Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back

[theatremouse]

Yeah. I have very specific things I want to snack when I fly, so not only is it cheaper to get in advance, it also ensures I have the actual stuff I want to eat. If someone were, say, bringing a tupperware full of brisket and like...half a dozen rolls, that's a My Great Grandmother thing to do. But knowing you're going to have nothing to eat when you get to the hotel and having on hand something that won't make you feel gross is a business necessity.

You know. In years when I had business travel, which my employer still does not. (yay)

[CrystalBlue]

9 hours ago, theatremouse said:

Yeah. I have very specific things I want to snack when I fly, so not only is it cheaper to get in advance, it also ensures I have the actual stuff I want to eat. If someone were, say, bringing a tupperware full of brisket and like...half a dozen rolls, that's a My Great Grandmother thing to do. But knowing you're going to have nothing to eat when you get to the hotel and having on hand something that won't make you feel gross is a business necessity.

You know. In years when I had business travel, which my employer still does not. (yay)

This is not to metion that people have dietary needs and restrictions, so overpriced whatever you need to eat may not even be available at the airport.  No need to shame fliers who are, for instance, diabetic, and need specific diabetic food, treat or snack.  Same with folks who can't eat peanuts so bring their own.  How about kosher and other religious-based necessities?

Anyway, did you raid your employer's pantry in the snack room before your business trips?

[cynicat]

12 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

Anyway, did you raid your employer's pantry in the snack room before your business trips?

Two words: expense account.

[Prevailing Wind]

Re: the Walmart commercial where the Dad moves the boy to the "big people" table, leaving just the little girl at the kids' table...

What a cruel thing to do. Like you can't teach your kids to be civilized enough to eat at the BPTable. We never had a kids table at our house. We were ALL part of the family, to sit around the table & share the meal. Even if I had to sit on TWO fat phone books (remember those?) to reach the table.

[susannah]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Re: the Walmart commercial where the Dad moves the boy to the "big people" table, leaving just the little girl at the kids' table...

What a cruel thing to do. Like you can't teach your kids to be civilized enough to eat at the BPTable. We never had a kids table at our house. We were ALL part of the family, to sit around the table & share the meal. Even if I had to sit on TWO fat phone books (remember those?) to reach the table.

I saw the ad again and there were one or two other kids as well as the little girl, but it was totally cruel. "He gets to sit with us and get hugs because he is special and you aren't." Ah yes, phone books. I bet kids today wouldn't know what they were if they saw them.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and Happy Hannukah to all who celebrate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cynicat]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

What a cruel thing to do. Like you can't teach your kids to be civilized enough to eat at the BPTable.

It's often a matter of the dining room table size. 

Having a kids table was actually pretty fun (until you reach a certain age) and it felt special, rather than than exclusionary.  Sitting with the grown-ups was boring when I was that young.  YMMV of course.

[Haleth]

I don't think it's cruel.  The boy is clearly older than the little kids and has graduated to the grown up table.  It's a rite of passage.  

The kids table isn't because of their inability to eat with manners, it's a matter of space at the grown up table.  Sometimes there just isn't room for everyone and the kids have more fun at their own table anyway... until they don't want to be with the little kids anymore.

Edited December 24, 2021 by Haleth

[susannah]

56 minutes ago, Haleth said:

I don't think it's cruel.  The boy is clearly older than the little kids and has graduated to the grown up table.  It's a rite of passage.  

The kids table isn't because of their inability to eat with manners, it's a matter of space at the grown up table.  Sometimes there just isn't room for everyone and the kids have more fun at their own table anyway... until they don't want to be with the little kids anymore.

I disagree. He was not very much older than the other kids, he looked about 9 or so. Also, if he was going to sit at the adults' table, a place should have been set for him first. You don't pick out one kid from a group of kids and favor him. There most likely are a number of reasons why kids have their own tables, manners being only one of them. I think whether kids have more fun at their own table would depend on who they were sitting with.

[CrystalBlue]

Hanukkah 2021 began in the evening of Sunday, November 28 and ended the evening of Monday, December 6.

Merry Christmas!  Happy New Year to all!

[susannah]

6 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

Hanukkah 2021 began in the evening of Sunday, November 28 and ended the evening of Monday, December 6.

Merry Christmas!  Happy New Year to all!

Thank you for the correction. of my error. Very important to keep posts accurate. I still hope they had a good holiday, even though it has passed.

[cynicat]

11 hours ago, susannah said:

Thank you for the correction. of my error. Very important to keep posts accurate. I still hope they had a good holiday, even though it has passed.

Kwanzaa begins on December 26th, so there is plenty of time to offer holiday wishes.

[Bruinsfan]

Extended family gatherings were the only place I recall being sat at the Kids' Table rather than with my parents. I didn't really mind even though as a rule I preferred the company of adults to that of people my own age—there were cousins I hadn't seen since the previous year, so catching up with them was fun.

What I loathed, abhorred, and abominated though was being made to play with and entertain the kids of visiting friends of my parents, whom I likely hadn't met since I was a toddler, if then. No common ground, no pre-existing relationship, just awkwardness and feeling resentful that we were expected to enjoy each others' company. It's too bad I wasn't evil as a child, I could have led them into the woods behind our house and "lost" them, creating a far more entertaining situation that might have warded off future repeats.

[cynicat]

9 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Spiders eat wasps!!?? I just don't want them inside or crawling on my body!

The spiders inside my house are my buddies.  I've seen carpenter ants in their webs, so they are apparently better than my exterminator!  

Here’s Why You Should Never Kill A Spider     (Warning- picture of spider at top of article)

[Prevailing Wind]

susannah said (about spiders): "They seem to be falling down on the job, since there are still tons of cockroaches, flies, wasps, etc"

That's cause all y'all spider-haters keep killing 'em!  We've got an orb-weaver on our porch who likes to spin her web across the entrance/exit to the porch at the top of the steps. That's the only time she aggravates me - when I'm the first person out and run into her web (and nearly fall down the steps, waving my arms wildly.)

 

[Haleth]

Spiders also kill mosquitos.  Die on a web along with your nasty diseases, mosquitos!

I haven't killed a spider since I read Charlotte's Web in 1st grade.

[susannah]

18 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Spiders also kill mosquitos.  Die on a web along with your nasty diseases, mosquitos!

I haven't killed a spider since I read Charlotte's Web in 1st grade.

How can they kill mosquitoes since mosquitoes can fly and spiders can't? Maybe if they catch one hoofin it, they nab it! 😀 I don't try to kill spiders but I do not want any in my house. I just don't.

 

[SoMuchTV]

4 hours ago, susannah said:

How can they kill mosquitoes since mosquitoes can fly and spiders can't? Maybe if they catch one hoofin it, they nab it! 😀

Isn't that what the web is for?

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

Isn't that what the web is for?

Exactly.

[Bastet]

I usually relocate spiders outside if I find them in the house, but several months ago I was having a problem with little tiny flying bugs of some sort that kept settling in my cat's food bowl.  I was making some progress, but not much, and then a spider came along and made a big web on a door near the food bowl, and soon there were dozens of those flying buggers trapped in it.  You best believe I let that spider stay; she earned her keep!  The bowl has been bug free ever since.

(The only things I kill instead of taking outside are flies, ants, and cockroaches.)

[CrystalBlue]

Spiders out of doors don't bother me but inside the house I don't want them crawling near me or bite me or my cat, which would be rare.  But it does happen.  Beware of black widows and brown recluse spiders.

I would prefer to relocate them to outside if possible.

Spiders and spider webs have grown to be a standard representation of Halloween in decorations and motifs.  I have a neon orange one in my kitchen attached to a black chickenwire basket, still.  I don't know if she's ever going away!

[CrystalBlue]

2 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I usually relocate spiders outside if I find them in the house, but several months ago I was having a problem with little tiny flying bugs of some sort that kept settling in my cat's food bowl.  I was making some progress, but not much, and then a spider came along and made a big web on a door near the food bowl, and soon there were dozens of those flying buggers trapped in it.  You best believe I let that spider stay; she earned her keep!  The bowl has been bug free ever since.

(The only things I kill instead of taking outside are flies, ants, and cockroaches.)

I hate flies, majorly.  I hate ants too and used to have an actual phobia of them stemming probably by a traumatic childhood experience before I turned 6.  You can just imagine my hatred and disgust at roaches.

When I was on my honeymoon in Maui we had geckos in our beachside condo climbing walls and such.  We just let them alone.

The bigger the spider, the scarier they are.  And tarantulas!

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Spiders and spider webs have grown to be a standard representation of Halloween in decorations and motifs.  I have a neon orange one in my kitchen attached to a black chickenwire basket, still.  I don't know if she's ever going away!

That's another thing I like about spiders. Only the females build webs.

[SoMuchTV]

32 minutes ago, Bastet said:

(The only things I kill instead of taking outside are flies, ants, and cockroaches.)

Cockroaches are in the catch and release category for me, but only because I’d rather do that than deal with dead cockroach goo. Wasps, however, are getting dead the fastest way possible. 

[friendperidot]

on a layover at O'Hara, I saw my college French teacher dissolve into a shrieking ass. Our plane was delayed, and delayed and delayed and every time there was a fight to KC where there might be stand-by tickets available, the whole flight of people for my flight would race to the boarding gate. I quit after the second time. But I saw this one man who looked familiar but I couldn't place him, he was leading the pack, today, he would be a Karen (I don't really like using that name, but we all know what is meant.) Finally after about his 3rd meltdown, I remembered him. I know he recognized me, but he maybe didn't remember my name. It was 4 or 5 years after college. Our crew was also waiting for the plane, when it finally arrived in Chicago and we took off for KC, they served soft drinks, one of the attendants picked up empty cups and threw them in the bathroom, jumped in her seat and buckled her seatbelt just seconds before the tires hit the runway.

Another time, I had a medical emergency on a flight from KC to WDC, it was after the stop in St. Louis that I got really sick. I had a reaction to Compazine that I had been given in KC. My mouth locked open, my head was jerking from side to side. The flight attendants did absolutely nothing, no one gave a shit except my bf. When we landed and got home, my bf's friend picked us up at the airport, then called his mom who said to get me to the ER ASAP! Probably now, that situation would have been helped with an Epi-pen, but I avoid Compazine. 

Now to my continuing some things from commercials that annoy and irritate. I don't know about people running around in their homes in their underwear, but my sister wants to be naked all the time. She's quite overweight and has always hated clothes. It's so annoying to get up at 3 AM to go to the bathroom and hear from the kitchen, "don't come in here, I'm naked." One time her grandson was living here, had a bunch of teenage (older teenagers, young adults) friend over and they were in the living room, when she announced that she was going in the kitchen naked. One of the boys didn't believe it, so he got up to see. Got the shock of his young life! I haven't told her, but I will not be joining her in 1,000 lb Sisters. 

And for a pleasant memory, my parents danced, all over the place, any time and all the time. At my mother's funeral, I was sitting with her older brother and only sister and we had "Till I Waltz Again With You" by Theresa Brewer. The 3 of us were holding hands, laughing and crying and quietly talking about my mom and dad were now dancing together again. On their headstone, I had information for my dad put on his side and stuff about my mom on her side and in the middle, "They Dance." 

Edited December 28, 2021 by friendperidot
left out word changes everything

[susannah]

6 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

When I was on my honeymoon in Maui we had geckos in our beachside condo climbing walls and such.  We just let them alone.

My folks were in Hawaii on a job many years ago and my mother told me that every night around 8, a gecko would come out and watch tv with her! Cute! She also said the cockroaches were so big that you could practically ride them to the elevator. NOT cute.

[peacheslatour]

3 minutes ago, susannah said:

My folks were in Hawaii on a job many years ago and my mother told me that every night around 8, a gecko would come out and watch tv with her! Cute! She also said the cockroaches were so big that you could practically ride them to the elevator. NOT cute.

When I lived in Honolulu, we had to bang on our kitchen cabinets before we opened them to scare the cockroaches away. I hate the fucking things.

[susannah]

35 minutes ago, friendperidot said:

he would be a Karen

I think it is so wrong that people, not you personally, have usurped a perfectly nice name to use to be insulting. It has to make people with that name feel uncomfortable.

[Haleth]

7 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

That's another thing I like about spiders. Only the females build webs.

Really?  How do males catch prey?

[Bruinsfan]

Bees, ladybugs, other small beetles, and (theoretically) butterflies get a pass in my apartment, but it's open season on the rest of bug-kind. I'm just waiting for the next time a wasp gets in so I can watch it catch fire against my bug zapper racquet.

[Leeds]

On 12/14/2021 at 11:44 AM, Prevailing Wind said:

The first time I ever flew, I was going from Miami to Asheville, NC. This was back in 68, the day after RFK was assassinated. The flight from Miami served breakfast! 

Decades ago I used to fly pretty regularly from London to Paris and back.  The flight took under an hour yet we would be served a three-course meal with (free) aperitifs and wine.

On 12/22/2021 at 1:29 PM, CrystalBlue said:

This is not to metion that people have dietary needs and restrictions, so overpriced whatever you need to eat may not even be available at the airport.  No need to shame fliers who are, for instance, diabetic, and need specific diabetic food, treat or snack.  Same with folks who can't eat peanuts so bring their own.  How about kosher and other religious-based necessities?

 

I used to fly internationally about once a year back in the days when you'd get real food on china with metal utensils.  I'd usually order vegetarian Asian as the tastiest option, though I am neither Asian nor vegetarian.  From the UK you'd usually get a great Indian curry, though once leaving the States I got a dry roll with a nasty slice of tomato.  I'd always take snacks from home.

PDX (Portland, Oregon) is a great airport for food.  A good variety of quality options and the purveyors are not permitted to charge more than they do in their non-airport establishments.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Leeds said:

back in the days when you'd get real food on china with metal utensils.

I used to be so tickled by the little glass salt and pepper shakers. 

I'm still disproportionately pleased by the hot towel.

[susannah]

2 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

Bees, ladybugs, other small beetles, and (theoretically) butterflies get a pass in my apartment, but it's open season on the rest of bug-kind. I'm just waiting for the next time a wasp gets in so I can watch it catch fire against my bug zapper racquet.

Bug-kind! 😄

2 hours ago, Leeds said:

PDX (Portland, Oregon) is a great airport for food.  A good variety of quality options and the purveyors are not permitted to charge more than they do in their non-airport establishments.

Thanx for the shoutout!

[Prevailing Wind]

10 hours ago, susannah said:

I think it is so wrong that people, not you personally, have usurped a perfectly nice name to use to be insulting. It has to make people with that name feel uncomfortable.

Just like the Marthas and Medicare.

[susannah]

39 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Just like the Marthas and Medicare.

Yeah, I haven't seen those so didn't really know what anyone was talking about with that!

[smittykins]

19 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

That's another thing I like about spiders. Only the females build webs.

TIL!

[Tom Holmberg]

2 hours ago, susannah said:

Yeah, I haven't seen those so didn't really know what anyone was talking about with that!

Thank your lucky stars.

[peacheslatour]

13 hours ago, Haleth said:

Really?  How do males catch prey?

When the males become adults, they put a lot more effort into finding females, and may not put too much effort into making webs, which require a lot of expensive protein and staying in one spot to hunt for a while. Instead, the males work hard to find a female web, hopefully to mate and (if possible) then to leave looking for the next one. Presumably, the males have some access to the females’ catch, but probably not much, and at some risk.

[Leeds]

8 hours ago, Bastet said:

I used to be so tickled by the little glass salt and pepper shakers. 

I'm still disproportionately pleased by the hot towel.

I love the hot towels!  (I take a little spray bottle of water so I can spritz my face during the flight.  Very refreshing.)

I had a set of the S&P shakers in my dolls' house for years.  They were half the size of the dolls, but still so cute.

[Haleth]

40 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

When the males become adults, they put a lot more effort into finding females, and may not put too much effort into making webs, which require a lot of expensive protein and staying in one spot to hunt for a while. Instead, the males work hard to find a female web, hopefully to mate and (if possible) then to leave looking for the next one. Presumably, the males have some access to the females’ catch, but probably not much, and at some risk.

Yeah, that all sounds about right. 

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Thank your lucky stars.

🎵That you are who you are. Not just another lovely lady set out to break my heart. *James Taylor.

Martha was such an obvious spoof of a stereotype, with the greatly oversized red glasses, it made me laugh - the first 10 times.

[Tom Holmberg]

35 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Martha was such an obvious spoof of a stereotype, with the greatly oversized red glasses, it made me laugh - the first 10 times.

I don't find that stereotype, or the "hipster" senior stereotype. that funny as they are both overused.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

11 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I am really disliking these ads for disabled veterans, sick children or suffering animals that reward you for contributing by giving you a blanket. Keep the blanket money and give it to the veterans, kids or shelters. I have enough blankets.

Right there with you!

I brought this to Small Talk because I am going through this with my employer.  I work in tech. Tech companies love to give out swag. Every few months they send another t-shirt that I will never wear. I have mugs, bottles, a blanket, desk accessories (that are very specific to our product so I can't say what they are), a jacket that I will never wear, various electronic components that don't work with my home systems or that I simply do not need . . .  .  They sent a "wellness kit" with five items in it; I am allergic to four of them.  

I finally got in touch with the one person in HR who will listen. I explained that I do not want the company to send me anything without checking first.  I am happy to have them keep the gift.  It is not meant as an insult.  I simply fo not like extra things around the house. Also, I don't wear regular t-shirts because of a skin issue; the necks can cause tears in my skin.  

At Thanksgiving they sent out pies without checking where people were.  A lot of pies rotted in boxes sitting on people's porches. Also, someone with a nut allergy got a pecan pie.  

More and more folks at the company are trying to make the point that they could skip sending us this garbage and instead give us a small bonus or a gift card to spend as we like.

I feel that way with charities too.  I don't need another mug, tote bag, or blanket.  I like when charities allow you to opt out of any gifts. 

[susannah]

4 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

Right there with you!

I brought this to Small Talk because I am going through this with my employer.  I work in tech. Tech companies love to give out swag. Every few months they send another t-shirt that I will never wear. I have mugs, bottles, a blanket, desk accessories (that are very specific to our product so I can't say what they are), a jacket that I will never wear, various electronic components that don't work with my home systems or that I simply do not need . . .  .  They sent a "wellness kit" with five items in it; I am allergic to four of them.  

I finally got in touch with the one person in HR who will listen. I explained that I do not want the company to send me anything without checking first.  I am happy to have them keep the gift.  It is not meant as an insult.  I simply fo not like extra things around the house. Also, I don't wear regular t-shirts because of a skin issue; the necks can cause tears in my skin.  

At Thanksgiving they sent out pies without checking where people were.  A lot of pies rotted in boxes sitting on people's porches. Also, someone with a nut allergy got a pecan pie.  

More and more folks at the company are trying to make the point that they could skip sending us this garbage and instead give us a small bonus or a gift card to spend as we like.

I feel that way with charities too.  I don't need another mug, tote bag, or blanket.  I like when charities allow you to opt out of any gifts. 

To be fair though, your tech company sounds over the top, but that is not quite the same as a charity offering a one time gift upon donation. There may be many who don't need any of it, and there may be others who do enjoy them. PBS really pushes the bonus "gifts" for higher donations during pledge weeks and I do wonder why, as if people can afford to donate alot of money, they can afford to buy their own dvd sets or what have you. But some people really like getting something for their money.

[madmax]

5 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

I feel that way with charities too.  I don't need another mug, tote bag, or blanket.  I like when charities allow you to opt out of any gifts. 

 

26 minutes ago, susannah said:

To be fair though, your tech company sounds over the top, but that is not quite the same as a charity offering a one time gift upon donation. There may be many who don't need any of it, and there may be others who do enjoy them. PBS really pushes the bonus "gifts" for higher donations during pledge weeks and I do wonder why, as if people can afford to donate alot of money, they can afford to buy their own dvd sets or what have you. But some people really like getting something for their money.

Technically, if you get swag like that, then your entire donation is not tax-deductible.  Also, they should really save that money and use it for the charity.

I work with at a non-profit and we helped another organization with an anti-hate conference.  They spent over $5K to send paperweights to everyone involved with the conference, including me.  Do I need another paperweight?  Hell no.  Should they have just saved the money and put it towards their next conference?  Hell yeah.

[susannah]

1 minute ago, madmax said:

 

Technically, if you get swag like that, then your entire donation is not tax-deductible.  Also, they should really save that money and use it for the charity.

I work with at a non-profit and we helped another organization with an anti-hate conference.  They spent over $5K to send paperweights to everyone involved with the conference, including me.  Do I need another paperweight?  Hell no.  Should they have just saved the money and put it towards their next conference?  Hell yeah.

I get what you are saying, but again, marketers must have shown those that work with charity donations that offering bonus gifts increases donations.

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, susannah said:

marketers must have shown those that work with charity donations that offering bonus gifts increases donations.

Indeed.  It's not quite as clear cut these days, but that used to very much be the case.  Organizations aren't pulling these ideas out of their asses; tiered rewards have traditionally led to donors giving more.

[cynicat]

10 hours ago, dleighg said:

similar to a "catalog" I got for a wildlife fund that each donation comes with a plush animal.

I usually decline the swag but I do have an exception.  For many years I donated to WWF to gift these stuffed animals to my niece and nephews for the holidays.  Each year they got to choose which one they wanted, and it ended up getting them very interested in the animal, and in the concept of both charity and conservation.  

 

12 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

More and more folks at the company are trying to make the point that they could skip sending us this garbage and instead give us a small bonus or a gift card to spend as we like.

I have a friend who workED in an Amazon warehouse.  One year as a thank you at Thanksgiving, they gave everyone a can of jellied cranberry sauce in a paper bag.  I kid you not.  That place is even worse than the stories you hear.

[Prevailing Wind]

8 hours ago, susannah said:

I do wonder why, as if people can afford to donate alot of money, they can afford to buy their own dvd sets or what have you.

Because they're only available as a set like that from PBS. TJ Lubinsky did a lot of searching & buying of rights to compile those discs. Weren't you listening? It would cost THOUSANDS if you were to buy each of those songs on their own.  <wink>

[susannah]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Because they're only available as a set like that from PBS. TJ Lubinsky did a lot of searching & buying of rights to compile those discs. Weren't you listening? It would cost THOUSANDS if you were to buy each of those songs on their own.  <wink>

Who is TJ Lubinsky? I was thinking more of the pledge weeks showing episodes or specials of Downton Abbey and saying if you donate $1000 or something you get the boxed set, to which I say if you can afford to donate that kind of money, you can buy the box set for yourself! Are you referring to the shows of musical performances where their music is compiled, and that would cost you thousands to do it yourself?

[PrincessPurrsALot]

15 hours ago, Bastet said:

Indeed.  It's not quite as clear cut these days, but that used to very much be the case.  Organizations aren't pulling these ideas out of their asses; tiered rewards have traditionally led to donors giving more.

I understand that they can be effective.  I appreciate the groups that let you easily opt out. There are many jokes about the number of coffee mugs that exist in the world.  

5 hours ago, susannah said:

Who is TJ Lubinsky? I was thinking more of the pledge weeks showing episodes or specials of Downton Abbey and saying if you donate $1000 or something you get the boxed set, to which I say if you can afford to donate that kind of money, you can buy the box set for yourself! Are you referring to the shows of musical performances where their music is compiled, and that would cost you thousands to do it yourself?

There have been many infomercials for music compilations that tell us that it would cost thousands to get all of the music which was always an exaggeration. Of course, back when you had to buy full albums or CDs to get a specific song it was more expensive.  Now it's a lot easier and less expensive to put together a music library that includes only a song or two from each artist.