I've got two peeves I need to get off my chest. The first, WARNING: TMI, but I really need to vent about it. So, here goes:

Last Thursday, I went for my annual with my OB/GYN. BUT, she was booked and the insurance I had was only good until the end of the month (Long story, better suited for another thread).  So I couldn't wait until she was available. So, I agreed to see another provider, which, like an idiot, I thought meant another doctor in her office, not another provider under the MedStar umbrella. Man, I LOATHE Medstar, but I love my doctors and surgeons and nurses, who are THE BEST and were/are still a great support system during my cancer and post chemo. Anyhoo. So I said yes. BIG MISTAKE. I should have waited until my regular GYN was available, because...I detest being condescended to. Jackass. Talking to me like I was a simpleton, telling me how to do a self exam, how I need to take vitamins and exercise to avoid osteoporosis since I'm 46. Ass kept getting my hysterectomy and mastectomy confused; kept asking when my last menstrual was...that I didn't need a PAP, but he just wanted to do an exam since I still have my cervix.

Before I'm even ready, he jams his finger inside me. Now I've had numerous exams, but this was more painful than the actual PAP! Felt  like a pipe was being shoved inside me. Gave me nightmare visions of when I lost my virginity. No care.  I guess he was checking my ovaries.Turns out I don't need a PAP every year now. Just every 3 years. Now why in tarnation didn't my GYN's office tell me this when I was making the appointment??!!!

Then Jackass tries to tell me I'll probably be going through menopause soon. Idiot. I went through it during fucking chemo.

I've had no problems with male GYNS or doctors in the past; this guy, though...I thought he was in my regular GYN's group, but no. Had to go to the group hospital to see him.

Unfortunately, the provider you saw was available for a reason. No patients want to make an appointment with his quack ass! Not only was a rough and condescending--he hadn't even read your friggin' chart and didn't know your medical history. 

 

On 8/1/2016 at 6:49 PM, TattleTeeny said:

Well, I don't want to reroute a thread about peeves, but the faux chicken strips I'm making right now to go with lemon pasta and roasted fresh asparagus do taste to me like the same product actually made of a chicken. Regarding the relationship analogy, I guess I view it more like I dumped that tall guy with brown hair (qualities I like, i.e, the taste of the real chicken) for being a dick (quality I don't like, i.e., the killing of the real chicken)...but here's a tall guy with brown hair (well, not right here--he's upstairs bumping around in his cluttered man-room doing god knows what) that is not a dick, i.e., the qualities I like without the one that I don't. I'm not pining for my ex dick chicken (haha!), even if my current BF has some common characteristics.

But, yeah, the clothing analogies work well, I think.

Basically, the doppelgänger I am going for with my food allows me (well, you know--not me personally) to harm a creature in order to eat it. That's what's important to me. I just want the various tastes of different food without the harm to any animals. It's not at all masochistic to me, and even if it were, I'm more concerned with not feeling sadistic. Haha, what may have been masochistic was when I decided it was time to learn to cook more than pasta. Oy. I'm better at it now, but still not passionate about it, and, man, do I make a mess of the kitchen!

What brand are the chicken strips? I like MorningStar's faux Corn Dogs. They taste like the real thing. I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, but I'm trying to reduce the amount of meat in my diet. 

Oh, and way to go with your current tall, brown-eyed man. 

And you reminded me of one of my ongoing pet peeves.  Why do men get man-caves way more often than women get woman-caves? I suppose women sometimes get craft rooms or libraries--or our own TV rooms, if that's what we prefer. But that's definitely a rarity. 

[TattleTeeny]

He's got his moments but he's a keeper!

I'd love a cave of any kind, man--a place to close the door on a mess/half-done project if there is one. BUT...he moved into a 2-BR condo after getting out of his old house due to tons of flooding in recent years here in North Jersey. So, I threw him a bone. 

I use mostly Gardein products. My favorites are the pulled-"pork" pockets (the sauce is so good!) and the "crab" cakes. The chickens are also good shredded in the blender for, like, five seconds and made into a chicken salad. The "meat"balls are great too!

[ratgirlagogo]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

A trash-related non-peeve, I guess: Some people are annoyed when people come by after the bins have been put out and sort through the recycle bins for things they can take to a recycling center for cash.  I could not get upset about that if I tried!  All I care about is that it's recycled, so if someone whose life has reached a point where they need to collect cans and bottles for cash wants it after I put it out, they are welcome to it. 

Many people do this where we live.  I only wish I could do what I used to do when I lived in  more downmarket ghetto hoods (Williamsburg, East Harlem and the East Village - oh, the irony that needless to say I couldn't do it today  in any of those no longer downmarket areas) - to separate out the cash recyclables and leave them  in a plastic bag hanging from the stoop - the  stuff got picked up with very little noise and the recycling bags didn't get all torn up.

Edited August 3, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[TattleTeeny]

Usually wheat gluten, I think (I know a few people who are vegan but can't have a lot of Gardein stuff because of Celiac issues). 

Edited August 3, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[topanga]

3 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

@ratgirlagogo I just finished marathon watching MDLNY so I am aware that Williamsburg is booming and East East East Village is getting there, per Ryan. haha I would love to be a single independently wealthy woman in the city. I have no clue where I would want to live.

Question about the examples y'all are giving for fake food that vegetarians and vegans eat. Take the corn dog example to start. What the heck is it made out of? What makes it corn doggy? Pulled pork? What is making it pulled porky? Crab cakes? What is in the products? Serious question.

When it comes to hot dogs, hot sausages, and corn dogs--I'd rather not know the details of how they're made. TMI for sure. 

--And that applies to the vegetarian versions, too. I'd honestly rather not know. 

[bilgistic]

In my former condo complex, we paid a private company for a giant trash compactor. The city would provide recycling bins, but the stronghold on the HOA would not "allow" it, because they didn't want the compactor area to be "junky". As if it could be junkier than being a regular dumping ground for furniture, appliances, boxes, etc. for which people were supposed to call to have special pickup, but instead just dumped.

I hauled my recycling to the nearest city recycling dropoff point a couple miles away. A pain, but I'm actively not adding to the destruction of this planet any more than I am just by existing and consuming.

My apartment complex now has four recycling bins for 400ish apartments. Four. 1%! There should be four at each building; there's a dumpster for each building.

[zxy556575]

5 hours ago, Quof said:

The family in front of me placed an order that came to $12 and a few cents. The man handed the server $22.25.   The server didn't have a sweet clue what to do.

Did the customer tell them, "You owe me $10.09 in change?" and they didn't believe him?

4 hours ago, topanga said:

And you reminded me of one of my ongoing pet peeves.  Why do men get man-caves way more often than women get woman-caves?

Men get rooms to themselves because their wives prefer them to be out from underfoot and to keep their messes contained. ;)

[bmasters9]

13 hours ago, lordonia said:

I should create a peeve of the day calendar since I seem to have so many. Today I downloaded some software and gave my credit card info, as you do. I then got an email that said:

Your order is currently under evaluation by Avangate anti-fraud Specialists. We perform this verification to prevent unauthorized use of the credit/debit card used in the transaction and unauthorized use of your personal details. In order to validate your payment and complete your order, please provide us with the following documents during the next two business days:

- a copy of a recent credit card billing statement, confirming the name, address, and telephone number associated with the credit card presented for your order.

- a copy of a photo ID (identification card, driver's license or passport) of the Credit/Debit Card account holder.

Uh, no thank you! Please cancel my order. This was software with a monthly subscription fee, so too bad for them.

Did they really expect you to mail all that stuff to them?!

Edited August 3, 2016 by bmasters9
Focusing on the subject

[Blergh]

12 hours ago, topanga said:

 . 

And you reminded me of one of my ongoing pet peeves.  Why do men get man-caves way more often than women get woman-caves? I suppose women sometimes get craft rooms or libraries--or our own TV rooms, if that's what we prefer. But that's definitely a rarity. 

 

 

 And the irony is that until about 20 years ago, they were unheard of. I mean, yes there were dens,studies and offices and the occasional smoking/pool room but at least dens,studies and offices were supposed to contain office materials for the ostensible purpose of having the husband/father be able to retreat to it for the purpose of helping to provide for the family during his 'free' time (and the women's sewing room was there for the wife/mother to be able have uninterrupted time to attire the family via handcrafted clothing).

 What does a man cave do but just have a man avoid the rest of the family while doing leisure activities?

[Quof]

Well, there was Mike Brady's den, which was bigger than a football field, while his kids were stacked 3 high in their bedrooms.

[TattleTeeny]

9 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Oh, okay. I guess that makes the texture. Do they then add flavors to make it taste like a corn dog, crab, pork? I am asking because my mother does not eat meat and she is very label conscious about sodium and if I could find some of these alternatives I thought it might work for her meat replacement. 

I think if you go to the Gardein website, you can look at the labels of the products for that. I myself do not but I am going to assume that, as with so much other prepackaged frozen stuff, sodium might be a concern. I have a friend who's a chef and as much a health-motivated vegan as he is an ethical one, and he does use Gardein stuff at home (though far less than I do as not a chef).

Edited August 3, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[JTMacc99]

9 hours ago, lordonia said:

Men get rooms to themselves because their wives prefer them to be out from underfoot and to keep their messes contained. ;)

Hee!  I was thinking that it was more of a "You can finish the basement and put all of your stupid shit down there, because the rest of the house will be free of beer mirrors, unnecessarily large electronics and framed hockey jerseys." 

[Qoass]

Okay, I'm cheating here because I want to bitch about the Olympics.  I know there's a whole topic full of threads for them but none that seemed to cover strictly complaints.

I used to love the Olympics as a kid but now I don't bother.  Perhaps I'm just waxing nostalgic but it seems that in the past, there was less emphasis on athlete's sob stories and we got to love them mostly on performance.  And they showed stuff even if there wasn't an American in the lead.  And beach volleyball wasn't an event so I didn't have to wonder why the guys get to wear baggy shorts while the women are in skimpy bikinis for no apparent reason.

[zxy556575]

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

Hee!  I was thinking that it was more of a "You can finish the basement and put all of your stupid shit down there, because the rest of the house will be free of beer mirrors, unnecessarily large electronics and framed hockey jerseys." 

Gawd, the neon bar signs, wooden spool tables and beer can collections! The 4' tall speakers may be the worst, though.

If it excuses my stereotypical male prejudices, I also feel bad for men who have to live with porcelain dolls, frilly pillows and Holly Hobby wallpaper borders.

Edited August 3, 2016 by lordonia

[topanga]

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

Hee!  I was thinking that it was more of a "You can finish the basement and put all of your stupid shit down there, because the rest of the house will be free of beer mirrors, unnecessarily large electronics and framed hockey jerseys." 

Ha! Do you know my husband? With a few variations: no beer mirrors, but he does have unnecessarily large (and expensive) electronics, and the framed hockey jockeys are actually framed NFL jerseys and autographed footballs. And his collection of Negro Leagues Baseball memorabilia--which is actually kind of cool, but I like it better away from the living room. 

[TattleTeeny]

I got lucky--we share a similar aesthetic, which is basically macabre-meets-vintage '70s, and Star Wars. Our furniture and carpet and curtains, etc., are "normal" but the wall art and tchotchkes are what tell people what they need to know about us. And not only did he paint a gothy deep-purple accent wall in our otherwise sensibly neutral BR, but he doesn't mind sleeping beneath a big old leopard print comforter.

[Moose135]

3 hours ago, Qoass said:

...the women are in skimpy bikinis for no apparent reason.

Oh, there's definitely a reason!

[P2C2E]

I love Trader Joes's veggie corndogs, they taste exactly like I remember the taste of regular corndogs. Mmmmm.

[JTMacc99]

2 hours ago, topanga said:

Ha! Do you know my husband? 

We are all cut from the same cloth.  I brought giant speakers and framed Simpsons artwork from my bachelor life. I never ended up desiring a special room for all my stuff, but there were a lot of reasons for that. Some of my Simpsons stuff did find places where they made sense, and the giant speakers did go into the family room until the Golden Retriever made it clear that her hair and the black speaker covers were NEVER going to work out.  (Kind of like my marriage come to think of it.)

[Bastet]

When it comes to speakers, size matters.  This small speakers trend is one that can happily pass me by.

[Jaded]

On 7/29/2016 at 7:25 AM, lordonia said:

So today I get an email from the SSA saying they have instituted a multifactor authentication process for logging into my account that involves sending a one-time security code via text message. And here's the kicker -- if I don't have have a text-enabled cell phone? I "will not be able to access your My Social Security account." So TOUGH SHIT from the government. Oh, and any applicable text message fees apply.

I understand the need for security measures and I probably only log into my social security account once or twice a year, but it's still irritating. They already force me to change my password every 3 months or so.

I'm reading back through posts I missed so that's the reasoning for such a late reply to this issue that's doing more then peeving me off. I didn't get that email about this new "security" measure the SSA decided to implement so I was faced with it for the first time over the weekend. I only use my prepaid for emergencies even though most people my age live on theirs. I don't want to have to pay to get text code that I also have to wait for before I can log onto their site to get to my info. I read somewhere awhile back that the SSA verifies incomes with the help of credit reporting agencies so the conspiracy theorist in me thinks this is a way to tie people's cell phone information to them by collecting their numbers.

They know damn well how many older people probably use their site and to do this to them and anyone who don't use a cell phone for various reasons is idiotic. Their suggestion is to borrow or have the text sent to a friends phone. Too many home bound people are in that position due to not having anyone to help them so getting access to a phone with texting abilities could be hard for them. The SSA's Facebook page was blowing up about this issue at one point. I'm not sure if it still is or not. A lot of the people on there are saying this was probably some millennial's idea.

Edited August 3, 2016 by Jaded

[JTMacc99]

7 hours ago, Qoass said:

I used to love the Olympics as a kid but now I don't bother.  Perhaps I'm just waxing nostalgic but it seems that in the past, there was less emphasis on athlete's sob stories and we got to love them mostly on performance.  And they showed stuff even if there wasn't an American in the lead.  

Funny you should say it this way, because I just responded to a friend who made a similar comment. I told him that I still enjoy the summer Olympics because out on channel 243 will be coverage of table tennis, and on channel 257 will be coverage of some sort of crazy wrestling or weight lifting.  I have very little interest in the sob stories and the packaged coverage of the premier sports in prime time.  But I still get a kick out of a whole bunch of the rest of it.  I just need to set the DVR up during the day to let me watch what I want to watch at night.

[JTMacc99]

7 hours ago, Qoass said:

I used to love the Olympics as a kid but now I don't bother.  Perhaps I'm just waxing nostalgic but it seems that in the past, there was less emphasis on athlete's sob stories and we got to love them mostly on performance.  And they showed stuff even if there wasn't an American in the lead.  

Funny you should say it this way, because I just responded to a friend who made a similar comment. I told him that I still enjoy the summer Olympics because out on channel 243 will be coverage of table tennis, and on channel 257 will be coverage of some sort of crazy wrestling or weight lifting.  I have very little interest in the sob stories and the packaged coverage of the premier sports in prime time.  But I still get a kick out of a whole bunch of the rest of it.  I just need to set the DVR up during the day to let me watch what I want to watch at night.

[auntlada]

2 hours ago, Jaded said:

I'm reading back through posts I missed so that's the reasoning for such a late reply to this issue that's doing more then peeving me off. I didn't get that email about this new "security" measure the SSA decided to implement so I was faced with it for the first time over the weekend. I only use my prepaid for emergencies even though most people my age live on theirs. I don't want to have to pay to get text code that I also have to wait for before I can log onto their site to get to my info. I read somewhere awhile back that the SSA verifies incomes with the help of credit reporting agencies so the conspiracy theorist in me thinks this is a way to tie people's cell phone information to them by collecting their numbers.

They know damn well how many older people probably use their site and to do this to them and anyone who don't use a cell phone for various reasons is idiotic. Their suggestion is to borrow or have the text sent to a friends phone. Too many home bound people are in that position due to not having anyone to help them so getting access to a phone with texting abilities could be hard for them. The SSA's Facebook page was blowing up about this issue at one point. I'm not sure if it still is or not. A lot of the people on there are saying this was probably some millennial's idea.

The best advice I see on the Facebook page about this is to write your senators and representatives. Repeatedly. And get everyone else you know to write.

[topanga]

Today's pet peeve, and it is literally a 1st world problem:  bad grammar in transcribed letters. At my job, I dictate letters and reports. The transcribers are American citizens who live in the U.S. Therefore, I assume they have finished high school and have been taught basic grammar and punctuation in an English class. At the very least, when being trained for this job, they should have been treated to a review of basic grammar and punctuation rules. 

But these are the same kind of mistakes I see every single day. (Ignore the medical jargon):

This is a pleasant 56-year-old female, who presents for a disability consultative evaluation.  [There shouldn't be a comma after "female"]

She lives at home with her children and she has an associate's degree.  [Where's the comma separating two independent clauses?]

--And the mistakes are often worse. Ironically, I didn't see any of these mistakes when the clinic used a transcription company based in India. Which begs the question, what are we teaching our children in these friggin' American schools? And what are we teaching people when we hire them to transcribe letters and reports?

[backformore]

On ‎8‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 6:48 AM, Blergh said:

 What does a man cave do but just have a man avoid the rest of the family while doing leisure activities?

Man Cave, to me means "I get to have the big TV to watch sports on, because I'm a guy."   Oh, and the wife gets the kitchen, right? 

Our house is all shared space.  Nobody gets a "cave," now that the kids have moved out .

On ‎8‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 9:28 AM, lordonia said:

If it excuses my stereotypical male prejudices, I also feel bad for men who have to live with porcelain dolls, frilly pillows and Holly Hobby wallpaper borders.

A lot of women hate that shit too.

[Quof]

I bought my first house from a young couple who had two small boys. The entire house was decorated in flowers, frills, fluff, including wallpaper borders and stencils on the ceiling.  I spent the first week removing it because, despite being female, I hate that shit.  I did wonder to myself "Where do those 3 males keep their balls?"

[backformore]

12 hours ago, Quof said:

I bought my first house from a young couple who had two small boys. The entire house was decorated in flowers, frills, fluff, including wallpaper borders and stencils on the ceiling.  I spent the first week removing it because, despite being female, I hate that shit.  I did wonder to myself "Where do those 3 males keep their balls?"

When we bought the house we live in now, there were Precious Moments figurines (I hate them)  filling a cabinet in the living room, on a shelf in the dining room, and at least a dozen in each bedroom.  Probably a couple hundred all together, statues of children with freakishly large eyes. 

[Qoass]

Why is it that whenever anybody asks where I work and I tell them, the response is always some long-winded story about his or her last experience at a similar place and what is wrong with my industry?  For instance, if I were to say I was a nurse (I'm not), the other person would spend half an hour telling me about how they went to the doctor for a stubbed toe and came out in a body cast.

It happens to me all the time and I hate it.  Anybody else bearing the brunt for the entire world's mechanics, hairstylists or police officers?

Edited August 5, 2016 by Qoass

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

 

This is a pleasant 56-year-old female, who presents for a disability consultative evaluation.  [There shouldn't be a comma after "female"]

She lives at home with her children and she has an associate's degree.  [Where's the comma separating two independent clauses?]

 

I edit for a living and, oh my goodness, the things I see! Honestly, though--and, of course, without knowing your industry and employer's particular house style and rules--I would leave both of these alone at my job (again, depending on whether there's agreed-upon style in place). (You know, though, upon second read, I'm seein' just what you're sayin' with the top one, so feel free to ignore me!)

What I deal with most often are misplaced modifiers! "Expertly built of only premium materials, you are sure to enjoy [product]." Also, I have a copywriter (so he calls himself) who writes product descriptions that read like a second grader's essay about what happened over summer vacation: "[Item] is well made. [Item] is for sale here. [Item] features [this]. [Item] also has [that]. You will enjoy [item]." He also doesn't feel like verifying spelling of proper nouns or know how to use apostrophes. So he just doesn't...because it's my job to fix it (true to an extent). It sucks being people's "safety net." I have also noticed that the more amateur the writers, the more resistant they are to being edited. Every word is pure gold, you know!

Oh, and he also insists on using the word "uses" when he means "contains" or "features." Drives me bats--the inanimate item we are selling doesn't actively use anything! At least some of his errors are funny, though I am certainly not laughing with him. "At" all the way!

Quote

Man Cave, to me means "I get to have the big TV to watch sports on, because I'm a guy."   Oh, and the wife gets the kitchen, right? 

Ours just means that our place is too small to display everything, especially when he came from a house all to himself. Normal-sized TV in there (and no sports--which brings me to a peeve: why can't the cable companies do all the sports channels a la cart?), part of a large comic-book collection, and musician stuff. Oh, and a very ugly carpet that we didn't update with the rest of the place because the idea of moving all that shit out of the room was a nightmare.

Edited August 5, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[janestclair]

43 minutes ago, Qoass said:

Why is it that whenever anybody asks where I work and I tell them, the response is always some long-winded story about his or her last experience at a similar place and what is wrong with my industry?  For instance, if I were to say I was a nurse (I'm not), the other person would spend half an hour telling me about how they went to the doctor for a stubbed toe and came out in a body cast.

It happens to me all the time and I hate it.  Anybody else bearing the brunt for the entire world's mechanics, hairstylists or police officers?

Not exactly the same, but I'm a teacher and everyone and their father (including my own) has an opinion on teaching.  How easy it is, how they could do it no problem., how bad teachers are what's wrong with education today. On and on and on.  I think because everyone's been in a classroom they think they have a clue.  They do not.  If teaching is easy, you're doing it wrong.   When I started, there were 8 people who started in the same department as me. 5 of them were what was considered alternate route, meaning they came straight from industry and were doing the education credits at night.  Of those 5, only 1 made it to year 2 and is still a teacher. It's demanding physically and mentally.  In addition to teacher, I also have to be a counselor, clerk, custodian, IT, and copy machine repairman if I want to get anything done.  I get 23 minutes per day to shovel in my lunch OR use the restroom, there's no time for both, so I almost never sit and am a champion bladder holder.  You're dealing with 100 kids all of whom have different issues and need a different approach, all while conforming to idiotic standards and prepping for a bullshit test.  

And to the people who say to quit bitching because we get July and August off, bite me.  I am grading lab reports from summer school as we speak.  Then I'll take maybe a week before diving into prep for next year.  So no, I do not get 2 months off.  What I get is 2 months without a paycheck, unless I pick up a summer job.  

That whole rant should probably be in the work thread. Hah.   I'm a little salty today. NJ decided to adopt the PARCC test as a graduation requirement, where basically every other state went the other way and dropped it.  

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

(and no sports--which brings me to a peeve: why can't the cable companies do all the sports channels a la cart?)

Ah! You just asked a question that I can actually answer with facts.  I work in the Cable TV industry, and you are about to get more information than you probably ever wanted.

Virtually of all of the channels that are in your basic expanded cable (ESPN, Disney, ABC, Fox News, TNT) lineup have the same rules in their contracts with the cable and satellite companies.  Disney walks into Charter and says, you can provide Disney to your customers for $1.30 per subscriber, and it must be in no less than 85% of the homes that take TV service from you.  In New York, YES makes the same demands in its contract with the local cable companies, except YES costs like $4.50 per sub.  (ESPN is at about $6.50 per sub nationally by the way.)  

Interestingly, Comcast in New York actually decided not to accept the last YES contract and now NOBODY has YES.  It's an all or nothing deal.  Comcast figured that not that many Yankee fans would care enough to drop them and switch to either FiOS or DirecTV.  And honestly, if they switch to DirecTV and keep Comcast internet, they're a more profitable customer anyway.

And here's why ESPN will never let itself be sold a la cart:

Right now with the contracts as they are, they are in 93 million homes. At $6.50 per month, that's $7.25 billion of annual subscriber fees.  Assume they make an equal amount of Advertising revenue.  ESPN NEEDS that $14.5 billion of revenue to pay for everything they do and still make a profit.  If they went a la cart, let's generously say that they keep 30% of those 93 million homes.  So at 28 million homes, they'll definitely lose a bunch of ratings from casual viewers so knock down the advertising revenue to $5 billion.  So to get the remaining $9.5 billion of revenue to stay whole, they'd have to price themselves at about $30 a month. Just for ESPN.  

And at $30 a month, it seems like that 30% of subscribers number might be way too generous.

So ESPN, and all of the sports channels, are never taking that chance.  They're going to ride out the current system until a much larger number of people give up on paying for cable.

[auntlada]

2 hours ago, Qoass said:

Why is it that whenever anybody asks where I work and I tell them, the response is always some long-winded story about his or her last experience at a similar place and what is wrong with my industry?  For instance, if I were to say I was a nurse (I'm not), the other person would spend half an hour telling me about how they went to the doctor for a stubbed toe and came out in a body cast.

It happens to me all the time and I hate it.  Anybody else bearing the brunt for the entire world's mechanics, hairstylists or police officers?

Not since I left newspaper work. When I was there, everyone wanted to tell me what was wrong with out paper, what was wrong with the industry and how it was dying. But they sure let us know if their paper was 5 minutes late to their door.

[TattleTeeny]

Well, thanks! I still don't like it, but thanks anyway for the detailed explanation!