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Post by Merge on Sept 10, 2024 19:50:24 GMT
Mine directly relates to my career (music ed/music teacher) but for a while I did admin work, then marketing/PR, and finally university advising, before I returned to teaching.
My oldest finished her BA in history last year and works in HR for a chemical company. She's discovered a love for data analytics and works in that side of HR, not the benefits side.
DH has a BA and MA in history, and then got an MBA about 10 years after we were married and has done corporate stuff ever since then. He now is part-owner of a software implementation firm.
Younger DD is finishing her degree in viola performance this year. She plans to go straight to grad school. She's already got a good professional network and gets a reasonable amount of work in addition to teaching lessons, so I expect she'll mostly work within her degree area in her life - though every musician runs the risk of needing to do something else for a while to pay the bills. So we will see!
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Post by Merge on Sept 10, 2024 13:16:57 GMT
It really was. I used ground chicken Italian sausage from a local farm but I'm sure any sausage would be just as good. I bookmarked it to make again. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 9, 2024 20:07:05 GMT
I get my hair done every five weeks. I alternate between getting just my roots colored (warm brown level 6) and having both the roots done and the highlights touched up. So highlights happen every 10 weeks.
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Post by Merge on Sept 9, 2024 20:04:34 GMT
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Post by Merge on Sept 8, 2024 21:19:33 GMT
I do know the Catholic Church has spent generous amounts of money to aid in anti abortion legislation in many states. Although I don’t usually attend Church, I found myself attending a mass the weekend before the Nov 2016 election. The priest read a letter that the Bishop had sent to all his parishes which pretty much instructed all good godly people to vote for Trump who was not in favor of abortion. It’s not just the right wing wakos. But why is it that you don't think of that bishop as being a right wing wacko? I do. I promise you that our General Presbyter (the Presbyterian version of a bishop, although with many more checks and balances to her or his power) will never be sending a letter to any church within their Presbytery telling them how to vote. Just because someone is Roman Catholic doesn't mean they can't be a right-wing wacko.  Having grown up among verrrrry conservative Catholics, I can assure everyone that there are many right-wing wackos in the Catholic church, both in the priesthood and the congregation. JD Vance is Catholic, is he not? |
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Post by Merge on Sept 8, 2024 21:17:54 GMT
I actually feel that way about Penzeys. Whether I agree with your thoughts, keep them out of your store and my spices. To my knowledge, the only place they express their beliefs is in those emails (which you are free to unsubscribe from, and of course you're also welcome to not shop there at all). I've never seen any evidence of politics in their store here or when they ship spices to me. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 8, 2024 21:15:00 GMT
There are restaurants here that print bible verses on their hamburger wrappers, and in my area we have a carwash that is festooned with plaques with bible verses and Christian "inspirational" stuff, but forewarned is forearmed and we can avoid patronizing those places if we wish. So that's fine with me. But being ambushed by proselytizing during a business transaction is, I agree, inappropriate. The eggs at at least our area Aldi stores have a biblical verse printed inside the cartons, but it's just as you said, you can avoid buying them if you wish. Hmmm, glad I've never shopped at Aldi then. Or at least I'd want to avoid those eggs. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 8, 2024 15:31:24 GMT
I'm a Christian, so she would be preaching to the converted. I do feel sad that people are so very up in arms about other people's religions though. A pamphlet on Christianity shouldn't ruin someone's day any more than the leaflets on double glazing, curtains, retirement housing or baby items that I get - sometimes in the same envelope - or Jehovah's Witnesses stuff. If it's not your thing, recycle it. If it is useful to someone, then it's a good thing, like any advertising. But then I suppose we don't get politics or religion pushed down our throats (except at election time) in the UK as seems to happen in the US. I can see why it would be more than irritating if you were bombarded with it. Christians are taught to go out and spread the word, but that's not the way to do it. No one is up in arms over another's religion. What people are up in arms about is a religious pamphlet being sent with an ordered it. You have no idea what the other person believe and your religion isn't better than theirs. Even if they are a non believer You also have no clue if they were abused or harmed in church or by a church. I don't care what you believe as long as you and your (what you believe to be) righteous religion doesn't get to dictate how I and others live. That's the problem. These Christians who think they are better and the truth and the right and that everyone needs to follow and be like them. No. Agree. Exaggerating what is being said (no one is "up in arms") and trying to say it's about someone else's religion are deflections. No one here is saying that people shouldn't believe what they believe. No one is saying their day is ruined. No one is even suggesting that people be stopped in some way from including their religious pamphlet. We're just saying it's bad form. It's not innocuous to many who might receive it. It's impolite to suggest that someone who just paid you money also needs the benefit of your superior religious beliefs. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 8, 2024 15:23:51 GMT
I mean, Greg Abbott said straight out that the only thing keeping him from shooting migrants at the border was the fact that the Biden administration would prosecute him for murder. If Trump is back in power and unlikely to prosecute, I would expect Abbott to start having Operation Lone Star become Operation Death Star. Shoot anyone attempting to cross, North Korea style.
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Post by Merge on Sept 8, 2024 15:21:27 GMT
Religion has no place in a business transaction, you can believe whatever you like within yourself and your particular place of worship but don't push it on other people. There are restaurants here that print bible verses on their hamburger wrappers, and in my area we have a carwash that is festooned with plaques with bible verses and Christian "inspirational" stuff, but forewarned is forearmed and we can avoid patronizing those places if we wish. So that's fine with me. But being ambushed by proselytizing during a business transaction is, I agree, inappropriate. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 8, 2024 13:30:27 GMT
Well, my sister seems to believe that the public schools where I live are “turning all the kids gay” so they probably do. 🙄 And from there we go to fathers like this one, who beat up his 2-year old son because he thought the child was "acting gay." www.edgemedianetwork.com/story/335284 |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 23:52:13 GMT
If this all proves to be true, it makes the whole thing even more horrifying. WaPo is reporting that the mom called the school to warn of an “extreme emergency” about 30 minutes before the shooting started. And it sounds like the school totally dropped the ball. They also report that the shooter’s family had been trying to get him mental health help for quite a while. So many failures here. wapo.st/3XgpkEv |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 23:38:15 GMT
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 22:21:31 GMT
Unacceptable! I live in a three storey condo complex ... I own my unit ... they cleaned out dryer vents the other day but did not need access to any suites - the cleaning was done on the roof ... No one in the condo complex or on the condo board has a key to my unit ... they couldn't just walk in! I would freak out if it happened to me as I live alone! She should complain ... It's different when you own the unit. Renters generally have to provide reasonable access. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 21:50:26 GMT
Honestly in 2024 no one legitimate should be showing up at your door without ID, unless it's the kind of community where the manager is on a first-name, face-knowing basis with all the tenants.
I'd tell your friend to suggest to the manager that they send maintenance guys out with some kind of ID and instruct them to stand back from the door after they knock to avoid alarming the tenants. That just good practice - and frankly it's as much to protect the maintenance guys as the tenant. Too many people will shoot first and ask questions later if they're concerned. Wasn't there a story a year or so back where a homeowner shot the pool guy because he was in their back yard after dark? Can't be too careful.
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 20:37:08 GMT
Sales. And eBay. And yes, Amazon and Old Navy. More the former than the latter these days.
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 19:06:30 GMT
Would you be as equally annoyed by a hand written note that said she hoped you had a good day? What if it was a card with an inspirational quote? What if it was a coupon for a free sample of alcohol? If no other personalized note or gift item would offend you equally, I say you're irritation is misplaced. You aren't a Christian and that's certainly your choice not to be. She obviously is and it's her choice to be. She's sharing what she believes to be something that would better your life. She isn't condemning you or berating you; it's a piece of paper. She knows that a customer may read it and they may not. Unless she's following up with emails or additional mail to push her beliefs on you, just toss it and be done with it. Sorry, I disagree. In a country where some Christians are working hard to legislate their beliefs on the rest of us, and where antisemitism and anti-Muslim rhetoric and actions are on the rise, a tract is just inappropriate. Its not remotely the same as "have a nice day." Again, we've all been culturally trained to see Christian proselytizing as benign, but it's really not. We need to look at this differently in my opinion. ETA: Consider that the recipient may have been a victim of abuse in the church. Or that she may reside in a state where the religious have removed her bodily autonomy and rendered her a second class citizen, and she may have suffered a medical emergency as a result. Or that her synagogue or mosque may have been targeted by Christian extremists. IMO people who want to share their religion need to think less about what feels good to them - or what they're hoping to sell - and more about what the recipient's feelings may be. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 18:58:16 GMT
I want to add that I can and do find lots of food to eat in other countries, and am generally a pretty adventurous eater. If someone offered fries, gravy, and peas to me, I'd probably try it, and I certainly wouldn't choose to starve rather than eat it. It just doesn't look appetizing to me. It looks like something we might in the US call a "struggle meal." Of course, a lot of comfort food would fall into that category. I did try the blood sausage in Colombia and didn't care for it, even though I wasn't told what it was until after I'd tried it. DH's employees were having a good time ordering "weird Colombian foods" for us to try and I wasn't about to spoil their fun. I don't know why that's considered a Colombian food there except maybe that there's a lot of European influence in South American cuisine. I think you actually get what I was saying... And it ain't that serious, people.. I thought this was a light-hearted thread. My bad! It definitely was meant to be light-hearted! |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 18:38:53 GMT
I want to add that I can and do find lots of food to eat in other countries, and am generally a pretty adventurous eater. If someone offered fries, gravy, and peas to me, I'd probably try it, and I certainly wouldn't choose to starve rather than eat it. It just doesn't look appetizing to me. It looks like something we might in the US call a "struggle meal." Of course, a lot of comfort food would fall into that category.
I did try the blood sausage in Colombia and didn't care for it, even though I wasn't told what it was until after I'd tried it. DH's employees were having a good time ordering "weird Colombian foods" for us to try and I wasn't about to spoil their fun. I don't know why that's considered a Colombian food there except maybe that there's a lot of European influence in South American cuisine.
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 16:55:14 GMT
I see a trend towards fewer, quality clothing pieces, rather than having a closet filled to the brim with STUFF. I am totally on that bandwagon. That's a bandwagon I've been on since the 70's. I'm so happy to see the pushback happening now against fast fashion, as well as the wider acceptance of buying and wearing vintage clothing. Fast fashion has been so detrimental to the fashion industry. Not for just the waste and pollution aspect, but the quality of clothing produced overall. Buy the best quality you can afford, in classic styles and you will spend less money in the long run. People are shocked to see how small my closet space is. But I honestly don't need a huge walk in closet filled with tons of clothing. I want to be a minimalist dresser with a limited closet. I really do. But my tastes change so often that I just can't do it. Also, I don't like the way I look in the more structured, tailored clothes that most people think of as classic. I do try to buy second hand but that's not always possible. I'm trying to do better. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 16:46:45 GMT
My large urban district in TX just made election day a holiday a couple of years ago, and then our new state-appointed superintendent came in and said we couldn't possibly lose that day of instruction. So we're back to having hundreds of unvetted, unknown people traipsing into our elementary schools every election day. And of course the superintendent also requires everyone to keep their doors propped open at all times.Very safe. WTF? Our teachers are given the option to leave their doors locked all day or not. More choose to and on the day after this most recent shooting? Every classroom door was locked. That was our policy until this superintendent. In fact, we could be written up for not having our doors locked while there were children in the room. Now it's the opposite. This superintendent believes teachers won't do their jobs if they can't be micromanaged from the hallways at all times. He trains admin to step in and "coach" (reprimand, in front of students) teachers who aren't doing exactly the right thing at the right time. He's a disgusting person. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 16:41:27 GMT
I'm in South Texas, and our district finally started making election day a holiday a few years ago. So many of our schools are used as polling places. It just wasn't safe--particularly at the elementary schools with elderly people who didn't know the traffic patterns and decided they HAD to go vote as school was getting out. EVERY YEAR I saw a kid almost get hit in our parking lot. EVERY. YEAR. My large urban district in TX just made election day a holiday a couple of years ago, and then our new state-appointed superintendent came in and said we couldn't possibly lose that day of instruction. So we're back to having hundreds of unvetted, unknown people traipsing into our elementary schools every election day. And of course the superintendent also requires everyone to keep their doors propped open at all times. Very safe. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 14:50:21 GMT
To paraphrase Joey Tribbiani: "What's not to like? Chips, good. Peas, good. Gravy, GOOD!" So I take it you also wouldn't be a fan of the South Australian classic Pie Floater? A meat pie floating on top of mushy peas or pea soup, with tomato sauce on top.  I honestly don’t know. I like peas. I’m just struggling with these combinations. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 14:44:24 GMT
People who get into technicalities about how the AR-15 isn’t this or that seem to want to ignore the fact that there are obviously reasons mass shooters - mostly white men - choose them as their weapon.
We can argue technical specifications all day but the fact is that these guns are chosen because they kill more quickly and easily in the hands of an untrained shooter (and possibly a trained one) than other things the gunman might choose. The police in Uvalde were unwilling to confront a gunman using an AR-15 despite having armor, shields, and greater numbers.
They’re not necessary for hunting, target shooting, or keeping coyotes from eating your chickens. There are other weapons suitable for those things. They’re sold because some people think they’re “fun” and others see them as the weapon of choice for killing humans. They’re still available only because the gun manufacturers rely on them for profits and lobby extensively to keep that cash stream coming. We’ve sold out our children’s lives for their profits.
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 3:18:45 GMT
pantsonfire I want to ask you specifically this. (,but anyone can answer) I'm in a terrible way right now and I have an appointment at urgent care in an hour that I made hours ago. We were at the lake last weekend. I know I ate meat, dairy and egg containing products like I said in OP. By Tuesday I felt a bit itchy. I thought it was just mosquito bites because, the lake, right? Well as the week went on, they got worse and worse. All over my body. Bigger and bigger. Itchy to the point where cortisone wasn't touching it. Today I have huge bumps all over. Not those tiny mosquito bite like bumps but actual lumps. So I made the appointment. As the day has gone on now, some of the bumps are starting to look like the dyshidrotic eczema I used to get on my hands. I haven't had a flare of this type of eczema in years. I have another type of eczema that I get in certain places that hasn't flared in over a year. And I have a spot of psoriasis on my elbow that has improved since I started this diet but I didn't connect the two things. I have never in my life had an eczema reaction like what I'm experiencing right now. Like I said, at first I thought a mosquito made a meal of me. But that one spot has now changed and looks like eczema. Anyway, I'm wondering now if this is what is going on and if the veer from the plant based diet last weekend has caused this. I'll know I hope in an hour. But anyone with any experience like this? Sounds like hives. A combo of Zyrtec and an H-1 inhibitor like diphenhydramine is your best bet. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 3:15:49 GMT
That is worse than blood sausage and beans on toast. Now gravy in fries? Yes! But peas?? And mushy ones at that...🤢 DH’s employees in Colombia tried to serve us blood sausage. I had to say no. |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 3:14:52 GMT
IDK y’all. I expect to wake up CST to some answers.
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 2:46:34 GMT
I realize it’s the middle of the night there right now, but when y’all wake up, I need some explanations.  |
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Post by Merge on Sept 7, 2024 0:57:08 GMT
Here’s a teacher’s perspective.  |
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Post by Merge on Sept 6, 2024 20:53:49 GMT
Dresses with sneakers or Birks - yes, please.
I'm a big fan of "elevated" athleisure.
I actually love wide-legged pants and jeans. I find I can get away with them as long as they're an inch or two above my ankle and I wear sandals, and as long as my top is more fitted. If they're full length and meet the top of my shoes/socks I look like a tree stump.
Maximalism in decor - that's my jam whether it's trendy or not.
Recognition of neurodivergence manifesting in different ways than we've always thought and being a superpower (with education and support) rather than a weakness.
Most of all, I love the trend of people getting to be who they are. We don't all have to fit in a certain box or look/act a certain way to please other people.
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