The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2017

[tallyollyopia]

Well, last night at work I got really upset with someone (I don't even know who it is). Let me explain: a car pulled into the parking lot, parked next to the building, and tossed a paper bag out the window. I thought it was garbage (not the first time that's happened ), but a customer came over and opened the bag--to find that it was a kitten! Someone threw out a kitten, like it was garbage! Well, as soon as I got off work I went looking for it (I was going to take it home and, if nothing else, keep long enough for the SPCA to get an opening), but I couldn't find it. I hope someone in the trailer park behind the store adopted the thing, but if I see it tonight I'm getting it. That's just--just wrong.

 

[arouetta]

That's just--just wrong.

It is wrong. Unfortunately it's not the most horrifying story I've heard by a long shot.

 

[Docs Mom]

Stories of kittens in paper sacks make me want wonder about each box or sack I see... It would break my heart to miss helping a kitten or puppy or... that needed help.
Two of my Felv kittens were tossed out the window of a moving car. One being my avatar, kitty angel Serendipity. She was incredibly lucky that a vet tech and receptionist were in the car behind. They took her back with them to the clinic where they worked.
Cranberry, ironically was saved by a rescuer who was transporting dogs to Chicago. Each were with me a short time, but they were loved a lot. I THANK the people that cared enough to stop and help them...
Off my soapbox now, but missing my two girls..

 

[foxxycat]

I just hate people who guilt trip you into eating something you don't want. That's just WRONG! So very sorry LTS3. Sounds like a good time to fade away.

Interesting about your new super. Personally I like people who are able to keep themselves busy without depending on others to do their work. Look at it this way=they will leave you alone so you don't need to deal with the drama.

I have been known to be a raging B at work simply to keep the needy people away from me. Nothing more annoying to me than people who take a job and brag how good they are but they manage to cajole others to do the menial tasks=ordering/cleaning/etc. Of course now looking back I realize that wasn't the smartest thing to do- my attitude- so I am still trying to make amends but lately I have a few folks who have been given tasks to complete and even with extra time-I still had to finish the work for them.

Its been hard for me to step back and let them finish or not-I am a take charge person=and I always figure-you want it done right-do it yourself. The problem with this is the team doesn't get to participate in an opportunity to try something new or solve a problem.

It has been hard for me to step back and let things go. I am very impatient and get frustrated at people who act like they don't understand something just for the sake of getting out of doing the work-it's something that happens more and more=and it frustrates me. The only thing I tell myself is at least I try to care=sometimes all it gives me is heartburn.

So I can understand why you want to be included in helping to get tasks done-makes one feel useful. So very hard working with new people-never know if something you said or did will get their dander up as people now adays never tell you to your face-instead they complain behind your back-and make me want to be a loner even more.

 

[tallyollyopia]

It is wrong. Unfortunately it's not the most horrifying story I've heard by a long shot.

It's not the worst I've heard either, but it's one thing to hear about a story (no one who runs in the same circles I, AWM, or RB do would ever do anything to harm a tame pet), and quite another to see it happen.

View attachment 184770

Stories of kittens in paper sacks make me want wonder about each box or sack I see... It would break my heart to miss helping a kitten or puppy or... that needed help.
Two of my Felv kittens were tossed out the window of a moving car. One being my avatar, kitty angel Serendipity. She was incredibly lucky that a vet tech and receptionist were in the car behind. They took her back with them to the clinic where they worked.
Cranberry, ironically was saved by a rescuer who was transporting dogs to Chicago. Each were with me a short time, but they were loved a lot. I THANK the people that cared enough to stop and help them...
Off my soapbox now, but missing my two girls..

Thank you for sharing.

I just hate people who guilt trip you into eating something you don't want. That's just WRONG! So very sorry LTS3. Sounds like a good time to fade away.

Interesting about your new super. Personally I like people who are able to keep themselves busy without depending on others to do their work. Look at it this way=they will leave you alone so you don't need to deal with the drama.

I have been known to be a raging B at work simply to keep the needy people away from me. Nothing more annoying to me than people who take a job and brag how good they are but they manage to cajole others to do the menial tasks=ordering/cleaning/etc. Of course now looking back I realize that wasn't the smartest thing to do- my attitude- so I am still trying to make amends but lately I have a few folks who have been given tasks to complete and even with extra time-I still had to finish the work for them.

Its been hard for me to step back and let them finish or not-I am a take charge person=and I always figure-you want it done right-do it yourself. The problem with this is the team doesn't get to participate in an opportunity to try something new or solve a problem.

It has been hard for me to step back and let things go. I am very impatient and get frustrated at people who act like they don't understand something just for the sake of getting out of doing the work-it's something that happens more and more=and it frustrates me. The only thing I tell myself is at least I try to care=sometimes all it gives me is heartburn.

So I can understand why you want to be included in helping to get tasks done-makes one feel useful. So very hard working with new people-never know if something you said or did will get their dander up as people now adays never tell you to your face-instead they complain behind your back-and make me want to be a loner even more.

Yeah. I told AWM that I technically have two jobs--my actual duties as a store clerk, and pretending I'm a people person. Guess which is harder?

Changing the subject a bit, the kitten got adopted--by one of the feral moms around the store. So it didn't get eaten, yay! That's the good news!

The bad news is that, last night, one of my customers broke the front door. Remember how I mentioned that I started locking the store down for an hour. This one customer (who apparently was having a nicotine craving) shook the doors so hard the glass popped out of one of them. What did I do? I let him in, smiled and apologized for the inconvenience, sold him the cigarettes, and then printed two copies of his receipt (one for the police and one for management) before contacting the police, the maintenance company, and my managers (in that order). Do not mess with the store clerk--it will not end well for you.

 

[Mother Dragon]

I took a look, and I have the site you recommended bookmarked. I'm going to save my pennies for next spring. I'll definitely be growing tomatoes. I want one variety for sandwiches and ~drool~! fried green tomatoes, and I want a tiny sweet variety of grape or cherry tomatoes for salads. The zuccini is still up for grabs, but a bell pepper plant would be lovely. I think those are easy, as well.

Muffy, a LOT of the bush-growing veggies are very pretty to look at. I'll bet you could put some against your house and the neighbors wouldn't know the difference!

By all means, try Sweet Million grape tomatoes. They're incredible. The skins pop and there's a flood of juice. Then the sweetness followed by a huge burst of rich home-grown tomato flavor that lingers on the tongue. They're prolific, too. We're getting about a pint and a half of bright red tomatoes about every other day from six plants. They're indeterminate and vining, which means they keep producing all season, as opposed to determinate bush tomatoes that make a huge amount all at once and are done. We also planted Celebrity, which are great for our climate. Again, flavorful and prolific sandwich size tomatoes that are great fried green or eaten ripe. Check with you master gardeners to see which varieties are best for your area.

If you want something different in a bell pepper, try Sweet Heat. They're much smaller but have a flavor combination of bell pepper and mild jalapeño. Remember that the larger the pepper, the fewer then plant can make. The same with tomatoes. Hot peppers (jalapeños, habaneros, etc,) are virtually pest-free. El Jefe jalapeños are excellent, not too hot. TAM Mild have virtually no heat, while Mucho Nacho is mucho-hotto.

A great place to learn about tomatoes, peppers of all kinds, and eggplant is chileplants.com Check them online, but be sure to get a catalog too. It has lots of information about each plant. Unfortunately, you have to order in (mixed) multiples of six plants and the tomatoes have an extra shipping charge, so I wouldn't buy plants you can get locally. However, they carry things you just can't find elsewhere. They have seeds for all their plants, too. I'm too impatient for seeds myself.

Start planning for a great garden!

 

[LTS3]

Interesting about your new super. Personally I like people who are able to keep themselves busy without depending on others to do their work. Look at it this way=they will leave you alone so you don't need to deal with the drama.

Does this sound fishy? When the supervisor position was posted, we got a couple of candidates and brought 3 external ones in for an interview. We ended up hiring one of the external candidates. One of the other external candidates was offered the regular associate position and she accepted. The person who was previously the supervisor knows people in the industry and found out that not only does the new supervisor and new associate know each other, but they are BFFs and both are friends / former college buddies of one of the other supervisors in the department. It just seems strange that both of them applied for the same position and both were hired, one as the supervisor and the other as an associate. And neither are industry certified which was a requirement in the job posting. Of everyone now on the team or soon to be on the team (just heard that our contract position was filled), I have the highest certification.
I have a feeling the supervisor, her BFF, and my current one co-worker will be clique-y. I cannot stand cliques

I just hate people who guilt trip you into eating something you don't want. That's just WRONG! So very sorry LTS3. Sounds like a good time to fade away.

I wasn't interested in eating rubbery overcooked lobster anyways. Mom always overcooks it

 

[foxxycat]

hmmm that sounds fishy. I always get nervous when they hire new people here. Because there's always a connection. In my job-it's not what you know. It's WHO you know. Which BLOWS you know WHAT!!!

I am so used to being on the outside and not included in groups but I can understand why you don't like cliques. I hate how people are so disrespectful these days and don't pay attention to how their actions hurt others. Both in private and work. Sounds like maybe time to move on? Or just stick to your guns-don't do extra work-let them figure it out. Sounds an awful lot like playing favorites. I used to think being in a union would stop that=found out nope. Doesn't matter if it's union or non. We all have games we have to play. It gets very tiring. I hear you. Sorry they are such stuck up you know whats.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

By all means, try Sweet Million grape tomatoes. They're incredible. The skins pop and there's a flood of juice. Then the sweetness followed by a huge burst of rich home-grown tomato flavor that lingers on the tongue. They're prolific, too. We're getting about a pint and a half of bright red tomatoes about every other day from six plants. They're indeterminate and vining, which means they keep producing all season, as opposed to determinate bush tomatoes that make a huge amount all at once and are done. We also planted Celebrity, which are great for our climate. Again, flavorful and prolific sandwich size tomatoes that are great fried green or eaten ripe. Check with you master gardeners to see which varieties are best for your area.

If you want something different in a bell pepper, try Sweet Heat. They're much smaller but have a flavor combination of bell pepper and mild jalapeño. Remember that the larger the pepper, the fewer then plant can make. The same with tomatoes. Hot peppers (jalapeños, habaneros, etc,) are virtually pest-free. El Jefe jalapeños are excellent, not too hot. TAM Mild have virtually no heat, while Mucho Nacho is mucho-hotto.

A great place to learn about tomatoes, peppers of all kinds, and eggplant is chileplants.com Check them online, but be sure to get a catalog too. It has lots of information about each plant. Unfortunately, you have to order in (mixed) multiples of six plants and the tomatoes have an extra shipping charge, so I wouldn't buy plants you can get locally. However, they carry things you just can't find elsewhere. They have seeds for all their plants, too. I'm too impatient for seeds myself.

Start planning for a great garden!

OOOOOOOHhhhhhh...I just found something called "Butterstick Zuccini hybrid" that looks yummy, as well as a regular zuccini! And a sweet bell pepper. I would like to try Sweet Heat as well. I can get it through TotallyTomato without a minimum order, so that's a plus! Next summer is gonna be GREAT!!!

Does this sound fishy? When the supervisor position was posted, we got a couple of candidates and brought 3 external ones in for an interview. We ended up hiring one of the external candidates. One of the other external candidates was offered the regular associate position and she accepted. The person who was previously the supervisor knows people in the industry and found out that not only does the new supervisor and new associate know each other, but they are BFFs and both are friends / former college buddies of one of the other supervisors in the department. It just seems strange that both of them applied for the same position and both were hired, one as the supervisor and the other as an associate. And neither are industry certified which was a requirement in the job posting. Of everyone now on the team or soon to be on the team (just heard that our contract position was filled), I have the highest certification.
I have a feeling the supervisor, her BFF, and my current one co-worker will be clique-y. I cannot stand cliques



I wasn't interested in eating rubbery overcooked lobster anyways. Mom always overcooks it

Yes, it sounds VERY fishy!

There is no way to guilt one into eating rubbery lobster. Your mom reminds me a lot of mine.

 

[LTS3]

I am so used to being on the outside and not included in groups but I can understand why you don't like cliques. I hate how people are so disrespectful these days and don't pay attention to how their actions hurt others. Both in private and work. Sounds like maybe time to move on? Or just stick to your guns-don't do extra work-let them figure it out. Sounds an awful lot like playing favorites. I used to think being in a union would stop that=found out nope. Doesn't matter if it's union or non. We all have games we have to play. It gets very tiring. I hear you. Sorry they are such stuck up you know whats.

I admit that I'm a complicated introvert and don't care for groups but it does bother me when I'm exluded from team activities because of the clique-iness. What I liked about my previous supervisor was that she hated cliques too and made sure that I had a say in everything and the team actually functioned as a team, even with the two guys who technically weren't part of the team anymore. We'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks as the supervisor and associate settle into their roles. I never interviewed the associate when she was brought in for the supervisor interview so I have no idea what she is like. My current co-worker only said she was unimpressed with the person.

I don't think I've ever had perfectly cooked lobster When I've had it in restaurants, even seafood ones, the lobster was still somewhat rubbery and tough.

 

[arouetta]

My husband enjoys a good fried flounder, but he's never been one to go to a seafood restaurant. Nearly 20 years ago I talked him into taking me to Red Lobster. He was admiring the pretty fish tank with all the lobsters in it and made a comment about how the tank added a nice bit of decoration but he was wondering about why their claws were rubber-banded. I told him it wasn't decoration, that if someone ordered lobster, they were told to pick out the one they wanted for dinner, and the binding of the claws was to keep them from damaging each other since they were inventory. He looked horrified and I don't remember what he said, but I realized he had no clue about how shellfish were cooked. I explained that lobsters and crabs released a toxin when killed that makes the meat inedible, so they have to be cooked alive to keep the toxin from being released, and that's why there was a tank of live lobster instead of humanely killed lobster waiting in the fridge for ordering.

To this day I'm not allowed to have cooked crab or lobster bought from the grocery store in the house, nor can I order lobster or crab at a restaurant that cooks live ones. It's only been the last couple of years that he can handle us getting lobster tails at steakhouses that get them pre-cooked. Don't get me wrong, he's not a tyrant nor does he expect obedience, but he is a major animal lover and knowing how they are cooked was just too much for him so I respect his sensitivity in this matter.

 

[Mother Dragon]

I've cooked both lobster and crabs and death is virtually instantaneous. It's just as humane as the slaughter of cattle, hogs, sheep, etc. Crawfish are cooked the same way, boiled while alive. Raw oysters are eaten while alive. That's pretty barbaric, but delicious.

 

[arouetta]

I can understand that it's not much different than a grilled chicken breast even though I do pretend that the meat on my plate is not the corpse of a dead animal but something that always existed in that state. This is more emotion than logic though, for my husband. It's the same mindset as I have when I refuse to even consider eating lamb or veal. With the exception of unfertilized eggs I want my animals all grown up before they end up on my plate.

 

[segelkatt]

I've cooked both lobster and crabs and death is virtually instantaneous. It's just as humane as the slaughter of cattle, hogs, sheep, etc. Crawfish are cooked the same way, boiled while alive. Raw oysters are eaten while alive. That's pretty barbaric, but delicious.

I don't eat any of those as I am allergic to shellfish although when I was little we would hunt for crayfish at night and bring them home in a bucket and my mom would have a big kettle of water boiling and we would dump the crayfish in there and eat them as soon as they were bright red, just the claws and the tail/body. I don't know when the allergy set in but by age 18 they would give me horrible nausea and I would upchuck until I thought my toes would come up. I have since then discovered that it takes only about half an hour with just the tiniest bit of shellfish, like a sauce that had clams in it, to give me that reaction, so please do eat all the shellfish you want, eat my portion too, just don't offer any to me and don't try to sneak any to me either, the result is not pretty.

 

[foxxycat]

oh crap my dryer is dead again. It runs but won't heat up. I don't like new appliances. Jon wants to buy a new cheap one. nope I told him. Let me find a good maytag from the early 2000s. I HATE buying new stuff when there's plenty of used items out there. I tried to research how to fix it-since the last fix cost $600=I assume buy a used one for $100. Rather than buy a new one for $500 only to die 2 years later. The motors are junk. They use cheap wiring and cheaper Chinese parts that wear out faster or don't hold up to the heat.

I found a site that shows me how to trouble shoot it- evidently there's a way to toggle error codes like in our car computer-but that doesn't mean I can fix it. It looks complicated and we don't have a ton of room for dismantling. The lazy part of me says take it to the dump and just buy a new one=where they deliver.

I have no patience for eating Lobster-I like it-but nope I just assume get steamers or fried clams. yum!

 

[arouetta]

oh crap my dryer is dead again. It runs but won't heat up. I don't like new appliances. Jon wants to buy a new cheap one. nope I told him. Let me find a good maytag from the early 2000s. I HATE buying new stuff when there's plenty of used items out there. I tried to research how to fix it-since the last fix cost $600=I assume buy a used one for $100. Rather than buy a new one for $500 only to die 2 years later. The motors are junk. They use cheap wiring and cheaper Chinese parts that wear out faster or don't hold up to the heat.

I found a site that shows me how to trouble shoot it- evidently there's a way to toggle error codes like in our car computer-but that doesn't mean I can fix it. It looks complicated and we don't have a ton of room for dismantling. The lazy part of me says take it to the dump and just buy a new one=where they deliver.

If it runs but doesn't heat, it's probably the heating element. The part should cost less than $100 and as I recall it wasn't that hard to switch the actual element. But yeah, we did have to pull the dryer apart, we had to take off all the panels and remove the drum to get to it.

 

[foxxycat]

that sounds like a headache. I will see what it is tonight. We already fixed it once before-There's not much room to work where the dryer is. I am hoping Jon can help me pull it apart and I can buy the part-but sometimes it's just time to send it to the dump.

I also think it could be lint buildup in the back-I will see what I can do tonight.

I hope he took the wet clothes to the laundry matt. He's still dealing with body aches and pains and won't go to a new doctor-he needs a primary doc-he won't listen to me-so now I will make sure he understands that things still need to get done-but he did cut some tree branches yesterday-I told him he needs to rest more and stop being superman. My foot is still sore but I will hopefully have enough tools to take apart the covers on the dryer-he's got a voltage meter to make sure there's enough volts going across the terminals as well as check the codes on the digital readout. Too bad they don't post this information right on the panel-same as with new tv-how to reset it.

I found a dryer for $25. I don't know if it works=I still would need to take the covers off and clean out the lint...but buying a new one at least I can send it back if it's fouled up-not sure what to do...but I will figure something out...

it's very muggy out-so hopefully it cools down enough tonight because it's hard to work in the corner where the dryer is without air conditioning..yes I am whining.

 

[Willowy]

My fridge is leaking into the crisper drawer :/. I thought it was a one-time thing because a bottle broke in there and I thought it was that stuff that ran into the drawer. But I cleaned it out and yup, it has water in it again. So I googled it and apparently the drain line is clogged but it's an easy fix (supposedly!) so I guess that's what I'll be doing this evening. They better be right about it being quick and easy!

 

[margd]

My husband enjoys a good fried flounder, but he's never been one to go to a seafood restaurant. Nearly 20 years ago I talked him into taking me to Red Lobster. He was admiring the pretty fish tank with all the lobsters in it and made a comment about how the tank added a nice bit of decoration but he was wondering about why their claws were rubber-banded. I told him it wasn't decoration, that if someone ordered lobster, they were told to pick out the one they wanted for dinner, and the binding of the claws was to keep them from damaging each other since they were inventory. He looked horrified and I don't remember what he said, but I realized he had no clue about how shellfish were cooked. I explained that lobsters and crabs released a toxin when killed that makes the meat inedible, so they have to be cooked alive to keep the toxin from being released, and that's why there was a tank of live lobster instead of humanely killed lobster waiting in the fridge for ordering.

To this day I'm not allowed to have cooked crab or lobster bought from the grocery store in the house, nor can I order lobster or crab at a restaurant that cooks live ones. It's only been the last couple of years that he can handle us getting lobster tails at steakhouses that get them pre-cooked. Don't get me wrong, he's not a tyrant nor does he expect obedience, but he is a major animal lover and knowing how they are cooked was just too much for him so I respect his sensitivity in this matter.

I won't eat anything boiled alive either. Once my now-ex and I went to Maine on vacation where of course, he had to eat freshly caught lobsters. I had to sit at a far table on the outside platform with my back to the entire operation because otherwise it was too upsetting. Ditto with crabs. Since I live in Maryland, crabs are a big thing here and I can never watch the cooking process, much less eat what I'm told is a delicious delicacy. Ugh - I can feel myself getting ready to mount my soapbox so will shut up now!

foxxycat - I'm so glad to hear that your foot is feeling better. That's an utter pain about your drier, though. If I could get a newer, working one for $25 I probably wouldn't even waste the time working on the old one, although having to go through the installation of the new and disposal of the old does make that idea less attractive.

Today is an exciting day at our house. Paul and Chula got a gigantic new scratching post. It only takes two screws to put together - I don't see how I can mess that up. If there's a way, I'll find it though.

 

[foxxycat]

Aww I don't think you will mess it up!!! PICTURES!!!

I need to get rid of my elliptical machine and buy another jungle gym for the terror Honeybee. Sadly my pumps is getting worse with her arthritis. I don't have the money to pay for more lazer treatment-my vet had me up the pred but it's only a temporary solution. It's breaking my heart to think about what I need to do later this year if we can't get her comfortable. Thank goodness for pred..she's been on it for 2 years and at least comfortable-as much as will allow. I don't know why we can't get her to loose weight-we cut way back on kibble and she's not lost an ounce...at least she's still purring and going outside..she sleeps on the deck most of the day or walks around sniffing at the back of the house...she's going to be 14..my girl...she's so jealous of Honeybee.