Random randomness

[hepcat]

My father seems oddly at peace with his advanced age. He was waxing poetic at his birthday party about how he wants to pass peacefully while sitting on his porch watching/gabbing with his neighbors (his favorite thing) like one of his brothers did a while back. He doesn't seem afraid or defiant about his remaining years in the least.

[em2nought]

Never wanted my mom to go to one of those smelly dens of death, of course I didn't want her to make me solely responsible for her to the point I could hardly get away becsuse she resisted having my sister or cousin look out for her for just a couple days instead of me. Don't think i can help my 84 year old cousin, she won't mend her hording ways and her house & yard are trip hazzards for even an agile person.

[Rumpy]

In this heartwarming story, a people-loving goat joins a marathon and was even given a medal.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/ma ... wfoundland

[hepcat]

That's a great goat. Unfortunately, the only goats I'VE ever encountered in my life were friggin' Satan spawns who enjoyed running into anyone near them headfirst with all the savagery of a rampaging Hun. I'm pretty sure one of them that I knew as a kid is STILL stalking me online, waiting for a chance to attack when I leave my place someday.

Goats are mean sons of bitches. Thankfully, they can be eaten.

[Default]

My dad was up for a funeral last week. He's 88, stone deaf, constantly believes items were stolen from him, when he had actually discarded them, is a horrifyingly bad driver, and insists on living by himself, a good ten hour drive away.

I am waiting for the phone call from the Virginia State Police, telling me about the fatal school bus crash.

[Jaymann]

When my dad got way up in years he would drive by flooring it instead of caution. Finally my sister had to take his car away. Afterwards he complained to me that "they" took his car away.

[hepcat]

My pop is a sweetheart of a guy who loves everyone and has no enemies (other than my mother, his ex wife….and I put more blame on her for that).

BUT he’s obsessed with frugality. Mind you, he’s got money. His house is long paid off, he invests and saves, has a union pension…he’s not poor by any definition. But over the last few days, here’s what I encountered staying with him:

1) I ran through the TP in the bathroom on Saturday and asked him where he kept the rolls. He leads me into the garage where he’s rigged up a mop handle to stand upright with a dozen rolls skewered on it. I ask him “what the hell?”. He tells me he got the rolls wet somehow and he’s been drying them off. I went and bought him a new pack.

2) I asked him how he liked the Keurig coffee maker I got him for Father’s Day. He tells me it’s good, even if the second time he uses a pod it’s a bit weak. I tell him they’re one use only, for Christ’s sake. He responds “I know, but it seems wasteful not to get two cups out of one”.

I love the guy, but good lord.

I guess living through both the Great Depression and WW2 set a tone for him.

[YellowKing]

I admit I also double-use K-cups. I'm not a cheapskate, but I drink a lot of coffee in the mornings and using 2 or 3 at a shot seems like a waste.

[hepcat]

Let’s check your garage now for a TP Tower.

[Max Peck]

I use a superauto espresso machine with a built-in grinder. Coffee on demand with all the convenience of a Keurig but without the plastic waste. Reusing the spent grounds is not an option, though.

[Blackhawk]

I use an extra plunger in the bathroom closet for my very own TP Tower. I keep the packs out of the way elsewhere, but it puts an extra four or five rolls within reach should one run out.

[hepcat]

I use a superauto espresso machine with a built-in grinder. Coffee on demand with all the convenience of a Keurig but without the plastic waste. Reusing the spent grounds is not an option, though.

Didn’t wanna spring for the SUPERsuper auto?

[disarm]

I use a superauto espresso machine with a built-in grinder. Coffee on demand with all the convenience of a Keurig but without the plastic waste. Reusing the spent grounds is not an option, though.

The grounds are great for composting or can be used as mulch for a garden or potted plants though... better than just throwing them away!

[Blackhawk]

Well, I'd have needed an extra mop. And since I don't have any non-carpeted floors, I don't have the first mop to have extras of. That means I'd have to buy two.

[Kraken]

I admit I also double-use K-cups. I'm not a cheapskate, but I drink a lot of coffee in the mornings and using 2 or 3 at a shot seems like a waste.

On the very rare occasions when I stayed in a place with one of those single-cup brewers, I did the same thing. But I’m old so I get a pass.

[Kraken]

I use a superauto espresso machine with a built-in grinder. Coffee on demand with all the convenience of a Keurig but without the plastic waste. Reusing the spent grounds is not an option, though.

The grounds are great for composting or can be used as mulch for a garden or potted plants though... better than just throwing them away!

I thought the same and put a lot of coffee grounds (and used filters!) in my compost bin, only to learn recently that caffeine stunts the growth of many plants.

[dbt1949]

I too have the frugality of my parents who lived thru the depression of the 30s. I'm not quite as bad but still more than most of you guys. Like reusing water bottles with tap water over and over again. Cleaning and reusing paper plates if they not too bad. I remember as a kid picking up little pieces of junk that I though I could make little army vehicles and such.

[Daehawk]

I've had two random people almost back to back ask me if I wanted to sell my Mustang. First was one of the power guys and yesterday it was the Walmart delivery guy.

Cars are worth good money for a bit then they ain't worth anything then a bit later they're sometimes worth more than when new. There's a line all along there someplace telling ya if it's junk or vintage.

[LordMortis]

1) I ran through the TP in the bathroom on Saturday and asked him where he kept the rolls. He leads me into the garage where he’s rigged up a mop handle to stand upright with a dozen rolls skewered on it. I ask him “what the hell?”. He tells me he got the rolls wet somehow and he’s been drying them off.

I'm a cheap bastard. I'm not that cheap. I also don't like to waste stuff but there's a point where I can admit defeat and dispose of something "good."

2) I asked him how he liked the Keurig coffee maker I got him for Father’s Day. He tells me it’s good, even if the second time he uses a pod it’s a bit weak. I tell him they’re one use only, for Christ’s sake. He responds “I know, but it seems wasteful not to get two cups out of one”.

I'm a cheap bastard. I wouldn't use a Keurig because they're so expensive and wasteful.

I use a superauto espresso machine with a built-in grinder. Coffee on demand with all the convenience of a Keurig but without the plastic waste. Reusing the spent grounds is not an option, though.

The grounds are great for composting or can be used as mulch for a garden or potted plants though... better than just throwing them away!

I use my grounds to discourage the neighbor cat from shitting in my yard.

[YellowKing]

I feel I need to defend my Keurig use.

We actually use a standard coffee maker for our primary use, and that's what we use 90% of the time. We bought the Keurig just for one-off cups for when we don't want or need to brew a whole pot. Mostly for evening decaffs, or the occasional hot chocolate or tea.

I think the Keurig flavor is VASTLY inferior to our standard pot, and in general I don't like them. But they are convenient for the quick cup.

Before the Keurig we bought a Lor. It made much better coffee, but it never really caught on so pod varieties were super limited. Then it crapped out on us after a year.

[hepcat]

I love my keurig. I don’t feel any need to defend that love.

[Daehawk]

Oh dammit! I purchased amish potato salad instead of original. It tastes like someone put sugar in my potato salad.

[Max Peck]

That's probably just because someone did put sugar in your potato salad.

INGREDIENTS: Potatoes, Mayonnaise (Soybean Oil, Water, Egg Yolks, Vinegar, Salt), Sugar, Water, Hard Cooked Eggs, Celery, Mustard (Vinegar, Water, Mustard Seeds, salt, Turmeric, Paprika, Spice, Garlic Powder), Onion, Sweet Pickle relish (Cucumbers, Sugars, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Contains Less than 2% of: Mustard Seed, Xanthan Gum, Celery Seed, Dehydrated Red Bell Pepper, Calcium Chloride, Natural Flavoring, Turmeric, Dehydrated Onion), Vinegar, Salt, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Xanthan Gum, Celery Seed, Annatto Extract Color, Modified Cornstarch.

[jztemple2]

[hepcat]

So you're saying that those companies are the ones most impacted by the addition of sugar to Amish potato salad?!?!

[Max Peck]

Walmart checks out, at least. They're the ones who put the sugar in the potato salad in the first place!

[hitbyambulance]

I love my keurig. I don’t feel any need to defend that love.

i do not drink coffee, but the flavor of Keurig pods for non-coffee beverages - especially tea - is so eye-wateringly terribad i can't imagine why anyone thinks these devices are a good idea. if these are any indication of the coffee quality, how bad does the product need to be to not be so outweighed by 'convenience'?

[hepcat]

I love my keurig. I don’t feel any need to defend that love.

i do not drink coffee, but the flavor of Keurig pods for non-coffee beverages - especially tea - is so eye-wateringly terribad i can't imagine why anyone thinks these devices are a good idea.

I don't use it for anything but coffee.

if these are any indication of the coffee quality,

It's not.

how bad does the product need to be to not be so outweighed by 'convenience'?

I can't tell you because I'm too busy enjoying great coffee AND convenience.

[hepcat]

I'm 75 and I hate to admit it but I need somebody around to watch over me. I don't fall down a lot but there have been times when I needed 911 to get me back on my feet or a healthy strong person. I wouldn't be able to take care of the yard and I don't make enough money to call somebody to do it or make repairs on my appliances. It is tough to get olde on both the body and the mind.

I had a talk with my father tonight over the phone. I just put it out there and said "hey, I'm worried about you living alone at your age". He thought for a second and then told me he would let me know if he ever felt like he was getting to the point where he couldn't take care of himself. But that for now, he had enough money to live comfortably, still enjoyed taking out the weed eater and the riding lawnmower on occasion, and didn't feel the need to give any of that up. But that he would let my brother and I know when (if) that time ever came. He ended the conversation by saying he didn't want to just lay on a couch waiting to die. If he wants to go to Wendy's for a salad (for some reason, he loves that) and then to the park to watch the ducks, he does. And he doesn't want someone telling him he can't...for now.

So I feel a bit better about him now. But I'm still going to see if I can sneak in a caregiver to visit him a few times a week to help out.

[LordMortis]

My dad doesn't want to give up his ability to drive to Wendy's either (We don't even live in Ohio). I guess their Senior deal is just too good to give up. Dad also seems to judge his need for assistance by his ability to use a riding lawn mower. OtOH, mom said if he goes down, she doesn't have the strength to get him back up. So I think that will be the deciding factor of when it's time for enduring assistance. Once the falling creates a situation where they can't assist each other.

For my part, I'm glad I don't work anymore and make time for them and can make considerably more when that time comes. I'm less than hour from their place and under most circumstances can drop what I'm doing if they need me. Now if only I could get them to admit when they need me a bit sooner than they are willing to admit.

[hepcat]

Unfortunately, unless I want to retire early, I’m unable to be closer than 7 hours to my father. But I am going to visit more often than I have. At least a few days every 2 or 3 months.

I do look forward to having him move in with my brother though as he runs a resort that caters to the LGBQT community. I can see my father, who’s a nature lover, getting all excited for “Bear weekend” then walking slowly back to his room with a dazed look on his face after seeing a “bear”.

[dbt1949]

I'm 75 and I hate to admit it but I need somebody around to watch over me. I don't fall down a lot but there have been times when I needed 911 to get me back on my feet or a healthy strong person. I wouldn't be able to take care of the yard and I don't make enough money to call somebody to do it or make repairs on my appliances. It is tough to get olde on both the body and the mind.

I had a talk with my father tonight over the phone. I just put it out there and said "hey, I'm worried about you living alone at your age". He thought for a second and then told me he would let me know if he ever felt like he was getting to the point where he couldn't take care of himself. But that for now, he had enough money to live comfortably, still enjoyed taking out the weed eater and the riding lawnmower on occasion, and didn't feel the need to give any of that up. But that he would let my brother and I know when (if) that time ever came. He ended the conversation by saying he didn't want to just lay on a couch waiting to die. If he wants to go to Wendy's for a salad (for some reason, he loves that) and then to the park to watch the ducks, he does. And he doesn't want someone telling him he can't...for now.

So I feel a bit better about him now. But I'm still going to see if I can sneak in a caregiver to visit him a few times a week to help out.

Tell him he can mow and edge your yard. After that there's laundry and the dishes,and makes sure he makes his bed.

[LordMortis]

Heard by a well spoken newscaster this morning har bing er. I've always said har binge er.

[Unagi]

I think he’s wrong.
For what it’s worth.

[Max Peck]

The word people I trust the most say it's supposed to be a soft G.

[Unagi]

And if I understand soft Gs and stuff, I think that's in agreement with LM and myself.

[Max Peck]

And if I understand soft Gs and stuff, I think that's in agreement with LM and myself.

Yes. A soft G is like "George" while a hard G is like "geek".

[Unagi]

But then there is the sloppy hard G that comes off as a soft G.

Yes. A soft G is like "George" while a hard G is like "geek".

For next time: A soft G is like "genuine" while a hard G is like "geek".

adds that little a pinch of humor.

[Hrdina]

But then there is the sloppy hard G that comes off as a soft G.

Yes. A soft G is like "George" while a hard G is like "geek".

For next time: A soft G is like "genuine" while a hard G is like "geek".

adds that little a pinch of humor.

If you really want to get a conversation started:
...a hard G is like "GIF".

[hepcat]

sloppy hard G

I'd make this my signature if this were an adults only site.