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Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back


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We got a Temperpedic a number of years ago, hoping it would help with Mr.  Max's back issues.  I hated it.  I didn't find it comfortable at all.

A few years ago, when we were remodeling my son's room as a surprise for when he came home from boot camp, we gave him that mattress (it was only about 5 years old) and got Personal Comfort adjustable beds, which are like Sleep Number beds.  I love it.  I can make it as soft or as hard as I want, I can adjust it so my sinuses don't bother me and if I want to sit up in bed, I can do it without four pillows.  the only thing I don't like is the massage feature.  Mr. Max uses it all the time for his back and it vibrates mine as well.  At least, it did until I moved our beds about three inches apart.  I feel like Lucy and Ricky now. 😄

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2 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

However, it rapidly developed a "dent" where my hips are. My brother says it looks like someone hovering by the ceiling dropped a bowling  ball.  If I try to sleep away from the dent, I slide back into it. But when I get up & make the bed, the cats have arguments over who's gonna sleep in the dent. They love that recess in the mattress.  <shrug>

I have a Sleep Number mattress (and instantly became a fan for live about ten years ago when I got it - I can dial up whatever firmness I want, which is generally quite firm [hard to find in traditional mattresses] but the specific varies sometimes based on circumstances), as do my parents, and theirs is a fancier version where the head and/or feet can be elevated.  When I stay at their house cat-sitting, I choose a pre-set position that elevates the head and the feet into the perfect position for watching TV.  It creates a nice dip for my butt/hips, and their cats LOVE sleeping in that dip, presumably because they feel cradled by it. 

You can't properly see the dip here, but here's what Bandit looks like when I dare disturb his nap in it:

 

Bandit awakened.jpg

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On 8/1/2021 at 3:26 AM, icemiser69 said:

 

I have got to try and figure out what is triggering my migraines.  The problem is that in a lot of articles I have read, it sounds like they really don't have the answers.  There would have been much less to read if they said right up front that they don't have a clue.  Everyone's different. 

An elimination diet sounds brutal.  Whatever causes migraines may not trigger them immediately, so I might think one item is fine to eat, because I haven't had a migraine from it, only to find out that I didn't wait long enough for the migraine to affect me.

Elimination diets are a pain, but worth it.  My breastfed newborn cried non-stop and had weird green poops and terrible skin, but the pediatrician and my mother and all the other people who thought it was their business said it was just colic and would pass.  I knew it was more than that.  A naturopathic doctor friend gave me an elimination diet sheet that literally started with a week of rice and water, with one item a week added thereafter in a specific order.  Turns out the baby was allergic to anything I ate/drank with dairy in it.

Obviously, it was nothing like dealing with something like celiac disease, but it did take some effort.  I gained a happy, thriving, non-spotty baby.

 

On 8/2/2021 at 5:24 PM, icemiser69 said:

I was reading online that yeast flakes can be used as a substitute for Parmesan cheese.  Has any one here eaten yeast flakes?

I have.  I love the salty flavour.  I put them on buttered toast.  I also sometimes put them in soups like minestrone.  If you have a grocery that sells stuff in bulk, you may find them there so you could just get a small amount to try.  Be sure to get the flakes and not just the "dust" that falls to the bottom.  (AKA nutritional yeast.)

Oh, I did just read this though: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nutritional-yeast-dangers#1.-May-Cause-Unpleasant-Digestive-Side-Effects-If-Introduced-Too-Quickly.  One of the possible side effects being migraines.

 

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3 hours ago, madmax said:

the only thing I don't like is the massage feature.  Mr. Max uses it all the time for his back and it vibrates mine as well.  At least, it did until I moved our beds about three inches apart.  I feel like Lucy and Ricky now. 😄

I like the massage feature and the cats seem to love it - it's like the bed is purring, too.

 

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6 hours ago, Leeds said:

Elimination diets are a pain, but worth it.  My breastfed newborn cried non-stop

The diet is definitely worth it. I'm happy that you did that for your child and found the problem. What a good mother!

Allergies can show up in weird ways.  Before I found the problems, I just stopped eating much because it caused hives or made me feel sick.  When I became underweight I found a good allergist, and the amount of large hives from the skin pricks was surprising. I now know the early signs and if I eliminate a food early and wait a year I can eat it again.  Except for peanuts.

I'm allergic to pretty much every tree and grass.  Upset sinuses can make your teeth hurt. A sinus rinse of sterile saltwater is your friend (neti pot).

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11 hours ago, madmax said:

A few years ago, when we were remodeling my son's room as a surprise for when he came home from boot camp, we gave him that mattress (it was only about 5 years old) and got Personal Comfort adjustable beds, which are like Sleep Number beds.  I love it.  I can make it as soft or as hard as I want, I can adjust it so my sinuses don't bother me and if I want to sit up in bed, I can do it without four pillows.  the only thing I don't like is the massage feature.  Mr. Max uses it all the time for his back and it vibrates mine as well.  At least, it did until I moved our beds about three inches apart.  I feel like Lucy and Ricky now. 😄

My parents have different mattress needs so they've always had two twin beds. They got Sleep Numbers several years ago, but now my mom actually sleeps in (what was) the spare room, which has an adjustable bed in it (she got it when I was a kid, after she had back surgery, and gave it to my grandmother when she moved in with us when I was in college). She started sleeping in there a few years ago after having surgery and just sort of settled in (also my dad snores, and generally goes to bed earlier than she does...).

8 hours ago, Leeds said:

Turns out the baby was allergic to anything I ate/drank with dairy in it.

My friend had to stop eating dairy when she was nursing her younger son. He grew out of the allergy but is still lactose intolerant (he's 14). But at least he can eat ice cream, now (I think he takes lactase pills for that).

Edited by ams1001
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32 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

still lactose intolerant (he's 14)

I can eat lots of yogurt, but most of us are somewhat lactose intolerant. I get the lactaid milk and I'm thankful that it's available.  I love cheese, and cheese doesn't love me. I eat it anyway. I have to avoid so much food, so the discomfort I feel after cheese is worth the cheese.

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1 hour ago, nokat said:

I can eat lots of yogurt, but most of us are somewhat lactose intolerant. I get the lactaid milk and I'm thankful that it's available.  I love cheese, and cheese doesn't love me. I eat it anyway. I have to avoid so much food, so the discomfort I feel after cheese is worth the cheese.

You're reminding me of my college days!  My best friend was lactose intolerant but couldn't bear a life without cheese.  Since we were best friends, we went everywhere together, which meant I spent quite some time outside bathroom stalls listening to her moan.

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7 minutes ago, Leeds said:

You're reminding me of my college days!  My best friend was lactose intolerant but couldn't bear a life without cheese.  Since we were best friends, we went everywhere together, which meant I spent quite some time outside bathroom stalls listening to her moan.

The gurgling and growling will wake me up at night because it's so loud. I'll wake up in a panic and then realize it's just my intestines complaining. I had a doctor tell me I had very active intestines. Well, I don't recommend putting your stethoscope on my abdomen.

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20 hours ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

I had a nose job too.  When they pulled the packing it was like the world's most disgusting magician handkerchief trick.  It kept going and going . . . 

I got hit in the face by accident during PE when I was in high school. I got a nosebleed that wouldn't stop, reaching hemorrhage level. So I got hauled off to the doctor, still wearing my lovely and fashionable one piece suit, and talk about 20 miles of gauze packed up the nose, and disgusting magician trick!

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15 hours ago, madmax said:

the only thing I don't like is the massage feature.

My parents' mattress has that, too, and their cat Chester had a knack for stepping on the remote; once when I was kittysitting, he activated the massage feature, and it made me feel seasick.

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3 hours ago, nokat said:

I love cheese, and cheese doesn't love me. I eat it anyway. I have to avoid so much food, so the discomfort I feel after cheese is worth the cheese.

This is my attitude toward BBQ. There are several foods guaranteed to cause me severe heartburn. I avoid all of them except BBQ, which I'll occasionally eat and just accept the pain as part of the payment required.

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1 hour ago, susannah said:

I was joking! ☹️

Now I expect you to both emotionally and financially support me. /s

Or you could just recommend a place to buy maple syrup. The real stuff.

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5 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

This is my attitude toward BBQ. There are several foods guaranteed to cause me severe heartburn. I avoid all of them except BBQ, which I'll occasionally eat and just accept the pain as part of the payment required.

I have Ranitidine tablets that work in an hour or so for heartburn. It's better if you take it before the BBQ.

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42 minutes ago, nokat said:

Now I expect you to both emotionally and financially support me. /s

Or you could just recommend a place to buy maple syrup. The real stuff.

Can you live on .25 a day? As for the maple syrup purchase location, I recommend Vermont! 😀

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3 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Maple syrup comes in grades, what grade are you looking for?

 

Grade A, Amber.

I should admit that I used to go out with my dad to tap maple trees. We'd haul a cart with a snowmobile. We used a wood stove to boil the sap. It was a long process.

 

Edited by nokat
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51 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Those guys sell all kinds of cool shit.

I bought some kitchen towels too. Bacon grease in a cast iron pan and buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup... I'll be reliving my childhood.

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1 minute ago, icemiser69 said:

IMO, very expensive. 

They are, but I treat myself occasionally. I have no kids to put through college or to have move back home. I can pinch a penny usually.

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2 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I know you were joking.😭

Annoyed.

I don't do mail order.  I like to go into local stores and feel the goods.

IMO, very expensive.   I have seen more expensive items in other places, but their merchandise I still think is very expensive.  That said, I am a cheapskate, what do I know.

They are expensive. I don't buy much from them but their items are very high quality. I mostly just like to flip through their catalogs.

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I drive a sixteen year old car. I take care of it, as in oil changes and tires rotations. I love that car. I don't need the latest and greatest. But that means I can occasionally buy the expensive syrup.

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9 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I look at a lot of websites to gather all sorts of information, and then I use that info to buy local.  That is as far as a I go with it.   I have no clue what online stores are good or not so good. 

I do read product reviews.

I try to buy local too, but there aren't any maple trees to tap here. Now wine, lots of vineyards.

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3 minutes ago, nokat said:

I drive a sixteen year old car. I take care of it, as in oil changes and tires rotations. I love that car. I don't need the latest and greatest. But that means I can occasionally buy the expensive syrup.

My car is almost paid off (almost two years early! because I've been paying slightly more than double payments for many months. Loan ends July 2024 but I'm down to just under $2K left as of my last payment.). Every week I get a message/letter/card from some Hyundai dealer (mostly the one I bought it from but some others, as well) wanting to buy it back and give me more than it's worth in trade and put me in a brand new car! Unless that brand new car is not also going to come with a monthly payment, no, thank you. I doubt their best deal is going to be anywhere near that good. (I plan to redirect that money to my mortgage payment, or possibly some to savings; haven't decided yet.)

They cite the recent chip shortage but I've been getting these things practically since I bought it. They've just gotten more frequent recently.

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1 minute ago, ams1001 said:

My car is almost paid off (almost two years early! because I've been paying slightly more than double payments for many months. Loan ends July 2024 but I'm down to just under $2K left as of my last payment.). Every week I get a message/letter/card from some Hyundai dealer (mostly the one I bought it from but some others, as well) wanting to buy it back and give me more than it's worth in trade and put me in a brand new car! Unless that brand new car is not also going to come with a monthly payment, no, thank you. I doubt their best deal is going to be anywhere near that good. (I plan to redirect that money to my mortgage payment, or possibly some to savings; haven't decided yet.)

They cite the recent chip shortage but I've been getting these things practically since I bought it. They've just gotten more frequent recently.

Good on you for paying off the principal early.  It saves you so much money. I've been doing that with my mortgage. Any spare money pays off the principal so there is less interest.

I could trade in my car, but it has been a great car. I also drive on the crazy freeways in SoCal, and that I haven't had a dent surprises me.

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18 minutes ago, nokat said:

Good on you for paying off the principal early.  It saves you so much money. I've been doing that with my mortgage. Any spare money pays off the principal so there is less interest.

My Hyundai account shows me how much of my payment went to each category, so I built a little spreadsheet that calculates the percentage. My first several payments were in the 30% interest range (the first one was 35%); the last dozen have been under 10%. My last two payments were 98% principal and 2% interest (and I just looked and since my July payment posted it's down to $1,339 and change; I could just pay it off right now, if I wanted to).

I usually pay an extra hundred on my mortgage, so when my car is paid off I'll pay some more on top of that. My mortgage is one of the few bills I don't pay through my bank's bill pay so I can make sure that the extra goes to principal (I can make a note in bill pay but I'm not confident they'll allocate it that way if I just pay the extra; their website had several spots to put in extra, so you can specify for it to go to principal or escrow or whatever).

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2 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

There is so much competition.  If people don't start buying more items locally, there may not be any local businesses to buy things from.   As I have mentioned in the past, the local mall no longer exists, and the movie theater that was attached to it also went belly up.

It's sad to see.  The malls are all belly up, but that was happening before covid-19. I've always supported the local shops and restaurants.  Our theater is now showing movies again.

I want your opinion on this... we've been isolating, wearing masks, are vaccinated. Apparently we can still spread the virus to the unvaccinated. Should we care or just get on with our lives?

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4 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I am a big believer that people ought to be able to make their own life choices without others interfering. 

This is where we may part. It you choose to not vaccinate, you shouldn't be taking an ICU bed from someone smarter than you. Good luck getting a bed if you have a heart attack because of idiots who chose to believe misinformation.

Life choices seem to be taking a toll on some people.

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3 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I have had stomach issues (anxiety related) going all the way back to at least middle school.  I have been taking medications on and off from then until now, and am still taking medications for ulcers..  As the years went by, I was then put on Zantac, taking it on and off since the 80s.  Now there are Zantac lawsuit commercials. 

Now I take Omeprazole twice a day.  My doctor wanted me off of the medication, after my ulcers healed.  I got off of the medication and then my stomach started bleeding again within a week.  I continued to stay off of the medication for six months and the bleeding kept getting worse.   So I decided on my own to go back on that medication last week, because I couldn't take the pain any longer.

So when I see that some individuals are hesitant when it comes to getting  Covid shots, I don't blame them.  No one knows what the future holds.  They have to make the decision that they think is best for them.

Question, why did you trust Omeprazole but not a vaccine?

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1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

I have had stomach issues (anxiety related) going all the way back to at least middle school.  I have been taking medications on and off from then until now, and am still taking medications for ulcers..  As the years went by, I was then put on Zantac, taking it on and off since the 80s.  Now there are Zantac lawsuit commercials. 

Now I take Omeprazole twice a day.  My doctor wanted me off of the medication, after my ulcers healed.  I got off of the medication and then my stomach started bleeding again within a week.  I continued to stay off of the medication for six months and the bleeding kept getting worse.   So I decided on my own to go back on that medication last week, because I couldn't take the pain any longer.

So when I see that some individuals are hesitant when it comes to getting  Covid shots, I don't blame them.  No one knows what the future holds.  They have to make the decision that they think is best for them.

Was it the right decision for me to get my shots?  I don't know.  Only time will tell.  If I knew there were going to be Zantac lawsuits 35 years down the road from when I started taking it, I wouldn't have ever taken that drug.

I am sorry you have such health issues. It's a little different from the vaccine question though, since your decision to take or not take a medication doesn't impact anyone else's life. Indeed, no one knows what the future holds for any of us, especially as it changes all the time. BUT I have no sympathy AT ALL for people who refuse to vaccinate because they are listening to bald faced lies, and then swamp the hospitals when they get sick, wanting all the medical attention and resources, not to mention that unvaccinated can infect others without knowing it.

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9 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I have been looking for a flower that I can plant in a semi-shaded area that will flower for a very long time, that is also idiot proof.

There are lots of choices for semi-shade spring flowering plants, but when it gets to Summer and beyond it seems as though I would be stuck with astilbe.  I have nothing against that particular plant, I was just hoping for something that wasn't so fern like.  I was also hoping for something that isn't high maintenance. 

Goodness, there are a lot of questions. How tall do you want it to get? Do you want fragrance? Ground cover? Do you want it to form a bush and have several flowers at once? Shrub? 

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39 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Zone: 4

Hard clay soil with lots of tree roots to contend with.  Soil is normal, not acidic.

Relatively short around 8 inches.

Deer, bunny, and chipmunk resistant.

I don't want it to be invasive, I already have a yarrow problem that has infested my entire lawn, both front and back yards.

I don't want anything bushy.  I would like to plant it in multiple colors.  Shady areas can be dreary.

=

I already have to do what I don't want to do.  Dig a couple of daylilies up that have gotten so big that they don't flower much anymore, and divide them.  They are toxic/deadly for cats, so when I divide them outside, I have to make sure I wash my hands and everything else thoroughly before I touch my indoor cats.

I also have to move Japanese Irises because they have spread so much.

Yes, I have the same problem with daylilies. Maybe non-stop begonias? Most spring bulbs like daffodils, hyacinth and some tulips don't care if they get a ton of sun. 

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I think certain plants want the acidic soil? Azaleas I can't grow, and I spent years trying to nurse a gardenia. The jasmine though, I couldn't be next to it for more than a minute without it trying to grab me. The black widows loved it.

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RE: financial maneuvers.  When I bought my car, the interest (American Honda financing) was 5.0%.   The condo's paid off, but I had a home equity line of credit, with variable rate interest of 4.95%.  I hadn't had a car payment in so long, it pained me to write that car payment check.  I wrote them a second one, paying off the car with funds from the HELOC.  (Gonna save 0.05% - Whoo Hooo.)  Almost immediately, the interest rate on the HELOC went down. It eventually settled at 2.95% for many years.  I was so happy that I paid American Honda off & only had the HELOC debt to deal with.  Sometimes, luck has a lot to do with how our life choices turn out.

 

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7 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

RE: financial maneuvers.  When I bought my car, the interest (American Honda financing) was 5.0%.   The condo's paid off, but I had a home equity line of credit, with variable rate interest of 4.95%.  I hadn't had a car payment in so long, it pained me to write that car payment check.  I wrote them a second one, paying off the car with funds from the HELOC.  (Gonna save 0.05% - Whoo Hooo.)  Almost immediately, the interest rate on the HELOC went down. It eventually settled at 2.95% for many years.  I was so happy that I paid American Honda off & only had the HELOC debt to deal with.  Sometimes, luck has a lot to do with how our life choices turn out.

 

We tried something similar, but it went in the opposite direction.

We had a settlement from a car crash and bought a brand new car.  We could have paid it outright, but the loan interest was .09% and the savings account was making 1.5%, so we took the loan so we'd get that extra .06%.  Then the market tanked and the savings was only bringing in .09%.  So we just paid off the loan.

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5 hours ago, susannah said:

I am sorry you have such health issues. It's a little different from the vaccine question though, since your decision to take or not take a medication doesn't impact anyone else's life. Indeed, no one knows what the future holds for any of us, especially as it changes all the time. BUT I have no sympathy AT ALL for people who refuse to vaccinate because they are listening to bald faced lies, and then swamp the hospitals when they get sick, wanting all the medical attention and resources, not to mention that unvaccinated can infect others without knowing it.

I totally agree.  It is not a decision that effects only the individual.  It is a decision that literally can kill someone else.

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14 minutes ago, Suzn said:

I totally agree.  It is not a decision that effects only the individual.  It is a decision that literally can kill someone else.

But vaccinated people are equally capable of passing Covid on, so vaccinating is more to protect yourself.  Vaccinated or not, if you want to protect the unvaxxed, you should be wearing a mask.

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5 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

RE: financial maneuvers.  When I bought my car, the interest (American Honda financing) was 5.0%.   The condo's paid off, but I had a home equity line of credit, with variable rate interest of 4.95%.  I hadn't had a car payment in so long, it pained me to write that car payment check.  I wrote them a second one, paying off the car with funds from the HELOC.  (Gonna save 0.05% - Whoo Hooo.)  Almost immediately, the interest rate on the HELOC went down. It eventually settled at 2.95% for many years.  I was so happy that I paid American Honda off & only had the HELOC debt to deal with.  Sometimes, luck has a lot to do with how our life choices turn out.

After I graduated college, I had six months before I had to start paying my loans, so my first payment was due December 1st. For Christmas that year, my parents gave us each $2500, and my grandmother gave us each $1000 (mine was meant for my loan and my brother's for a car because he needed a new one). So my second loan payment was $3500. My parents gave us the $2500 three years in a row. Every loan statement after the first one said I owed $0 for that month because I was so far ahead. I paid off my loans in seven years instead of the ten that it was set up to take. (I graduated in 1997, though. I can't imagine what the loans would look like if I were going to my college now; tuition for the 2021-22 school year is almost $20K more than it was when I first enrolled in 1993...and we thought it was expensive then!)

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1 hour ago, Katy M said:

But vaccinated people are equally capable of passing Covid on, so vaccinating is more to protect yourself.  Vaccinated or not, if you want to protect the unvaxxed, you should be wearing a mask.

Of course!  I didn't mean to sound as though the vaccination was the only thing to do.  I am fully vaccinated and always wear a mask in public.

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1 hour ago, Suzn said:

Of course!  I didn't mean to sound as though the vaccination was the only thing to do.  I am fully vaccinated and always wear a mask in public.

I am fully vaccinated also but I stopped wearing a mask in public since the state opened, however I don't go out often and don't mingle in crowds ever.  I do not do well wearing them, my face gets hot and I can't breathe well. I have so enjoyed the reprieve, but it sounds like it is about to be over, and they will be required again.

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5 hours ago, ams1001 said:

After I graduated college, I had six months before I had to start paying my loans, so my first payment was due December 1st. For Christmas that year, my parents gave us each $2500, and my grandmother gave us each $1000 (mine was meant for my loan and my brother's for a car because he needed a new one). So my second loan payment was $3500. My parents gave us the $2500 three years in a row. Every loan statement after the first one said I owed $0 for that month because I was so far ahead. I paid off my loans in seven years instead of the ten that it was set up to take. (I graduated in 1997, though. I can't imagine what the loans would look like if I were going to my college now; tuition for the 2021-22 school year is almost $20K more than it was when I first enrolled in 1993...and we thought it was expensive then!)

I got my degree when college was affordable. We were living at poverty level for a few years, but always with a roof over our heads and a car that we shared. We both worked at restaurants and the things we saw make it difficult to go out to eat.

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3 hours ago, nokat said:

From what I understand, there will be booster shots soon. I want to know if you have to do the same shot. If you did Moderna, can you do Pfizer?

last I heard, they were giving Moderna for the third shot regardless of what you got the first time around.  

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