The Daily Peeve / Rant

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Originally Posted by CathyA

Steve.......about the handymen..........I think that's what a lot of men do, when they can't hold down a "real" job.......or don't have the skill. I had a handy-man type build a shed for me once. What a mess.

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The thing is that I've hired guys who do good work -- they're just lousy businessmen. I haven't written about it here before, but the company we hired to replace our windows is the same: calls/voicemails go unacknowledged or unanswered, the sales rep comes late for appointments, his emails look like garbage. It's an acceptable flaw in someone who is only doing "side jobs". But in someone trying to sell his (her?) proficiency to the public? Either learn how to do it passably well or find someone who can help you. If these guys opened a retail store, it probably would not have a sign outside, the place would be dusty, and the receipts would be printed on torn scraps of cardboard.

Interestingly, the two biggest installation mistakes anyone made in our house came from "captive" techs -- people who worked at (and were paid by) the company that sold us the goods. At least in those cases, the guys were smart enough to align themselves with a company which could handle the marketing and the phones and appointments for them. Too bad they still did questionable work.

THe dreaded Christmas Letter.......:doh:

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Originally Posted by Williamsmith

THe dreaded Christmas Letter.......:doh:

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:~)

I get one from my first grade teacher, who befriended my mom 46 years ago. I don't even KNOW these super-genius powerhouse millionaire pulitzer prize winners, let alone care.

People who talk with food in their mouths.

Yuck.

I keep switching tables at the Senior Center lunch. I'm almost out of new-to-me tables. I'll have to stop going soon.

My DD has what amounts to a phobia about other people eating.
Drives her nuts when people smack there lips and such.

I've been watching The Great British Baking Show, it's a contest. Mary Berry is one of the judges and it's bizarre, she's this lovely steely old lady, perfectly turned out, slender and starched to perfection in her Chanel suits and coiffed hair, the doyenne of baking. Then she takes a bite of something and starts critiquing it. "Unght thuth guh guh phhhtt"; you imagine gnashing teeth and a spray of biscuit crumbs and drool as you listen. Ick.

Love that show. Have not noticed any issue with Mary Berry. Now when one of the announcers stuck her elbow in one of the contestants product, I had an issue. e II loved getting some of the episodes online on Youtube I think.

Another Great British Institution. Don't you know we breed eccentrics here? :welcome:

ABC has bought the use of the set and Mary Berry is one of the judges for a similiar show with American bakers. They are not nearly as good as the British bakers. They do not have the depth of knowledge and their decorating is pretty poor. The show has the same three elements but is just not quite up to the quality of the original.

The BBC seem to make a killing franchising their shows around the globe. The UK's Strictly Come Dancing is now global, under slightly different names. The UK name wouldn't work anywhere else!

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Originally Posted by IshbelRobertson

Another Great British Institution. Don't you know we breed eccentrics here? :welcome:

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So that explains it! I can credit a 15% or so British heritage for my eccentricities.
They definitely come from that side of the family. (And I embrace every non-stodgy molecule!)

Posts I make from my new tablet seem to be disappearing into thin air... I wrote a long thing asking for advice on raised beds; where did it go?

We've had a spate of funerals to attend lately, so our stock of sympathy cards was depleted. I went to buy more as well as a birthday card for a special aunt of mine. OMG -- a simple card, with maybe a little glitter but no embossing or ribbon or a special size or shape, goes for $3! The birthday card was at least local and obviously hand-assembled. It was only $3.69 -- a bargain for what you got relative to the generic big-name card. We'll continue to buy cards because the prevalence of sentiments expressed via Facebook greetings and text messages makes getting a physical card in the mail something special. But the going rate is almost enough to get me looking at what it would cost to print our own...

I have to admit, I'm getting to be a fan of the Christmas picture / card. I don't really do facebook, so it's nice to get the occasional update via photo from folks I haven't seen in years. I just fiddled with Vistaprint.com and they're about $1 apiece with envelope- and 50% off. So both a lot cheaper and more personalized than the $3-$6 store cards. I think you could also design your own card, say a birthday or sympathy card, and have them print it for the same price, just have to put your art in .jpg form, I'm considering creating some birthday cards next year.

Steve - have you tried the "just wink" site? There's an iPhone app for it works great also. It's about $3. But that includes adding a photo of your own to the card and postage. You can email the card for free which I do for my tech savvy people who value that even more than a physical card because it reduces physical clutter. But for my traditional people I spend the $3 and they like it so much cause it's different than a regular card from hallmark.

Steve, DH sends multiple cards to his family each year, it's their thing. But we look for the 99 cent cards.

of course, if one has small children in the house you can ask them to make one for you, but we don't.

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Originally Posted by Tammy

have you tried the "just wink" site?

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I'll have to check that out; thanks! I've created photocards as donations for charitable events and I'm guessing that will be a staple product if I ever go 'fine art'. But I never really thought of doing my own cards. They wouldn't have to be photo cards, either (though for a photographer it makes sense). Even with a service, it's got to be cheaper than buying cards at $3+ apiece -- and not a lot more time invested once you stop at the "good" card store and search through and pay for several cards.

We did use Vistaprint a few years ago for a calendar DW did (or somesuch). They did a nice job. But (at least for us) their presence in our lives became like gum on the bottom of a shoe -- near-daily emails and special offers and mailings... We finally told them we were never going to invite that firehose into our lives again.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

of course, if one has small children in the house you can ask them to make one for you, but we don't.

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We're working on that one. I figure we've got a couple of years until our grandchild has even rudimentary motor skills for card-decorating, though. :laff:

I hate to have a rant so early in the new year but it has been a rocky transition for me...working at a certain grocery store is kicking my proverbial a**, especially today. I am so disgusted and irritated with the people who write the schedule, and the people who call off and don't show up for work. This is the day before everyone goes back to work and school and they WANT their lunch meat and cheese. You CANNOT run a deli counter with just two people under those conditions and expect those two people to be very happy about it. I was literally moving non-stop from 5:45 am until 2:35 pm, minus my breaks and a lunch. The grind of it all...I am really trying not to succumb to a bad attitude and depression.

Thanks, I just needed to rant to someone, and I don't want to rant to my mom. She never likes to hear anything negative and discounts most of my feelings. I don't need judgements or advice, I just needed to get it off my chest. Thank you. I am now going to lie down and waste most of my afternoon away trying to recuperate my knees, ankles and feet before I have to do it all over again tomorrow at 6am...

Snow. Tried to get out of house when it stopped and it started up again.
I realize I really, really hate snow.

we've had a total of four inches of snow this whole season, it feels so weird but it's pretty and we're saving on the plow guy

our dollar store the cards are 2 for $1 and they say the regular price on the back so you don't look chintzy. My family knows I hate the waste of cards and am really happier with a little note on paper. I can't stand generic sentiments and I've seen cards that aren't really special for over $5. What a waste. But I agree there are people for whom getting a card really matters to them, especially sympathy cards.

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Originally Posted by SteveinMN

We've had a spate of funerals to attend lately, so our stock of sympathy cards was depleted. I went to buy more as well as a birthday card for a special aunt of mine. OMG -- a simple card, with maybe a little glitter but no embossing or ribbon or a special size or shape, goes for $3! The birthday card was at least local and obviously hand-assembled. It was only $3.69 -- a bargain for what you got relative to the generic big-name card. We'll continue to buy cards because the prevalence of sentiments expressed via Facebook greetings and text messages makes getting a physical card in the mail something special. But the going rate is almost enough to get me looking at what it would cost to print our own...

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Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and many of the other dollar type stores have great selections and usually 2/$1 or 1/$1. I go in a few times a year just to shop cards and keep a stash.

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Originally Posted by SteveinMN

We did use Vistaprint a few years ago for a calendar DW did (or somesuch).

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I've used vistaprint to make cards using my photography of DH's glass, have run across some really good deals on occasion.

My rant is about the rocks under rocks I'm finding in one of my hobby groups. The President dropped out due to health with no warning. We had made a commitment to do a big thing in 2017. I stepped in to help and found:

He had not even started the thing

The thing requires hours of paperwork, gathering all kinds of documents we should have but do not, basic documents such as bylaws, income and expense reports, Sec of State filing

He hadn't completed the Sec of State filing for the year and I had to rush in, figure out what needed to be done, and do it by the deadline

The president and secretary, both suffering from some dementia, claim they have no records in hard copy belonging to the organization, nothing passed on from previous President

The previous President is dead

The Vice President gave me a copy of the IRS letter he's been using for years--and I looked it up to find that our IRS exemption expired in 2010

and now for the final straw:

The Treasurer says she can't find $4,000 of our assets. that's more than half of our money

None of these people are able to respond to email and they are all hard of hearing, as am I, so it is difficult to talk to them on the phone. I have driven to each of their homes, sat with them at their dining room tables going over issues and whatever records they DO have. Its is one freaking mess and a huge time suck for me.

This organization will be dead in two years when we've finished helping with the big thing. All of this is just SO UNNECESSARY, if only these oldsters in charge had done what they were supposed to do, all they had to do was keep up the basic administrative documents and statuses. Putting it back together takes tons of time and for an org that will be dead soon, it's a waste of my life energy.

I'm up tonight worrying about it. I've drawn my line in the sand, will get the work done to X point. If that's not good enough to propel it all forward, that's too bad, but I am out.

are there any other members who can help by taking over a small chunk and dealing with the particular oldster who was responsible for that? Losing all that money, wow. It sounds like the people running this outfit have collective dementia. i don't envy you but it's nice you are willing to stick it out with the big project.

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Originally Posted by freshstart

are there any other members who can help by taking over a small chunk and dealing with the particular oldster who was responsible for that? Losing all that money, wow. It sounds like the people running this outfit have collective dementia. i don't envy you but it's nice you are willing to stick it out with the big project.

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There is only one other person of sound mind and body who can do stuff. She's the one who made the commitment to the Big Thing in 2017 and I stepped in to help her. The oldsters do not deserve my help, but she does.

Fortunately, my husband who is nicer than I am, agreed to serve as Vice President (while I take over as President.) His sole task is to find the damned money and he will be gentle with the little lady who told everyone that she rolled over the CD of $4000 but now claims not to know anything about it.

your DH done good

I wish the person sitting next to me at work would stop humming all day long. It's a tuneless sort of humming, very low, but it is driving me bananas.
Usually we only work together two hours a day. However, right now it's eight hours a day and I feel like clubbing him. I can't wear earplugs or listen to music or anything. I can't go work at another desk.
There is nothing likable about this person at all, by the way. I can't say that about a lot of people, honestly. This person, I just find him repulsive.

I wish the man I worked with would not greet me with "Top of the morning, to you!" every day.....he's not even Irish.

Culturally appropriating bastard! :~)

This totally cracked me up!

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Originally Posted by Float On

I wish the man I worked with would not greet me with "Top of the morning, to you!" every day.....he's not even Irish.

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I hate it when students end letters to me with "Cheers" as though we're on this chummy journey together, shipboard.

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Originally Posted by iris lilies

There is only one other person of sound mind and body who can do stuff. She's the one who made the commitment to the Big Thing in 2017 and I stepped in to help her. The oldsters do not deserve my help, but she does.

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I came here to post my somewhat-related rant and read these posts. Ugh. My sympathies, IL. My question is, what's the worst that happens if (collective) you don't do The Big Thing? It kind of sounds like you're out of business in two years regardless.

My rant is about a Web site of community resources that someone outside of our organization sold well enough to receive (private) grant money to build -- but not enough money to maintain. They were hopelessly optimistic about community buy-in and interest ("They'll do it for free!" "We'll be greeted as liberators!"). Now, of course, the database is unusable. And now the organization that thought this was such a great idea (but not enough to fund it adequately) wants to ship this tire fire to our organization. I'm the only one in our organization with enough of IT background to see what's happening and I've been resisting mightily. My best course of action may be to remove myself from this particular project and continue working on things like bylaws, procedures, financial reports, etc. (we didn't have those either before this year, but at least dementia hasn't set in here and we know where we spent our money).

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Originally Posted by rodeosweetheart

I hate it when students end letters to me with "Cheers" as though we're on this chummy journey together, shipboard.

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Oh no! I use "cheers!" all the time. I find it, well, cheerful.

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Originally Posted by SteveinMN

I came here to post my somewhat-related rant and read these posts. Ugh. My sympathies, IL. My question is, what's the worst that happens if (collective) you don't do The Big Thing? It kind of sounds like you're out of business in two years regardless.

My rant is about a Web site of community resources that someone outside of our organization sold well enough to receive (private) grant money to build -- but not enough money to maintain. They were hopelessly optimistic about community buy-in and interest ("They'll do it for free!" "We'll be greeted as liberators!"). Now, of course, the database is unusable. And now the organization that thought this was such a great idea (but not enough to fund it adequately) wants to ship this tire fire to our organization. I'm the only one in our organization with enough of IT background to see what's happening and I've been resisting mightily. My best course of action may be to remove myself from this particular project and continue working on things like bylaws, procedures, financial reports, etc. (we didn't have those either before this year, but at least dementia hasn't set in here and we know where we spent our money).

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The Big Thing is a national conference, and we told th national organization that they could use our state tax exempt number in order to save about $2,000 in taxes. Then a few months later the competent person and I discovered that our organization's exempt status expired in 2007. No one had bothered to keep it up, and it's a boatload of paperwork that I'm completing to set it up again.

So this thing working on is only worth $2000 and if I don't do it right, I guess the national organization is out $2,000.

ah yes, things built with grant money and then abandoned. I see them all over our neighborhood. Do not get sucked into the IT abyss! :laff:

our organization is SO lucky to have a professional web designer maintain our website, it's the
ONLY positive thing about our organization. she is also the other competent person in the organization.

Why can't dish soap manufacturers put their products in bottles you can easily hold with wet hands? I usually have to wrap them in rubber bands, and sometimes that doesn't help. I'm looking at you, Dawn.

JaneV2.0....... You want both a great product and a well designed bottle? Plus all those waterfowl and ocean birds and mammals they have saved. I think thou dost protest a little too much. Dawn is in the dish detergent Hall of Fame, first ballot you know. Now if you want to pick on Ivory liquid ....well that's clearly an under achiever.

I suppose that's too much to ask for. I suppose I could wrap the bottle in a plastic scrubby...

You want a horrible bottle, try Method. More or less square, slippery and impossible to squeeze with a stingy little opening. Personally I buy the gigantic size of Dawn, and pour some in a small plastic bottle that used to hold agave syrup.

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Originally Posted by kib

You want a horrible bottle, try Method. More or less square, slippery and impossible to squeeze with a stingy little opening. Personally I buy the gigantic size of Dawn, and pour some in a small plastic bottle that used to hold agave syrup.

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This.
I put mine in a ball jar with pump and leave it setting on the edge of the sink. A few pumps and I'm set.

Okay, so the wife likes to watch HGTV but if I see another episode of Flip or Flop , Property Brothers or Fixer Upper for the fifth rerun........part of my head will explode. And when I tell her I've see this episode at least five times......I get nothing....no response.......is she even still alive? Did some alien network taken over her brain?