May the rant be with you (May 2012 rant thread)

[jayjay]

Originally Posted by Cat Whisperer

"I live in the county" is actually a thing in the US? Huh.

It depends on where you live, of course. I can only really speak for this region (SE Pennsylvania) but I recognized the phrase and understood it instantly because we actually do say that here. (Well, I don't...we actually live in the city.)

[living_in_hell]

Are you fucking kidding me? Get a life you dumb whore. And take your ugly dog and its ugly painted toenails with you. And take your buddy and her stupid laugh and nasty greasy hair, too. And what the hell take the other ones while you're at it. No one will miss them...I promise.

[DiosaBellissima]

Originally Posted by kaylasdad99

I'm guessing you don't do "counties" up in the Great White North. What do you do to divide your provinces into smaller political subdivisions, shires?

I live in California, but I'm officially calling anything outside of city limits "shires" from now on. Sort of like how I call the tiny room off of my living room The Conservatory (caps and all). . . oh, and my living room is The Great Hall. I like to be fancy.

[flatlined]

Originally Posted by curlcoat

Jaw. Floor. Did I miss this earlier? She lets her kids kick kittens? What kind of mother lets her kids abuse baby animals?

I don't know what she allows in her house, but I've seen the kids try to kick the teenaged cats when they try to drink out of the bird bath. I'm taking one to the vet tomorrow. He's intact, and there is something wrong with his mouth. I think he got kicked in the face, Spike looked looked like that before I had his jaw rebroke and wired.

Probably a regional thing - not everyone lives in the desert.

Butbutbut...

Honestly, I understand that us desert dwellers are worried about water. It just surprises me that people don't keep water on hand in case something happens.

living_in_hell we really do need more details You are a terrible tease.

We don't live in the country out here. We live in the sticks.

Now for my rant...Bill's cat tried to kill me last night. I don't turn the lights on when I wake up to pee in the night. I don't even bother to open my eyes, I just shamble into the bathroom and do my business. After I had flushed, I turned the water on and suddenly got hit in the boobs by a screaming wet cat.

Scared me to death, and I tripped and hit the wall so hard that I saw stars, then ended up with bare butt on the cold floor.

I didn't die from a heart attack, I survived the head injury and didn't freeze to death by AC. I staggered back to bed, went back to sleep and woke up an hour later because I couldn't breathe because said killer cat was sleeping on my face.

[living_in_hell]

Until I master the ability to differentiate between elaboration and hijacking I ain't saying shit!

ETA: who is Bill and who is this cat? (unless telling me will run the risk of hijacking...don't tell me anything!)

[saje]

Originally Posted by jlzania

Oh shit , saje. I feel your pain. I had to have our two oldest dogs euthanised in March. It sucks. To tell you the truth, my biggest regret was that I delayed for so long. I really had a hard time letting go.

And now my rant. After a really good winter, we've again run into a mystery illness with our chickens. The poultry experts have a name for it-RSS (runting/stunting/syndrome)- but no one has a clue as to what causes it or how to treat it. I've been checking around and it is prevalent both locally and across the nation right now.
We first experienced it at exactly the same time last year. Thankfully, it disappears as quickly as it arrives. However, not going to the farmers market for several weeks will drain us financially. I've been saving up to do a number of projects and now everything is on hold again.
Sucks to be me right now.

Thanks JLZ, he's pretty happy right now, but it's tearing my heart out to see him stagger so.

The RSS thing really sucks. What awful timing - though I guess there's really never a good time for such things. What happens to the birds? Is there anything on them worth eating, or can you sell them as zoo food or something? I hope you can salvage a bit out of it :/

[saje]

Originally Posted by SpazCat

I know about Soddy Daisy. One of my favorite town names, it is.

Hee! When we were looking around down here prior to moving, I saw this weird town name and laughed. Then realized that with my luck, I'd end up with it as my address. Sigh. That was 10 (!) years ago. I'm surprised actually at how many strangers across the country recognize it, it ain't a big place

[SpazCat]

Originally Posted by saje

Hee! When we were looking around down here prior to moving, I saw this weird town name and laughed. Then realized that with my luck, I'd end up with it as my address. Sigh. That was 10 (!) years ago. I'm surprised actually at how many strangers across the country recognize it, it ain't a big place

One of the goals in my life was to find Lizard Lick, NC. I found it by accident one day when I pulled off Highway 264 to get some gas on my way from Raleigh to Greenville. Now there's a redneck show filmed there.

[Ferret Herder]

Originally Posted by jayjay

It depends on where you live, of course. I can only really speak for this region (SE Pennsylvania) but I recognized the phrase and understood it instantly because we actually do say that here. (Well, I don't...we actually live in the city.)

I can't think of how I'd say the same phrase, here in the Chicago suburbs. Probably the wordy version that we do use, referring to "living in an unincorporated area/in unincorporated (next door town name)" - those areas technically "belong" to certain towns but only with regards to a few matters (like school districts, water, etc), and stuff like that post is more likely to happen there.

When I grew up in Wisconsin, those areas were called "townships," I think, and though I lived in "the Town of (name)" we used the neighboring city as the mailing address. If I had to explain it back then I'd probably say I lived in the Town of (name) or "outside the city limits."

[The Vorlon]

Originally Posted by flatlined

suddenly got hit in the boobs by a screaming wet cat.

flatlined, we need to talk about that new keyboard you owe me...

[Flutterby]

I woke up this morning thinking that it would be wonderful to check over my bike and pump up the tires and ride it to my library session today (I signed up for some interesting informational sessions through the library). Well I get up to go do exactly that and discovered it SNOWING out.

Damnit it was supposed to be nice enough I could do stuff like that. Maybe even get the rest of the leaves off my lawn. I know this isn't exactly uncommon where I live but I really wanted to get stuff done this weekend!

Hopefully it's nice enough on Sunday, like the weather guy was claiming it would be, that we can still go on our picnic in a park by the weir.

[Cheez_Whia]

Originally Posted by Cat Whisperer

Assuming you mean country, which is it? Are you out in the country or not?

I live in the county, not under a city jurisdiction. I DO NOT live out in the country, I live in an established built up neighborhood.

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by flatlined

<snip>
I didn't die from a heart attack, I survived the head injury and didn't freeze to death by AC. I staggered back to bed, went back to sleep and woke up an hour later because I couldn't breathe because said killer cat was sleeping on my face.

We had a killer cat at our last house - our mostly black cat used to like to sleep on the top of the unlit basement stairs. I almost stepped on her at least once.

Originally Posted by Cheez_Whia

I live in the county, not under a city jurisdiction. I DO NOT live out in the country, I live in an established built up neighborhood.

I have been schooled - you guys call things weird names down there.

[Flutterby]

And now I'm more cranky because I stopped for a bagel and coffee at the drive through before my session. Well I get to the library and drop my coffee cup (MY cup, my el cheapo Florida coffee mug with Mickey etc on it that I got on vacation there, which is my FAVOURITE cup) spilling coffee and cracking it so it immediately sopped up the coffee into the space between the inside and out. So now I'll have to enjoy coffee in it one last time before I toss it because it will get yucky as the coffee stuck there gets old. So I'll have to find a new favourite cup, and it's not like I don't have lots of travel mugs but many are old an the seals are meh so I keep them around for home but not for actual wandering.

AND to make matters worse the bagel I got is not the bagel I ordered. Normally I would just shrug and eat it but an everything bagel with herb and garlic cream cheese tastes VERY different from a cinnamon raisin bagel with herb and garlic cream cheese. But since I'm settled at the session I don't have time to go back to Tim's to get it fixed and come back.

[Flutterby]

And to top it off, the presenter is stuck as she lives out of town and the session is now cancelled. Darnit!

[flatlined]

Originally Posted by living_in_hell

Until I master the ability to differentiate between elaboration and hijacking I ain't saying shit!

ETA: who is Bill and who is this cat? (unless telling me will run the risk of hijacking...don't tell me anything!)

I don't think that this thread can be hijacked. The only real theme is ranting.

Bill is my fiance. (it still feels strange to call him that.) Bill lives in Texas. Bill's cat is with me because Bill is in Nebraska for a month on work related stuff and I'm in Arizona, so can't just drop over to care for said cat. I'll bet I could make that even more confusing if I thought about it.

Today, I took the teenager cat and my hyper-thyroid cat to the vet. Actually, I dropped the teenager off at 8 because he was getting fixed, and then took hyper-t cat for bloodwork when I picked up the teenager. When we got there, they were dealing with an emergancy c-section and things were backed up.

My e-reader is always with me, so I settled down to read. I was the only one who had my own reading material. This is another thing that always makes me go ??? Books are more important than water, but people don't seem to have them either.

Oops, I'm hijacking my own post. So anyhow, this vet has seperate waiting rooms for cats and dogs, along with seperate doors. What do people with dogs do? They go in the dog door and then sit in the benches in front of the check in desk so those of us with cats have to squeeze past them to get to our waiting area.

I didn't need to see the vet, so the tech came out and got my cat, took him back and did the blood draw, brought him back and gave me the teenager kitty.

When I went to the desk to pay, one of the people who had been waiting to see the vet started shouting at the poor lady taking my money because he'd been waiting HOURS and they took me first. He wouldn't listen to her explaining that I didn't need to see a vet like he did and that she was sorry that he had been waiting and offering to make him another appointment. I pulled out my cell phone and started videoing him. This got him yelling at me, but I didn't care. It took the heat off the desk lady and I was leaving.

Saje, I know how you are feeling. Everyone says that our pets will tell us when its time to let them go, but they don't. You have my sympathy.

Flutterby, that just bites!

[SpazCat]

Originally Posted by Cheez_Whia

I live in the county, not under a city jurisdiction. I DO NOT live out in the country, I live in an established built up neighborhood.

You live in a walled fortress out in the county. That's where people who are uncomfortable with the types of people who live out there live.

[alice_in_wonderland]

Originally Posted by Flutterby

I woke up this morning thinking that it would be wonderful to check over my bike and pump up the tires and ride it to my library session today (I signed up for some interesting informational sessions through the library). Well I get up to go do exactly that and discovered it SNOWING out.

Ugh, I know. We went out to my mom's place so Junior could try out his new sandbox - woke up this AM and it was covered in snow. WTF kind of place is this we live, anyway?!?!

Anyway, it seems to be mostly gone now. Perhaps tomorrow Junior can do the sand box thing.

[Flutterby]

It does bite! Most of it is minorly annoying, and not huge in the scheme of things but damnit that was my FAVOURITE mug! My other travel mugs don't have good seals which is why they were delegated to the house and the only ones that are good don't fit in my cup holders (which is why they are still good, they never get used).

And now I have to deal with a gnat infestation in my tomatoes. From what I'm reading my options mostly follow to buy new sterile soil and repot the tomatoes. They don't appear to have gotten into the rosemary, jalapeno or sunflower at least.

We are going to have our picnic tomorrow and enjoy it damnit! Good hot dogs, some sides, and a bit of wandering in a new (to us) park. Maybe I should bring some old towels, I bet the tables will be wet.. *starts list making*

[Flutterby]

Originally Posted by alice_in_wonderland

Ugh, I know. We went out to my mom's place so Junior could try out his new sandbox - woke up this AM and it was covered in snow. WTF kind of place is this we live, anyway?!?!

Anyway, it seems to be mostly gone now. Perhaps tomorrow Junior can do the sand box thing.

I dunno, but I hope it will be nice because I want to have a picnic. I bet Junior will love the sandbox.

[Chimera]

Can we combine Broomstick's thread with the Workplace Griping thread? It only requires a one letter change in the latter...

[Cheez_Whia]

Originally Posted by SpazCat

You live in a walled fortress out in the county. That's where people who are uncomfortable with the types of people who live out there live.

Um, no. If I lived in a walled fortress out in the COUNTRY, which would probably be in the COUNTY also, I wouldn't have to put up with this type of shenanigans, since I would be much farther away from it than living in a suburban neighborhood is. And I would have a wall blocking the view, too. These yahoos need to move to Mars so they don't bother their neighbors.

Here is a picture of their second bonfire of the year last November, taken from our back patio. The first one was on the Fourth of July, and it got out of control, lighting off their pile of illegal fireworks, some of which launched into neighboring yards and onto adjacent roofs. We called the fire department for this one, and they were yelling at the firemen "It's not a BIG fire!".

[Ferret Herder]

If any of you hear about a woman assaulting a man on a flight to O'Hare, it was totally justified. Dude reeks of so much cologne that it was overpowering just walking maybe 10' behind him to the gate. If I'm sitting close enough to him to smell that stink, I'm seriously going to snap.

Hey asshole, fuck you. And to the woman traveling with him - your nose is probably desensitized to it by now, what with the trip to the airport with him, going through security, etc, but fuck you too for letting him inflict that shit on everyone else.

[Lucky 13]

Originally Posted by kaylasdad99

VERY mini (in fact, it quite probably crosses the line into sneak-brag territory):

Dear radio show hosts: Thank you ever so much for running the contest in which, by winning, I and my family were permitted to stay the night in the completely non-purchasable Dream Suite in Disneyland Park. Thank you also for your invitation to call into your show and describe the experience for the rest of your listeners.

A decidedly firm UN-"thank you" for not letting me get a word in edgewise, while YOU (I'm looking at you, Mark Thompson) described the history of the suite, the decor, and the amenities. I guess since you've been there yourself, and you get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to gab about nothing consequential for four hours a day, you're more qualified than I am to actually describe the experience my family and I had.




To all my Doper pals: It was fabulous, magical, and brilliant in every way! SQUEEEEE!!!

That was you? I heard you on the radio. True, he hardly let you say anything. But I'm still jealous. It still sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to me. Glad you and your family enjoyed it.

[digs]

Originally Posted by Chimera

Can we combine Broomstick's thread with the Workplace Griping thread? It only requires a one letter change in the latter...

Ha. Took a little thought -- your brain has obviously had fewer margaritas than mine has tonight.

[jasg]

Dear ex-son-in-law,

Calling my daughter to ask for advice on how to reduce the $403/month child support for your daughter is not cool. Even though your un-employment has run out after 99 months.

GET a job!

[Cat Whisperer]

Well, that was a hell of a disappointing end to a great season - Calgary Roughnecks lacrosse team loses 11-19. At one point, our goalie scored on himself when he dropped the pass he was about to make. Our boys played like they had never played lacrosse before - they just couldn't seem to get in the groove at all.

[anya marie]

How is it that there are three people living here and only one person loads and unloads the dishwasher? If I had to wash all the dishes by hand I'd probably have to hurt somebody.

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Flutterby

And now I have to deal with a gnat infestation in my tomatoes. From what I'm reading my options mostly follow to buy new sterile soil and repot the tomatoes. They don't appear to have gotten into the rosemary, jalapeno or sunflower at least.

Fungus gnats? If it'd be too much hassle (or too disruptive to the plants if they're already big) to repot everything, you can try a few other things:

1) Sticky yellow strips to catch the flying adults.

2) Slices of raw potato on top of the soil to attract the larvae. Pick up the slices once a day and replace them with new ones until no more larvae appear on the undersides.

3) Insecticidal soap or BT drench for the soil.

4) Be careful not to overwater.

[eclectic wench]

QUIT TEACHING MY KID BABY TALK.

Widget is headed for three. She's way ahead on language, always has been. And we have never, ever spoken baby talk to her. I loathe and despise all that 'Did oo see a ickle doggie-woggie? Oo did! Ess oo did!!!' bullshit. What's the point? How on earth is 'doggie-woggie' easier than 'dog', or 'brmm-brmm' easier than 'car', for a kid who's just learning to talk? Or is it nothing to do with the kid's needs, you're just teaching the kid to talk that way because awww it'th jutht adowable ithn't oo pweciouth? Because actually it's not cute at all, it makes me want to stick my fingers down my throat. And that's just the kid. Whoever's teaching the kid that shit makes me want to give them a swift kick in the shins.

So. Up until a few months ago, Widget didn't know a single word of adowable baby talk. The nearest she got was 'bunny'. Then she started daycare. And now she says 'doggie' and 'dolly' and 'bickie'. I know she's getting some of those from the other kids, but at least 'dolly' is from the teachers or whatever they're called.

It's a DOLL, dammit. And isn't daycare supposed to be improving her language skills, not covering them in sticky corrosive strawberry-puke-pink gloop until she becomes unintelligible? Is there a good reason why I'm having to painstakingly re-teach my kid words that she's known for two years?

I would say something except she only has a few weeks left there, plus I really like the teachers apart from that, so I'm getting the rant out of my system here instead.

[Chimera]

Thanks 14 year old nephew.

I used to take you to several movies a year. Most of the time we'd go for food too. When I was poor and had Mondays off, my mother (your grandmother) would pay for both.

I asked you Wednesday if you wanted to go see Avengers this weekend. You said yes. I asked you to let me know your schedule (I know you have Hockey and such) and you didn't.

I called and left a message yesterday morning. No response. I sent you an email, which I know goes to your iphone. No response.

I'm going without you. May not ask you again when Batman, Spiderman, Abraham Lincoln come around, as it is apparently too much of a bother for you.

Thanks so much.

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by Chimera

Thanks 14 year old nephew.

I used to take you to several movies a year. Most of the time we'd go for food too. When I was poor and had Mondays off, my mother (your grandmother) would pay for both.

I asked you Wednesday if you wanted to go see Avengers this weekend. You said yes. I asked you to let me know your schedule (I know you have Hockey and such) and you didn't.

I called and left a message yesterday morning. No response. I sent you an email, which I know goes to your iphone. No response.

I'm going without you. May not ask you again when Batman, Spiderman, Abraham Lincoln come around, as it is apparently too much of a bother for you.

Thanks so much.

You have gone out of your way Chimera. You can do no more- maybe one day he will appreciate it.

[eclectic wench]

He's being 14 and self-absorbed, Chimera. And if you tell him that you went without him, you'll be doing the most useful thing anyone can: showing him that being self-absorbed has actual consequences. It probably won't sink in, but you never know.

While I'm on my rant, I would like to repeat something I heard one of the other mothers say to her kid when we were all picking them up the other day. Bear in mind that this kid is also headed for three. She said, and I quote, 'Where's your wa-wa boppy?'

I had no fucking clue what she was on about till she said, 'Oh! Here it is!' and held up a water bottle.

WTF?!

[Flutterby]

Originally Posted by Jeneva

Fungus gnats? If it'd be too much hassle (or too disruptive to the plants if they're already big) to repot everything, you can try a few other things:

1) Sticky yellow strips to catch the flying adults.

2) Slices of raw potato on top of the soil to attract the larvae. Pick up the slices once a day and replace them with new ones until no more larvae appear on the undersides.

3) Insecticidal soap or BT drench for the soil.

4) Be careful not to overwater.

I think it's what they are. Velociraptor noticed them in the soil with the tomatoes, and I did find that info on the Internet so thank you! There are currently potatoes on the top and some sticky traps out. I also read something about diluted hydrogen peroxide?

[digs]

Originally Posted by Flutterby

I think it's what they are. Velociraptor noticed them in the soil with the tomatoes, and I did find that info on the Internet so thank you! There are currently potatoes on the top and some sticky traps out. I also read something about diluted hydrogen peroxide?

Oh, for a second I thought you had velociraptors in your tomatoes! And my first thought was "that's not a mini-rant, that's worth its own thread."

[Flutterby]

Originally Posted by digs

Oh, for a second I thought you had velociraptors in your tomatoes! And my first thought was "that's not a mini-rant, that's worth its own thread."

LOL!

I only have a Velociraptor in my plants when he wants to go digging. It's been DS's nickname since a toddler.. You know.. Intelligent, learning, and you have to keep them contained or else it all goes to hell. At least mine won't eat the patrons!

[Chimera]

Went to the 11:30 show (3D). Shut off my phone. Get out, I had an 11:40 call from the neph saying he wanted to go. HA HA! Had to stop by their house to pick up my umbrella that I had left in my Dad's Jeep. Nobody answers the doorbell (besides the dog barking its head off). I go in through the garage. Nephew gets up from the couch where he's been sleeping. I said I just saw the movie, he says he called me, why didn't I come get him?

Yup, you called me 10 minutes after the movie started. I called you yesterday morning and emailed you last night. Should have called a bit earlier...

[Chimera]

Ah yes, downstairs neighbors at it again. I bought a peppermint plant, a blueberry bush and a larger pot yesterday. Came back, laid down some plastic, repotted a root-bound rubber plant from the pot it's been in for something like 16-18 years into the larger one, put the new blueberry bush into that pot, and the peppermint into a smaller pot.

Neighbors complained that a small amount of dirt fell onto their deck. They weren't even out there and it didn't fall onto anything.

Ass munching goat fuckers. These are the people who complained bitterly some time back that I spilled water onto their deck. I had torn tendons in my right arm, spasmed and dropped my watering pot and less than 6 ounces splashed onto their deck. Again, hitting nothing and no one was out there. That one backfired on them, as I pointed out that they probably complained because they were persistenly hanging laundry from their deck in violation of their lease (that stopped rather quickly!)

Gotta wait to see if the regular office staff decides to "talk to" me about this one. If so, I'll ask if these are the same neighbors who think it's just fine to have their small child screaming and crashing around at 11-11:30 most nights, so hard that the glasses in my cupboard (which are not placed anywhere near touching each other) are clinking together and stuff occasionally falls off my shelves.

Maybe I should talk to the people below them (I'm 3rd floor, they're 2nd) and see if that kid is dropping or spilling anything onto their deck!

But most likely I'll just suggest that they go fuck themselves.

[SnakesCatLady]

This rant is directed at ... me.

When will you learn to check the weather when you have the top off of the Wrangler? Yes, it was a beautiful cloudless evening when you drove home from dinner last night. That does not mean it will not rain. So it's your own fault your vehicle is soaking wet.

[DianaG]

I've lost a bracelet that has tremendous sentimental value to me. I have no idea how it happened. I have a few pieces that I wear every day, this bracelet among them. Every night I take my jewelry off and put it in the same spot, in a shallow dip in the center of a makeup kit on my dresser. On Friday morning, everything was there except the bracelet.

I'm baffled and pissed. I've torn my house apart looking for it. I've moved every piece of furniture. I've emptied out every drawer and all the closets. No bracelet. On the bright side, my house is immaculate and reorganized. But NO BRACELET and no idea where it could possibly be.

[flatlined]

I didn't listen to The Vorlon when he warned me that my new knife would be SHARP. I've got a nice cut on my thumb now.

My old sick cat is old and sick. My vet left a message on my phone last night, the bloodwork is indicating heart problems as well as his kidney failure and hyper thyroid problems. Fred was an adult when I got him. When we lived in my car, I fed him crap. There were times that he ate bread for dinner because that was all I had. I always fed him first, but we were poor.

Now that he's given me 18 years of love, I feel so bad that I didn't manage to find a way to feed him better back then. I know that he would have more years left in him if I had only been able to feed him better.

Bill wants me to fly Fred to Houston to visit his vet. I can't see any reason to do that, my old sick cat is old and sick and doesn't need to be stressed.

So, yeah, I got all snarky with Bill over this. I know that Bill wants to do whatever he can to make me happy, but my old sick cat is old and sick. Money can't buy youth and health.

I know that this is minor. There are so many people posting here that have bigger problems, but I'm still upset. I know that Fred is just a cat. But Fred was the only reason I didn't kill myself when things were really bad.

I'll be sure that Fred is comfortable. I'll give him his meds and fluids and yummy gooshy food, but when he stops purring, I'll have the vet come out and put him down. Then I'll take his body out in the desert and leave it. I can't bear to put him in a dark hole or in a fire. The coyotes and carrion birds will set him free.

Tears.

[Kimstu]

Originally Posted by eclectic wench

QUIT TEACHING MY KID BABY TALK.

Widget is headed for three. She's way ahead on language, always has been. And we have never, ever spoken baby talk to her. I loathe and despise all that 'Did oo see a ickle doggie-woggie? Oo did! Ess oo did!!!' bullshit. What's the point? How on earth is 'doggie-woggie' easier than 'dog', or 'brmm-brmm' easier than 'car', for a kid who's just learning to talk?

Actually, linguists have found that adults using baby talk DOES help children acquire language:

Studies show that the 'baby talk' that adults naturally use with infants and toddlers tends to always be just a bit ahead of the level of the child's own language development, as though pulling the child along. This 'baby talk' has simpler vocabulary and sentence structure than adult language, exaggerated intonation and sounds, and lots of repetition and questions. All of these features help the child to sort out the meanings, sounds, and sentence patterns of his or her language.

Sounds like your Widget is unusually quick in language acquisition and is doing fine without the help of baby talk, but you needn't worry that hearing baby talk from other kids and teachers will impair her acquisition of standard vocabulary.

As noted in the above link, young children tend to temporarily mix up different linguistic forms when they're adjusting to the complexities of vocabulary, but the temporary confusion doesn't hurt them. In fact, if you managed to keep Widget totally linguistically segregated from baby talk or any other form of speech other than Standard American English, it might not be good for her in the long run. "Code switching" or adapting to dialect variants, like many other linguistic skills, generally works better the younger a child starts to learn it.

It's unfortunate for you that the particular "dialect" your daughter is being exposed to is one you personally happen to hate, but perhaps you will manage to hate it a little less now that you know that it actually does serve a useful purpose in early childhood language acquisition. Honestly, even people who find baby talk cute wouldn't have just gratuitously invented it for no good reason.

[flatlined]

Originally Posted by DianaG

I've lost a bracelet that has tremendous sentimental value to me. I have no idea how it happened. I have a few pieces that I wear every day, this bracelet among them. Every night I take my jewelry off and put it in the same spot, in a shallow dip in the center of a makeup kit on my dresser. On Friday morning, everything was there except the bracelet.

I'm sorry for the bracelet. Did you look under the stove? (I have cats, and once they managed to get one of my earrings out of the jewellry box and under the stove) Did you check your pockets? Is it possible that your bracelet slipped off your wrist while you were in the car, or walking back inside and you didn't notice?

[SnakesCatLady]

{{{flatlined}}}

Losing an old friend is not minor, be the friend furry or otherwise.

[ENugent]

Originally Posted by DianaG

I've lost a bracelet that has tremendous sentimental value to me. I have no idea how it happened. I have a few pieces that I wear every day, this bracelet among them. Every night I take my jewelry off and put it in the same spot, in a shallow dip in the center of a makeup kit on my dresser. On Friday morning, everything was there except the bracelet.

Did you wear gloves on Thursday, by any chance? If so, have you checked them, and the area around wherever you took them off?

Good luck finding it.

[DianaG]

Thanks guys, I've checked the clothes I wore Thursday, including coat pockets. I don't have a car, so if it fell off somewhere it's gone. For what it's worth, it's Tiffany and has a seriously non-quitting clasp, so I don't think it fell off anywhere. I think it's somewhere in the house, and I'll find it eventually, but in the meantime I'm massively frustrated.

flatlned, what SnakesCatLady said. There's no such thing as "just a cat." He's had a long life, cats are amazingly resilient and you've taken good care of him so don't you blame yourself about bread back in the day. I'm sorry about your boy.

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by DianaG

<snip>

flatlned, what SnakesCatLady said. There's no such thing as "just a cat." He's had a long life, cats are amazingly resilient and you've taken good care of him so don't you blame yourself about bread back in the day. I'm sorry about your boy.

I was going to say something similar; 18 years is a good run for a cat, and I don't think his eating bread for a little while caused him any permanent damage. I don't think my cats have ever eaten anything but the highest quality cat food, and one has arthritis and the other is hyperthyroid; it just happens.

[Nava]

Originally Posted by eclectic wench

Because actually it's not cute at all, it makes me want to stick my fingers down my throat.

I think sticking one of those wooden tongue-depressers way down the throat of whomever is teaching that shite to the kid makes a lot more sense.

[Dunkelheit]

Originally Posted by Flutterby

I think it's what they are. Velociraptor noticed them in the soil with the tomatoes, and I did find that info on the Internet so thank you! There are currently potatoes on the top and some sticky traps out. I also read something about diluted hydrogen peroxide?

I haven't heard about peroxide, I'll have to try that next time I have the gnats. My biggest problem right now is actual white mold growing on top of the soil. It doesn't seem to matter how much I let them dry out between waterings, it's still there. I wonder if peroxide would deal with that?

[kayT]

Jeneva, there's a product called Physan 20 which is aimed mainly at greenhouses I think. It kills algaes and molds and it is pretty harmless to plants with a few exceptions (begonias I think). ( Fish don't like it though.) It does a wonderful job on soil that gets moldy. It can be hard to find sometimes but can be found on line: here. I use it for algae on the sidewalk, mildew on plants, many things. Works great in fountains too.