Small Talk: Out of Genoa

[Cupid Stunt]

Trying to keep all the balls in the air in a congested, over-booked, smoky, panicky, gritty, ash-filled city. On the west border of the 405 freeway, the Getty Fire threatening Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, and pretty much everything to downtown and the sea. The fire evacuation order in Pacific Palisades was at 1:30am yesterday, and Nana, Alice (her housekeeper) and two of Nana's terrified neighbors arrived at our door at 4am. Mr.Stunt got them comfortable, I had left for the office, because of the evacuations and dislocated employees and squeaky wheels turning. 

Nana's neighbors family picked them up this morning (they were relieved to leave the Halloween House <snerk>) and Thing2 moved in with all a his school kit and caboodle. UCLA is offering students online classes in lieu of the evacuations, bad air quality and students in flux. 

13 hours ago, boes said:

But the winds drove the bulk of the fire, which is north of us, into overdrive, going from 30000 acres to 66000 by morning.  The winds are picking up again later tonight and tomorrow morning. 

October out here used to be the Bay Area secret time to have everyone visit, because the weather was perfect - warm, for here anyway, not much fog, pretty much perfect weather for being outdoors, but now it's become scary ass fire season.

The winds die down some during the day, but it howls at night. 

It feels like fire season goes on for 6-7 months out of the year. <sigh>

Take care, boes.

(((Preverts))) You're the best.

[OhioSongbird]

Prayers be with you both and all in CA.  Please be prepared because these things can turn on a dime.

Edited October 29, 2019 by OhioSongbird

[jpagan05]

Glad you guys are as okay as can be expected @boes and @Cupid Stunt !

I don't mean to be irreverent, but I love that Nana has a housekeeper named Alice 😃

[peacheslatour]

50 minutes ago, jpagan05 said:

Glad you guys are as okay as can be expected @boes and @Cupid Stunt !

I don't mean to be irreverent, but I love that Nana has a housekeeper named Alice 😃

It always borked my mom that Mrs. Brady was a stay at home mom with a live in house keeper while my mom worked full time and felt guilty for having someone come in once a week.

[jpagan05]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

It always borked my mom that Mrs. Brady was a stay at home mom with a live in house keeper while my mom worked full time and felt guilty for having someone come in once a week.

So true! She would have only had to clean three bedrooms and one bathroom and honestly those kids should have cleaned their own damn rooms.

[Cupid Stunt]

Alice has worked for Nana over 25 years. They're inseparable. To me, Alice is family. I feel weird when she manages the house and make meals for us when they stay over, but Goddess bless her when we come home to a hot dinner and cold cocktails. I send Nordstrom gift cards, but I can never thank Alice enough for all the little things she has done for us.

A cup of tea, a couple of aspirins, game of cribbage, dropped off dry cleaning, fixed hem, pot of chicken and dumplings … Alice is a godsend.  

[Snaporaz]

I'm hopelessly naive, but I keep praying for a good day of soaking rain for you all.  (But not enough rain to cause mudslides!)  ☔   Keeping you in my thoughts, my Californian friends.

[Cupid Stunt]

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Los Angeles County Firefighter Collin Bashara takes rest with his fire truck in Los Angeles, Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

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Edited October 30, 2019 by Cupid Stunt

[OhioSongbird]

Cupid and boes.......how are you guys doing?  The reporting and videos this morning don't look good.

Please keep us posted.

[Cupid Stunt]

We're taking care of each other; it's a good distraction from watching the fire updates. Four employees of Mr.Stunt are being housed in an empty film studio. Nana is helping Thing2 with his classwork. Alice did battle at Costco. Thing1 has three evacuated schoolmates living with her. Add another hour to travel time anywhere. The banks and grocery stores are mobbed.  

My division has 22 families under evacuation orders from the Tick, Getty and Reagan Library fire areas. We have some housed in Stunt family development properties. The rest are in evacuation centers or doubling up with family.

This is a video from last week's first Pacific Palisades Fire; Nana's house is the white roof near the beach, to the left of the pier. Imagine that the presently burned out area follows the ridge, with the fire line diagonal and moving toward the white high-rise (near the center of the screen), and that's how far the PP fire has progressed, with the wind blowing embers, ash and smoke into town.

Not good. The weather is supposed to continue with severe winds and humidity at 10-12%.

Our cars are packed with emergency gear, family photos, and legal papers. Melvin went to ground the second he saw the cat carrier. We'll have 15 for dinner, with Mr.Stunt's evacuees. Alice is in hog heaven cooking for a crowd.

Edited October 30, 2019 by Cupid Stunt

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Cupid Stunt said:

We're taking care of each other; it's a good distraction from watching the fire updates. Four employees of Mr.Stunt are being housed in an empty film studio. Nana is helping Thing2 with his classwork. Alice did battle at Costco. Thing1 has three evacuated schoolmates living with her. Add another hour to travel time anywhere. The banks and grocery stores are mobbed.  

My division has 22 families under evacuation orders from the Tick, Getty and Reagan Library fire areas. We have some housed in Stunt family development properties. The rest are in evacuation centers or doubling up with family.

This is a video from last week's first Pacific Palisades Fire; Nana's house is the white roof near the beach, to the left of the pier. Imagine that the presently burned out area follows the ridge, with the fire line diagonal and moving toward the white high-rise (near the center of the screen), and that's how far the PP fire has progressed, with the wind blowing embers, ash and smoke into town.

Not good. The weather is supposed to continue with severe winds and humidity at 10-12%.

Our cars are packed with emergency gear, family photos, and legal papers. Melvin went to ground the second he saw the cat carrier. We'll have 15 for dinner, with Mr.Stunt's evacuees. Alice is in hog heaven cooking for a crowd.

Good on you and your family for pitching in like this. I'm proud of Californians all the time but in tough times especially! ((((hugs))))

[lovemesomejoolery]

Happy Halloween!

[boes]

Update from my neck of the (burning) woods - the good news is that the fire crews have been able to get in front of the fires and slow the advance dramatically.  They've pretty much saved the towns of Windsor and Healdsburg and those places, along with other towns closer to the ocean have now had their Evacuation Orders lifted, so folks can go back home.  They're still under an Evacuation Advisory, though.  My neice and her kids are staying put with her mother-in-law, though her husband has gone back to check on things.  Lots and lots of places are still without power - all of Mendocino, Alpine and Plumas counties and virtually all of Marin county were without power, though I think some of that is being restored today.

The air quality is poor, we still have a 1300 acre fire about 5-7 miles away fully contained but still smouldering, but we never lost power.  

So it's not over, but right now things are better than they were a few days ago.

[Snaporaz]

Glad there's some improvement, boes.  I hope it continues and the other fires are contained soon, too.

Happy Halloween, you Preverted ghouls!  💛🎃🎃🎃💛  And Happy Hallowbirthweenday, Mr. Stunt!

Trick-or-treat in my town has been re-scheduled for Saturday evening because heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for tonight.  The forecasts here are often wrong, but ok.  I'm still prepared for kids who haven't heard about the switch to show up tonight.

[peacheslatour]

Happy Halloween! I bet we don't get a single trick or treater this year. This neighborhood used to be filled with kids when my son was growing up. It's like his was the last generation.....eerie.

[lovemesomejoolery]

1 hour ago, boes said:

Update from my neck of the (burning) woods - the good news is that the fire crews have been able to get in front of the fires and slow the advance dramatically.  They've pretty much saved the towns of Windsor and Healdsburg and those places, along with other towns closer to the ocean have now had their Evacuation Orders lifted, so folks can go back home.  They're still under an Evacuation Advisory, though.  My neice and her kids are staying put with her mother-in-law, though her husband has gone back to check on things.  Lots and lots of places are still without power - all of Mendocino, Alpine and Plumas counties and virtually all of Marin county were without power, though I think some of that is being restored today.

The air quality is poor, we still have a 1300 acre fire about 5-7 miles away fully contained but still smouldering, but we never lost power.  

So it's not over, but right now things are better than they were a few days ago.

thanks so much for the update.  I am glad "hell" has calmed down a bit, even though you still have to be on standby.

We are checking in frequently with our family in Southern CA....my brother in law had a mandatory evacuation on Monday (Getty Fire) and several cousins fled further south to Carlsbad, Vista, and San Diego to stay with other relatives.  I felt horrible for them......traffic is worse than usual, I hear. 

Stay safe!

[Cupid Stunt]

A few of the evacuee's might be able to return home tomorrow, hoping they still have homes to return to. They're all invited to Mr.Stunt's birthday party tonight. We pulled out all the old costumes and anything else that can be used so they can dress up. A makeup artist friend is coming to face paint. Karaoke For Crap!

More than a dozen smaller fires started yesterday in Ventura County/Reagan Library and Simi Valley; communities including Riverside, Santa Clarita, Brea, Whittier, Lancaster, Calabasas, Long Beach, Nuevo and Jurupa Valley. Those have been put out and monitored. Right now the winds are at 40mph and humidity below 8%. 

<sigh>

And what's Halloween without White Zombie to open? … Yeeeah!

Nothin' says lovin' than somethin' from the coven ...

Happy Halloween, Preverts!

[lovemesomejoolery]

2 hours ago, Cupid Stunt said:

A few of the evacuee's might be able to return home tomorrow, hoping they still have homes to return to. They're all invited to Mr.Stunt's birthday party tonight. We pulled out all the old costumes and anything else that can be used so they can dress up. A makeup artist friend is coming to face paint. Karaoke For Crap!

More than a dozen smaller fires started yesterday in Ventura County/Reagan Library and Simi Valley; communities including Riverside, Santa Clarita, Brea, Whittier, Lancaster, Calabasas, Long Beach, Nuevo and Jurupa Valley. Those have been put out and monitored. Right now the winds are at 40mph and humidity below 8%. 

<sigh>

And what's Halloween without White Zombie to open? … Yeeeah!

Nothin' says lovin' than somethin' from the coven ...

Happy Halloween, Preverts!

Karaoke for Crap!!! 

If I'm ever stranded, I want to be stranded near you....with quite a few liquid courage drinks, I swear I sound like Gwen Stefani....or Pink......or all of Aerosmith.

[jpagan05]

@Snaporaz I'm trick or treating at your house if you're handing out kittens!

Happy Halloween! Happy birthday Mr. @Cupid Stunt!

[Snaporaz]

I do have KitKats, @jpagan05!  The wrappers glow in the dark!  Come on by!

[crowsworks]

On 10/29/2019 at 6:16 AM, ByTor said:

Some levity for your Tuesday

best show ever!

[bannana]

So we only had about 30 kids or so, but awesome kids they were.  It was brutally cold earlier this week (-22C), and still frosty today so that may have kept kids and parents home.

I always get super excited so I was a bit disappointed, but the kids that showed up were very fun and loved to tell me about their costumes. 

Hubs had  decorated outside whilst the snow was falling (not kidding).  Pumpkins sold out early, so this was the first year ever we didn't have a carved pumpkin.  😕

[Cupid Stunt]

19 hours ago, lovemesomejoolery said:

Karaoke for Crap!!! 

We moved all outdoor festivities inside because of the sustained winds and air quality.

Quote

If I'm ever stranded, I want to be stranded near you....with quite a few liquid courage drinks, I swear I sound like Gwen Stefani....or Pink......or all of Aerosmith.

You'll be singing duets with my mother-in-law in no time, Lovesme.

The whole family are a bunch of hams and think they have musical talent … kind of … I sing like a hinge, but believe I sound like Dusty Springfield.

Mr.Stunt had another hilarious birthday, and dragged his happy feet to a hungover meeting in town this morning. <wince>

I'm icing my unhappy feet -- We have a Dia de Muertos memorial to attend this evening.

[lovemesomejoolery]

1 hour ago, Cupid Stunt said:

We moved all outdoor festivities inside because of the sustained winds and air quality.

You'll be singing duets with my mother-in-law in no time, Lovesme.

The whole family are a bunch of hams and think they have musical talent … kind of … I sing like a hinge, but believe I sound like Dusty Springfield.

Mr.Stunt had another hilarious birthday, and dragged his happy feet to a hungover meeting in town this morning. <wince>

I'm icing my unhappy feet -- We have a Dia de Muertos memorial to attend this evening.

Glad you, Mr. Stunt and all of your guests had a blast!

[Cupid Stunt]

Long exposure photo of Maria Fire 10/30/19 night, city of Santa Paula in the foreground 

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[Petunia13]

I love Lana Del Rey. One of my favorites is this one. 

and this one. 

[Cupid Stunt]

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Edited November 3, 2019 by Cupid Stunt

[jpagan05]

"Kitbull" just made me cry (stupid hormones). I have neighbors across the street and next door to me that leave their dogs chained outside all day and night, every day; in the heat and sun and rain. They are nothing but an alarm system for them. It is so heart wrenching. I don't understand people who don't value animals. 

[Petunia13]

The abuse of dogs and cats worldwide and in the US is rampant and insanely cruel. The stories I could tell. Hell is empty, the demons are here torturing them. 

I think I may start looking for a new waitress job this week. The only woman manager has been trying to run me out. She’s made a LOT of comments about my looks, calls me “sweetie” in a fuck you tone and rolls her eyes, and fucked with my tips and money (seating me less, never including me on parties, once running the gift card balance total instead of a receipt to an elderly table as “helping” so they ended up paying that instead of what they owned and my tip so I paid the difference out of my pocket- how she laughed and laughed in my face, a couple came in last week and said they gave me the credit receipt w tip days before which I entered in but they got an alert they weren’t charged my tip and they felt horrible so palmed me $15 cash... odd that happened around the same time of the gift card incident. I enter my tips and close credit checks immediately unlike most servers so it’s suspicious it wasn’t the same and I may have missed it closing my shift cuz I probably was annoyed and trusted the computer. The main issue she has with me is unlike every other woman server I can’t wear a ponytail according to her, fine now I do a bun, now the bun isn’t enough for her, I suppose I shave my head? The owner’s brother said something to her my first day about me being the skinny one of the staff and that set her on fire too. It’s so trivial but damnit can I just find a working class job and work hard and not have some fuckshit occur I didn’t want or provoke? The customers are great, every menial waitressing or retail job I’ve had the customers aren’t the problem or mean that’s a huge myth imho. I love them and helping them, it’s actually an honor. Tonight 2 of my 5 tables went up to leadership to praise me for the service and my personality and that’s so humbling like I think they’re 20x nicer than I was and the experience serving them was so enjoyable. Sorry for the book it’s just annoying you can do everything in a job description or more but if you aren’t liked for arbitrary reasons or whimsy you fail and it’s been my last few jobs and everywhere people want hard workers that are reliable but they really don’t based on some personal insecurity or bias. I just want to support myself and my mom and have enough problems doing that and dealing with what happened to me in August. 

George is still great and we’re gonna get a Christmas Santa photo shoot this year. I think we’ll match our sweaters or outfits. 

[jpagan05]

That sucks @Petunia13. I had a similar experience. It was a family owned place that had been in business for 40 years. It was a very busy, casual during lunch and more upscale for dinner. I was hoping to work my way up to dinner as the money was at least double. The day manager who had been there for 13 years, hired me but ended hated me. She was an awful person, a complete racist, and insecure hypocrite. She smoked where she wanted, ate what she wanted, against the rules that she set for the staff. She would nitpick at me every day about ridiculous things. I wasn't wearing enough makeup (don't normally wear any except lipstick but did so for the job), my shorts were too long (I don't like short shorts). I had a lot of regulars who always told me what a great job I did. I had concierges from hotels tell me that customers sang my praises to them. It was nice to hear, as it is truly important for me to do my best in any job. I'm a proud yankee.  She promoted other crappy servers to dinners, never me. She eventually picked a fight with me when I refused a happy hour shift that I was asked to do at the spur of the moment. She was yelled and belittled me in front of everyone. I walked off saying, "I don't deserve this and am not listening to this" and she said, "are you quitting?" And much to her disappointment, I said, "No. I'll see you tomorrow". She really wanted to get rid of me and the possibility of paying unemployment. I never gave her the satisfaction. I am also quite stubborn. I ended up leaving when my mom got sick and was flying back and forth to Boston. She got canned in a very humiliating way the following year and I did a happy dance. 

Another long story, but don't let that woman ruin your job if you like it and it's paying your bill. She is obviously jealous. Women should be supporting other women, not breaking them down. I hope you can find someone to talk to about her and keep your job.

[Cupid Stunt]

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[Capricasix]

“Close My Eyes Forever” was a favourite of mine when I was 18 or 19...back in the day when I liked hair metal 😄

[Cupid Stunt]

2 hours ago, Capricasix said:

“Close My Eyes Forever” was a favourite of mine when I was 18 or 19...back in the day when I liked hair metal 😄

Great song! And Ozzy's hair is fabulous with the palm tree feathering!

Glam/Hair Metal was a mad time. My favorite is still Hanoi Rocks; short lived, but a nonstop knockout catalogue: not a dud in the bunch.

[Petunia13]

Thank you for sharing @jpagan05 it made me feel better. I was talking with some girlfriends at the gym and lunch, respectively, and they all gave similar advice about sticking it out and paying her dust. I left out a part of the story which is my place has a lot of managers, she the only woman one. Her husband, who is the general manager, hired me on the spot during an interview on my lunch break from the car dealership I worked previously. I think there’s a few reasons why she doesn’t like me and treats me differently than the other servers. I do like waitressing though and don’t think I’ll go back to grocery or retail.  The customers most of them it’s just a honestly a pleasure to help and other than this wacko the place is run well with the food being excellent for them and everything with supplies and sidework is organized and stringent. Like if I left I’d want to go even higher to fine dining or a top tier “name” steakhouse, evenings only.  

Random question but is anyone thinking of the holidays? I don’t think I’ll spend a lot or give a shit about the food (I’m vegan) but I’ll like getting pics with George and the quality time with people. It’s gonna be cold AF in Chicago this year. 

@boes how are things going? ❤️ 

[peacheslatour]

WTF happened to this site? I had it in midnight mode and it was really colorful and bright. Now I come here and it's white, the colors are washed out, the font is different and everything is small and blah looking.

[Cupid Stunt]

Such a day … ***Caution! Naughty words are going to be said repeatedly***

I'm so tired, I took a folding chair to sit in line to do my civic duty. All I want is life beyond Thunderdome ...

• The Passive-Aggressive Email Tactic That All Office Workers Abhor -- Tattling didn’t end in kindergarten.

• Buffalo Wild Wings employees told a group to move because of a 'racist' regular, customers say

• Kansas City asks to remove King’s name from street

• The Cambridge Analytica whistleblower on how American voters are “primed to be exploited” -- Christopher Wylie says his former firm easily manipulated democracy with Facebook data. Could it happen again?

• Why “the whole environment in Hollywood had to change” for Harriet to get made -- Screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard wrote Remember the Titans and Ali — but it took him decades to get Harriet Tubman’s story to the screen. He blames the industry.

• Harvey Weinstein combative and in denial ahead of rape trial, inner circle says -- It's not paranoia if everyone is out to get you.

• The firing of McDonald’s CEO won’t solve the chain’s sexual harassment problem -- Another empty gesture.

• Emma Watson says she's 'self-partnered' not single -- And her own best friend.

• When Florida had a committee to terrorize gay people -- Past tense?

• California authorities found and destroyed $1 billion worth of marijuana plants -- An obvious mistake.

• How getting picked up from the airport became such a congested mess -- The new pickup system at LAX caused confusion and massive traffic in its first week. -- It's a fucking nightmare.

• Why banking apps and startups suddenly all have human first names -- Dave, Marcus, Brigit; these financial products want to be on a first name basis with you.

• The Golden Age of TV Is Over -- The streaming wars have brought the era to an end.

• Streaming wars: How to choose between Netflix, Hulu, Apple, Disney & more

• Go Stadium Cat! -- A black cat halted the Cowboys-Giants NFL game with a thrillingly furry touchdown -- It only goes to show you that a junk food diet makes for bright eyes and a shiny coat.

• The Media-Sensational Rise and Fall of “Jim Spanfeller Is a Herb” -- A growth-hungry publishing company suppresses one of the week’s most popular posts.

• More than 1,000 Google employees signed a letter demanding the company reduce its carbon emissions -- Googlers are pushing for a commitment to zero emissions by 2030 and to cancel contracts with fossil fuel companies.

• The internet is getting less free -- It never was.

• The Lines of Code That Changed Everything -- Apollo 11, the JPEG, the first pop-up ad, and 33 other bits of software that have transformed our world.

• Dresden Declares “Nazi Emergency”

• Colorful Columbia Sportswear Co. chairwoman Gert Boyle dies -- Thanks for all the great gear and business advice, Gert. You're my management North Star.

[peacheslatour]

Cupid, your news amalgams are more illuminating that many professional site. Thanks!

Can any of our lovely Canadian Preverts tell me if "ever neat" is an actual expression that Canadian kids say? I read For Better or Worse by Lynn Johnson (who I believe is one of y'all) and the kids in the strip say "ever neat" the way American kids used to say awesome or rad.

[Capricasix]

Peaches, it used to be, certainly! But I don’t know if “kids these days” use the expression. I think I remember saying it myself when I was younger.

[peacheslatour]

10 minutes ago, Capricasix said:

Peaches, it used to be, certainly! But I don’t know if “kids these days” use the expression. I think I remember saying it myself when I was younger.

It always kind of jumps out at me. It seems odd. Oh well, kids say the darndest things.

[boes]

17 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

Thank you for sharing @jpagan05 it made me feel better. I was talking with some girlfriends at the gym and lunch, respectively, and they all gave similar advice about sticking it out and paying her dust. I left out a part of the story which is my place has a lot of managers, she the only woman one. Her husband, who is the general manager, hired me on the spot during an interview on my lunch break from the car dealership I worked previously. I think there’s a few reasons why she doesn’t like me and treats me differently than the other servers. I do like waitressing though and don’t think I’ll go back to grocery or retail.  The customers most of them it’s just a honestly a pleasure to help and other than this wacko the place is run well with the food being excellent for them and everything with supplies and sidework is organized and stringent. Like if I left I’d want to go even higher to fine dining or a top tier “name” steakhouse, evenings only.  

Random question but is anyone thinking of the holidays? I don’t think I’ll spend a lot or give a shit about the food (I’m vegan) but I’ll like getting pics with George and the quality time with people. It’s gonna be cold AF in Chicago this year. 

@boes how are things going? ❤️ 

Thanks for asking, Petunia13 - things are okay, returning to normal.  The air is still pretty harsh but the fires are under control.

That woman where you work.....what is WRONG with people??  There's not enough nonsense in her own life that she needs to add to yours?  I hope hope hope that either she has a change of attitude or you can find something better.  With all that you've been through you certainly don't need this.

[jewel21]

I never used Ever Neat, but then again, I'm from Montreal. We're weird cuz of the whole French thing. 

Case in point, we call pizza 'with the works' 'All-dressed' pizza directly translated from the French word' tout garnie.'

We say 'open' or 'close' the light translated from French again. 

We say 'I l got 8 on 10' on my exam instead of '8 out of 10' cuz again we directly translate from French. 

[jewel21]

Anyway, I came here to rant. I hope you will indulge me, friends. 

One of the physiotherapists at work seems to think there's something wrong with me because I don't want to get married or have kids. It's constantly, but who will take care of you when you're old? Look at Mrs. SoandSo, she never had kids and now she's old and in poor health and has no kids and has to rely on strangers to help her. 

Like, just because you have kids, does not guarantee they will care for you in your old age. Nor should they feel obligated to do so. And having kids just to have someone wash your butt when you're old is stupid. There are a lot of people out there who should not have kids because they suck. I think if more people were aware they have no parental genes whatsoever and abstained from procreating, the world would be a much better place. 

And end rant. 

[peacheslatour]

4 minutes ago, jewel21 said:

I never used Ever Neat, but then again, I'm from Montreal. We're weird cuz of the whole French thing. 

Case in point, we call pizza 'with the works' 'All-dressed' pizza directly translated from the French word' tout garnie.'

We say 'open' or 'close' the light translated from French again. 

We say 'I l got 8 on 10' on my exam instead of '8 out of 10' cuz again we directly translate from French. 

It used to bug me when we were in France to go shopping on Sundays. The signs "ferme" seemed to be jeering at me.

[Capricasix]

1 hour ago, jewel21 said:

I never used Ever Neat, but then again, I'm from Montreal. We're weird cuz of the whole French thing. 

Case in point, we call pizza 'with the works' 'All-dressed' pizza directly translated from the French word' tout garnie.'

We say 'open' or 'close' the light translated from French again. 

We say 'I l got 8 on 10' on my exam instead of '8 out of 10' cuz again we directly translate from French. 

I always remember my Francophone neighbour when I lived in Ottawa - she was from Berthierville IIRC - one time she cautioned me to not “à côté” myself “on the poteau there”, referring to the freshly painted porch railing 😄

[lovemesomejoolery]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

WTF happened to this site? I had it in midnight mode and it was really colorful and bright. Now I come here and it's white, the colors are washed out, the font is different and everything is small and blah looking.

I finally figured it out........they changed the "themes" section.  On another forum here it was listed at the top of the page, it's not like I figured it out on my own!!  You can easily change it back - I have, since I had my screen set to large print.

Here's the message the site posted - hope it helps!

Due to some some backend changes, we've updated how themes work on the site. If your old theme was lost, not to worry -- it can be recreated in two easy steps:

1) To change the theme color, scroll to the bottom of the page, click "themes" and choose your theme color (light or dark). The page will refresh

2) To change the font size and screen width, click "change font-size." (The large and X-Large font sizes expand the page width.)

Please let us know if you run into any issues.

[lovemesomejoolery]

2 hours ago, jewel21 said:

Anyway, I came here to rant. I hope you will indulge me, friends. 

One of the physiotherapists at work seems to think there's something wrong with me because I don't want to get married or have kids. It's constantly, but who will take care of you when you're old? Look at Mrs. SoandSo, she never had kids and now she's old and in poor health and has no kids and has to rely on strangers to help her. 

Like, just because you have kids, does not guarantee they will care for you in your old age. Nor should they feel obligated to do so. And having kids just to have someone wash your butt when you're old is stupid. There are a lot of people out there who should not have kids because they suck. I think if more people were aware they have no parental genes whatsoever and abstained from procreating, the world would be a much better place. 

And end rant. 

This is one of my biggest pet peeves!  Although I've been married since 1987.......and that almost didn't happen because my husband and I thought we'd just live together forever, until we realized certain benefits of being married (financial, healthcare decision making, etc.).  We loved each other and knew we were in it for life, so we could take or leave being married.  I guess the fact that both of our parents divorced right around the time we were 18 or 19 years old sort of put the stink eye on the whole thing.  To think we've been married for 32 years, when the divorce rate is 50% and even higher when both sets of parents are divorced, just floors us.  Anyhow....

If you were married and STILL didn't have kids, once people figured out it isn't due to some health thing, you're looked at as something "less than" when you're young enough to have them.  Then, as you get older and people realize you didn't have children, not because you couldn't but because you elected not to, you get the whole "what are you going to do when you get older" questioning just like you are getting.

I married a man who didn't want children.  I knew it when we were dating and we certainly discussed it before we started living together and taking the next steps in what would be forever.  I was o.k. with that, except for maybe a couple of years there when EVERYONE I knew was having children - a couple of months of therapy fixed that right up for me!  But having children is no guarantee you will be "taken care of" in your old age.  We have friends and family experience with this - sometimes, a child isn't capable, emotionally,financially or just physically, of providing that help, if that time comes!

[Snaporaz]

3 hours ago, jewel21 said:

Anyway, I came here to rant. I hope you will indulge me, friends. 

One of the physiotherapists at work seems to think there's something wrong with me because I don't want to get married or have kids. It's constantly, but who will take care of you when you're old? Look at Mrs. SoandSo, she never had kids and now she's old and in poor health and has no kids and has to rely on strangers to help her. 

Like, just because you have kids, does not guarantee they will care for you in your old age. Nor should they feel obligated to do so. And having kids just to have someone wash your butt when you're old is stupid. There are a lot of people out there who should not have kids because they suck. I think if more people were aware they have no parental genes whatsoever and abstained from procreating, the world would be a much better place. 

And end rant. 

I remember reading about a woman who was the oldest person in the world when she passed away last year at the age of 117.  Of course, people had always asked her the secret of her longevity.  She credited her long life to her diet of raw eggs and cookies, thinking positively about the future, and to staying single.  She said that she was married to an abusive man when she was young, so she divorced him and never remarried because she never again wanted to be dominated by a man.  She was still living alone in her home at 115.  

I also remember Rachel Ray taking a lot of shit for saying she liked children but didn't want to have any.  Whatever you think of her, what business is it of anybody besides her and her husband?  Marriage and children are great for those who want that.  Being a single parent to a mischievous bird is just as valid as a life choice.  

[Snaporaz]

And Petunia, I agree that you shouldn't let this one manager drive you away from a job you enjoy. If she has a fairly regular schedule, maybe you can get shifts when she isn't working.  If that isn't possible, just focus on your customers and giving them the best service you can.  That will make you feel good, and it will probably drive her insane.  Win Win!  If she doesn't get the satisfaction of thinking she's getting under your skin, she'll probably get bored and stop. 

[Petunia13]

The only reason I brought it up is I get heated inside (I’m a Virgo sun Gemini moon so high strung and can be naturally cutting as a MF to people who start shit they shouldn’t) and working menial and service jobs and living on low wages but having to deal with the whimsy of not being good enough because of weight or by being a woman and that determining your income or employment status while you live pay check to paycheck is very humbling and scary. It’s abusive. And I’m tired of job hopping. 

@jewel21 I hate that shit. How do they know you aren’t gay? Or partnered up but silent about it? I’ve had two guys ask me to marry them last month as a desperado “please date me” gambit like I’d be flattered and another asshole ask why I wasn’t married already in a “what’s secretly wrong with you?” tone. No one asks the 35 or 40 year old bachelor why he isn’t married or has kids. I’ve been engaged and a housewife to men. Jewel you aren’t missing out on shit and if he/she bugs you again ask maybe “why are you so interested in my love life and family planning? I’ll be honest prefer NOT to involve my coworkers in my love life or family planning and what is occurring in that is separate from what my colleagues know and it’s phenomenal.  Thanks for caring!” (big fake smile).

[Cupid Stunt]

On 11/1/2019 at 11:58 PM, Petunia13 said:

I love Lana Del Rey. One of my favorites is this one. 

and this one. 

Beautiful songs, and an admirer of Just Some Videos work on YouTube.

People connect or are repelled profoundly with the baroque pop darkness created by Lana Del Rey. She wades and romanticizes and unwinds the messy truths of uncertain adulthood in a deceptive culture that PC pop entertainers simply won't touch. Del Rey plays a key cultural role, emotionally going to places she shouldn't, and answering questions that are in stark relief to the usual pop cultivars.

As an instant internet sensation after posting the original 2011 "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans," Del Rey became even more famous for an early 2012 Saturday Night Live performance in which she missed a few notes while resembling a deer caught in headlights, yet was hit with near-universal vitriol that set the tone for the dissection of her debut album Born to Die two weeks later. She more than survived her early attacks: Born to Die's international sales have eclipsed that of most every album this decade. What has she done that's more off-putting than other fast-rising stars? Sing songs in moral shades of grey and cray? Celebrate material wealth with a tone far more ambiguous than that of the average rapper? Mix low-life tropes with a high-life stance?

Were she a male musician, her outsider bona fides would be celebrated. Instead she is assessed as suspect because, like all artists,, she created a persona for public consumption. Unlike most female acts who woo critics and peers, Del Rey is coolly distant; dramatically coifed and manicured, fashionable 60s vintage styling, embracing unencumbered femininity, who writes almost exclusively about loving bad boys and father figures while appropriating both their bold language and brazen appetites: "In the land of gods and monsters, I was an angel looking to get fucked hard," goes a typical Del Rey line that may or may not be autobiographical.

Throughout most of her songs, Del Rey craves sex, excitement, and spiritual redemption with a fire that would otherwise tantalize feminists, yet commands danger and fear. Del Rey disturbs because she looks the saint while playing the shackled whore, and she's usually at her best when fully investing in both characterizations while enthroned in her gilded cage. Her best work packs the melodrama of mid-century Hollywood "women's pictures." And she does so with Douglas Sirk-like technical and dramatic distributions of light and shade, density and shadow, traversing sun-bleached Los Angeles boulevards in a vintage convertible to an unknown destination.

Edited November 6, 2019 by Cupid Stunt