Questions of human nature
Well, maybe not, but habits or behavior. I'll be adding to this thread but at this very moment, I wonder about this one thing. Why do some people would lose their toothpaste cap and use the tube capless like that? Why? [SIZE="3"]Why??[/SIZE] [SIZE="5"]Why????[/SIZE] It's messy and dirty looking. I have a house guest, and it's a woman. She's driving me nuts. :thepain: I'm not being too picky here. This is the least thing that annoys me. Actually, I'm just wondering, it's not bothering me too much. She does lots of other stuffs that bother me. I'm gonna finish clean up and go to bed. I'm feeling tired and unhappy tonight. :(
toothpaste tube cap...
I can imagine this: The cap's been dropped and lost. Or worse, dropped in the toilet--never mind, found it, never mind... But, it's a new tube of toothpaste. I'd be inclined to keep using the rest of the toothpaste without the cap. Seriously, I don't want the cap back. No! NO THANK YOU!
My kids do that. But it's the 9yo who loses the cap. Every time. You use toothpaste twice a day -how nasty can it get?
Just use the one from your Preparation H instead :)
Even with a flip-top, which I prefer, it gets all gummed up and nasty. I usually clean it up once I get sick of it. Keep in mind though, I'm in a house with three males who don't care, so I don't waste a lot of effort on it.
We don't have this issue at our place. I don't know if it's just luck, but I can't remember the last time I bought toothpaste with a screw top lid. They all have flip off caps that stay attached on one side.
Max grabbing the toothpaste from in the bath if it's left on the wrong side of the basin is another thing though.
At least he smells minty fresh when he gets out I guess...
I dislike the flip top caps. They get dirty and crusty.
Wow, you lot must be messy. We don't seem to have a problem with them. They're awesome as far as I'm concerned, and my kids think i'm OCD about being clean! lol
Without a cap or substitute, the toothpaste in the neck of the tube becomes the cap which you can squeeze out and discard. The technique is called pre-pouring and has been used in medicine for decades. In this instance, we're not referring to pre-pouring in the sense of dispensing a single dose amount of liquid medication from a multi-dose container well in advance of administration; rather, we're talking about pouring off a quantity of something that's cream to ointment consistency which may have become contaminated where it comes into contact with the outside of the container or anything else.
Jeez, I should have such problems. I use the tubes with the flip back top. If they start looking grungy, I run 'em under hot water. Problem solved.
My late father swore by brushing his teeth with baking soda. He'd shake a little out of the box unto his hand, dip his brush in and presto - pearly whites.
Gel toothpaste gums up all over the attached cap area.
I run it under really hot water until it falls off. Bleck.
I thought about starting a thread about irrational pet peeves...here's one of my biggies:
Why oh why is it so hard to push your shopping cart all the way into the corral, mating it with the cart in front of it. You know, a nice neat line, all snuggied up...two rows. You can fit 25-30 carts in there that way.
But hardly anyone does that. Nice that they bother to put their cart into the corral, but they're all crooked and none of them are mated and you can get MAYBE 8 carts in there.
Sometimes I'll rearrange them a bit. :blush:
You must be a member of the Corral Cartel. :eek:
Gel toothpaste gums up all over the attached cap area.
I run it under really hot water until it falls off. Bleck.
I thought about starting a thread about irrational pet peeves...here's one of my biggies:
Why oh why is it so hard to push your shopping cart all the way into the corral, mating it with the cart in front of it. You know, a nice neat line, all snuggied up...two rows. You can fit 25-30 carts in there that way.
But hardly anyone does that. Nice that they bother to put their cart into the corral, but they're all crooked and none of them are mated and you can get MAYBE 8 carts in there.
Sometimes I'll rearrange them a bit. :blush:
It's do-gooders like you who put the cart cowboys out of work. A lot of them are special needs people (that's short bus to you) who are glad to get this work. I hope you are happy shaving down their hours.
bitch.
I'm a card-carrying member of the Cart Corral Citizens Coalition for Careful and Correct Concentrated Control of Cart Cubbies.
Wanna see my card? ;)
It's do-gooders like you who put the cart cowboys out of work. A lot of them are special needs people (that's short bus to you) who are glad to get this work. I hope you are happy shaving down their hours.
bitch.
Cart Cowboy always tips his hat and smiles at me. "Thanks ma'am, it's citizens like yourself that give hope to citizens like...myself."
While we're grousing about supermarkets, why are their car parks always sloped so that your trolley (= cart) rolls away from you while you're trying to get your shopping (=groceries) into the boot (=trunk) of your car.
We used to have minor issues with the toothpaste, but you know what? You can buy a tube for each of you. It doesn't go bad. It doesn't cost more. You're each still using the same amount, and you can do it however you want.
I got my own tube of toothpaste just because the door to my side of the medicine cabinet swings to the left, and it's easier for me to take the toothpaste with my right hand from my side. My wife uses the same brand, and on her side of the cabinet, the door swings to the right and she's a lefty. It's just slightly less awkward for each of us to grab our own toothpaste.
I'm a card-carrying member of the Cart Corral Citizens Coalition for Careful and Correct Concentrated Control of Cart Cubbies.
Wanna see my card? ;)
Si, si, senorita
Oh, and why do we say 'nother'?
As in "that's a whole nother ballgame"? Nother isn't a word. People use it as a liller (not a word either) :lol: version of another, I guess...BUT:
You wouldn't say "a whole another ballgame"
It's a whole OTHER ballgame.
So there.
Thanks for playing along at home. Now I must go stab someone in the aorta. BRB.
Aldi's 25 cent grocery carts that give you back your quarter if you place the cart back in the cart corral and hook the chain to the cart in front. All the cart Nazi's shop there ;) {I kid }
I get the concept of Aldi's and I know you can save money...but for one thing I am NOT buying meat there. Some friends of mine do. It might not be any different than meat anywhere else but it's like buying steak at Odd Lots, imho.
Also, I'm weird about buying brands I'm used to...local or not. Instead of Ohio Otto's Green Beans you might see Washington Wally's Green Beans. Wally won't get my money. I'm weird like that.
Oh, and why do we say 'nother'?
As in "that's a whole nother ballgame"? Nother isn't a word. People use it as a liller (not a word either) :lol: version of another, I guess...BUT:
You wouldn't say "a whole another ballgame"
It's a whole OTHER ballgame.
So there.
Thanks for playing along at home. Now I must go stab someone in the aorta. BRB.
That's a completely different ballgame.
That's a horse of a different color. That horse is some nother color.
While we're grousing about supermarkets, why are their car parks always sloped so that your trolley (= cart) rolls away from you while you're trying to get your shopping (=groceries) into the boot (=trunk) of your car.
so the rain drains away and you can unload your cart without standing in a lake.
turn your cart perpendicular to the slope.
Don't look at me: I didn't nominate his membership in C C C C for C and C C C of C C.
;)
Oh, and why do we say 'nother'?
As in "that's a whole nother ballgame"? Nother isn't a word. People use it as a liller (not a word either) :lol: version of another, I guess...BUT:
You wouldn't say "a whole another ballgame"
It's a whole OTHER ballgame.
So there.
Thanks for playing along at home. Now I must go stab someone in the aorta. BRB.
You have to think about where that 'whole' is.
It isn't 'A whole [a]nother ball game'.
It's: 'A-whole-nother ball game'. The word 'whole' is inserted into the word 'another' in between the 'a' and 'nother'
Bit like saying abso-fucking-lutely.
Ahhhh...could be. At the very least, it let's one get an a-whole in there, which also works.
Doesn't quite have the [FONT="Impact"]ZING[/FONT] of abso-fucking-lutely, though. It just sounds kind of dumb. ;)
I got my own tube of toothpaste just because the door to my side of the medicine cabinet swings to the left, and it's easier for me to take the toothpaste with my right hand from my side. My wife uses the same brand, and on her side of the cabinet, the door swings to the right and she's a lefty. It's just slightly less awkward for each of us to grab our own toothpaste.
I'd just squirt a little extra on the counter for Pete.
The best way to make money out of those coin slot carts is to troll the shopping centre for carts that people couldn't be bothered taking back just for 25 cents. Take 4 back and you have a whole dollar!
I'd just squirt a little extra on the counter for Pete.
that sounds so dirty.
Yeah, but now we know that glatt's door swings to the left.
I use the tubes with the flip back top. If they start looking grungy, I run 'em under hot water. Problem solved.
Gel toothpaste gums up all over the attached cap area.
I run it under really hot water until it falls off. Bleck.
I do the same so my toothpaste tube opening is usually if not always clean. That's why it annoys me a bit when I see an exposed tube with toothpaste hanging out. My aunt (the house guest) used to stick it in the drawer under the sink with the rest of the toothpaste tubes and toothpaste would stick on the insides. I guess it's better that she now sticks it in the toothbrush cup on the counter.
I thought about starting a thread about irrational pet peeves...here's one of my biggies:
Why oh why is it so hard to push your shopping cart all the way into the corral, mating it with the cart in front of it. You know, a nice neat line, all snuggied up...two rows. You can fit 25-30 carts in there that way.
But hardly anyone does that. Nice that they bother to put their cart into the corral, but they're all crooked and none of them are mated and you can get MAYBE 8 carts in there.
Sometimes I'll rearrange them a bit. :blush:
That's irrational??? I wasn't hoping so because I feel the same way. :p: And yes, I sometimes would rearrange them too. :D
It's do-gooders like you who put the cart cowboys out of work. A lot of them are special needs people (that's short bus to you) who are glad to get this work. I hope you are happy shaving down their hours.
bitch.
Well, if I don't rearrange them, I wouldn't be able to stick my cart in. And if I do just toss it in, the next person's cart wouldn't be able to stick his cart in the corral. If he leaves it half sticking out or just lying around, it may hit a customer's cart and get that "special" person fired. So, you see, I'm actually helping the cart cowboy keep his job. :D
We used to have minor issues with the toothpaste, but you know what? You can buy a tube for each of you. It doesn't go bad. It doesn't cost more. You're each still using the same amount, and you can do it however you want.
I got my own tube of toothpaste just because the door to my side of the medicine cabinet swings to the left, and it's easier for me to take the toothpaste with my right hand from my side. My wife uses the same brand, and on her side of the cabinet, the door swings to the right and she's a lefty. It's just slightly less awkward for each of us to grab our own toothpaste.
We do have our own toothpaste. I just don't like the look of my aunt's messy and dirty toothpaste tube. :p:
I'd just squirt a little extra on the counter for Pete.
Speaking of toothpaste on the counter, there would be bits of toothpaste in the sink after my aunt brushed her teeth. Uh...yeah, at least that seems less dirty than food bits stuck there after she rinsed her mouth after each meal. :neutral:
Speaking of toothpaste on the counter, there would be bits of toothpaste in the sink after my aunt brushed her teeth.
Thor is your aunt? There is apparently no limit on where that boy can get toothpaste...
What about the bit of human nature that makes these things bother us all out of proportion. What about the bit that even registers these things as "issues". What about the bit that keeps people from bringing it up if it really bugs us so much.
You're right Perry. Why do we even care about stupid things like this.
Let's see if we can solve it here.
I'm pretty sure UT could make millions if we did. ;)
It's do-gooders like you who put the cart cowboys out of work. A lot of them are special needs people (that's short bus to you) who are glad to get this work. I hope you are happy shaving down their hours.
bitch.
Well, if I don't rearrange them, I wouldn't be able to stick my cart in. And if I do just toss it in, the next person's cart wouldn't be able to stick his cart in the corral. If he leaves it half sticking out or just lying around, it may hit a customer's cart and get that "special" person fired. So, you see, I'm actually helping the cart cowboy keep his job.
Denial is not just a river in Africa.
While we're grousing about supermarkets, why are their car parks always sloped so that your trolley (= cart) rolls away from you while you're trying to get your shopping (=groceries) into the boot (=trunk) of your car.
so the rain drains away and you can unload your cart without standing in a lake.
turn your cart perpendicular to the slope.
I get that about the water but the slope could be less pronounced to drain the water and not whisk the trolleys away.
You can't turn your trolley perpendicular to the slope here. They have twirly wheels so the cart will roll down a slope however you've oriented it. I jam my foot under one wheel to act as a brake while I unload it. I do have a solution, I just don't see why I have to!
hehehe I just remembered how tiny and swivelly Brit trolleys are -American expats in the UK complain that they're completely unsteerable and you can't get anything like a complete shop in them! The carts here are like juggenauts in size and manoueverability. But you get used to it. And buying enough to fill it..... :lol:
(did you see how bilingual I was there? Maybe even tri-lingual as I can't be bothered to look up the spelling of that m word.)
That's like the kind they have at Ikea! They're super fun for the kids to ride in once you get the hang of steering them.
Steeringwise, not sizewise.
I've seen carts that have four casters instead of two casters on the front and two fixed wheels on the back. Four caster carts are practically unsteerable--stupid design. My favorite grocery store has flatbed carts but the casters are on the end with the handle, making them effectively pull toys, not push toys. Very frustrating.
Totally disagree with you V. I LOVE the carts which have four casters, like those at IKEA. There is no reason to have any other kind of cart. I can literally go sideways to avoid other people and/or objects. Complete mobility. As an added bonus they are fun to play with.
I don't care about carts. I've never paid much attention to them. They always work well enough.
Now what really grinds my gears are those reprobates that put every curly brace on a new line.
Totally disagree with you V. I LOVE the carts which have four casters, like those at IKEA. There is no reason to have any other kind of cart. I can literally go sideways to avoid other people and/or objects. Complete mobility. As an added bonus they are fun to play with.
right.
I see you said sideways but completely ignored my point about actually steering them. You can easily spin them, but not easily steer them. I can get sideways in one and continue in a straight line as the scenery zips by from left to right--crunch--the left side of my cart bumps what I tried to avoid.
They're fun, but I don't see the steering benefit. The force needed to turn a fixed rear axle cart is less than a four caster cart. By putting a differential force on the handle, you turn the rear axle. Since it can only roll straight (fixed direction wheels, remember) the cart turns. In a four caster rig, the same force moves one wheel ahead of the other, but since the wheels are not fixed, they aren't forced to change direction. You can only "turn" by exerting a sideways force on the cart at its center of mass, not at one of the poles.
Anyhow, glad you like them. For light loads or for office chairs where the thrust and turning forces are exerted at the center, they're great.
You get a good workout in your core muscles with those 4 swivel wheel carts.
I'm serious - never had a problem at IKEA. Even with heavy furniture and whatnot loaded. BTW, that is the only place around here that I know has them.
I prefer 4 x casters, for maximum manouverability. You just want to tuck the cart in tight and push around the outside when doing a turn at the end of an aisle.
I don't mind fixed rear wheels, because you can swing the front pretty easily, but still get good control.
A local big-box hardware store has trolleys with rear casters and fixed front wheels. It is like conning a ship. Have to push the rear slightly left about 50cm before you want it all to go to the right. Is teh suk.
Aldi's 25 cent grocery carts that give you back your quarter if you place the cart back in the cart corral and hook the chain to the cart in front.
25 cents?! I guess Merkins are much more honest than Brits (or we are FAR lazier)
We have to pay
£1 deposit!
I get the concept of Aldi's and I know you can save money...but for one thing I am NOT buying meat there. Some friends of mine do. It might not be any different than meat anywhere else but it's like buying steak at Odd Lots, imho.
They still have to adhere to laws for human consumption and labelling.
Although I'll admit I don't buy fresh meat there, but it's because I prefer to buy free range/ RSPCA certified.
I'll happily buy cured meats at Aldi or Lidl - they have a better selection of European meats than our smaller supermarkets. Which is a cop-out - I'll buy Serrano ham or Prosciutto without even questioning how the pigs were raised. And I know perfectly well that they're more likely to be factory farmed on the mainland.
I wouldn't shop somewhere if I had to pay a deposit to use a cart. I remember landing in Austria and having to beg strangers in German for 1 freaking Euro coin so I could get a cart to carry our mountain of baby gadgets and luggage while my wife wrangled the kids. I figured I'd have a chance to exchange money when I arrived, but this was in the sterile luggage claim area, and no such luck. What a hassle. I'd spend my money elsewhere.
I would not shop where they wanted a deposit on the carts.
eta buy you a coke
It's very common here.
At least I've encountered it in Bucks, Leicestershire and South-East & East London.
Deciding not to shop in such a place could be cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Many charities here sell tokens for £1 that you keep on your keyring. That way you are always able to use a gym locker/ trolley, without having to carry cash.
25 cents?! I guess Merkins are much more honest than Brits (or we are FAR lazier)
We have to pay £1 deposit!
£1 coins are common; $1 coins are not (let alone $1.50). And if people are annoyed by having to come up with a quarter to get a cart, imagine if they had to come up with four or six!
I suspect our retail experiences are quite different and interesting. For a while I've wanted to take some pics of the local shopping locale which is the New American Way of shopping, mixing big box stores with smaller places to create a huge "town" of stores.
I think you would be offended by it Sundae. I know I am. But yet I go there every day.
How could I be offended by how Americans choose to shop...?
I get what you're saying though :)
I mourn the passing of individual shops in my own country, because I experienced and appreciated them. And because they still exist in affluent areas, which means they must have some value. Received wisdom is that we all miss them, but we'd never use them. I know it's untrue.
Please, please take pics Tony.
I'd love to know how it works elsewhere.
Just don't get arrested as a potential terrorist.
That's no problem, we only hire smart cops out here in suburbia-land. I will try to get over there while the light is still up.
As much as I loathe them, I wasn't comfortable living in England until I found the retail areas that are similar to what we have in surburban USA. Not sure why. Something anchoring about knowing that it's not such an alien place.
I agree. When I went to Japan, it was very reassuring to find a regular-type supermarket with aisles and trolleys and stuff. Even if the trolleys were dinky little things.
When I visited England, I discovered, to my horror, that people actually had to pay to use public bathrooms. Or was that in Prague? I can't remember, it was so long ago. Either way, I think I got myself a bladder infection due to the fact that I had no coins.
Also, when I discovered Tesco, I was enthralled. I suppose it is like Wal-mart or Target, here, but they had a WHOLE ENTIRE AISLE of European chocolate.
YES! You had to pay to use the public bathrooms, and pay for the little ketchup packets at fast-food places, and pay for a glass of tap water...! It was totally baffling to us.
here I sit, broken-hearted
paid 2p and only farted.....
The whole of life is monstrously different and scary and weird US:UK. The main problem is that one expects similarity because we use similar language, so it's even more of a horrible shock than if we had moved to a county on the same continent that spoke a different language. So say all expats -US and UK- I've ever interacted with.
To demonstrate my point, let's take today, a really mundane and ordinary day in my life. And i'll compare it to life in the UK as best I remember where appropriate.
Got up at 5 to drive daughter to high school swim team practice before school. (No high School Swim team in UK. No school sports that require practicebefore school starts for the year or for the day. And demand wadges of money for team suits etc (and suits are swim costumes in the UK))
...and high school starts aged 11ish in the UK and lasts for 7 years, although you can leave after 5. And there's no "graduation", but there are exams/quizzes/tests in each of the 3 courses you take when you are a senior (upper 6th/whatever they call it now, they don't use freshman/sophomore/junior/senior)). Universities will demand certain grades in each subject for acceptance. No essay, usually. no Scholarships, either, in the main. Especialy not sports. There is no issue of having to sign a release for coaches to send reports of your student-athlete to interested universities. Most Brits probably won't even be able to make head or tail of that.....
And we're only at 5:45 am in my day. i need to go to bed.
The differences are HUGE
here I sit, broken-hearted
paid 2p and only farted.....
It's 20p now, Monster!
doesn't have the same double entendre, though...
no drive through banking dry cleaning etc in the UK -just a fe macdonalds. No boxes of complimentary Kleenex(tissues) everywhere -can be very awkward if you sneeze unexpectedly and nastily. No free refils on drinks, no boxes provided to take home your leftovers -people just do that on the sly occasionally, wrap food in a napkin (usually called serviettes). No servers in bars. Tipping very limited, nothing like 15-20%. much more common to have to put a coin to get a shopping cart -like at Aldi. Carts are smaller. Bread is less sweet. Bakeries sell a range of savory (as in not dessert) pies and pasties and sausage rolls. Gas stations don't sell beer and you don't pay at the pump and there's no lever so you can leave it filling while you wash your windows -there aren't any squeegees to wash your windows. And it's called petrol and you get it from the garage.
We've got a garage (= gas station) here that is also a DIY store and builders' merchants, and it also sells booze!
OK well once I got to the location I decided to make it a movie, on the spot, but I was not happy with the presentation. It's a mess. Nevertheless, here it is.
[YOUTUBE]zlZAY5vzu-o[/YOUTUBE]
Movie TavernWow UT. Thanks for that glimpse of the everyday. I really ought to do the same here ...
I second the wow. And you were right after all, I am perturbed by it.
Wow again - because it's nothing like a town centre - English version. I mean if we decided a retail park would be called a town centre.
Possibly the biggest difference is the car-accessibility. The centre of our towns are generally so old that there is little or no room for that sort of parking. Things have to be within walking distance. It looks to me like an open air shopping centre/ retail park. On steroids. We stick something smaller outside of town.
Monster - some things have changed since you were away. I guess you know that, having plenty of contact with the UK. The two obvious ones are drive-through McDonalds (LOTS now rather than a few) and paying at the pump - my Dad expects it and would be quite grumpy if he had to go in the shop.
In Aylesbury we've had drive-through banking as long as I can remember (Lloyds on Gatehouse Road). But you are quite right, I have never seen it anywhere else, ever! And certainly in my experience, most people parked up and used the cashpoint on the other side of the building :)
Ketchup is generally free now, as is tap water. But no, very few places offer refills - if they do you pay a flat fee for it (as we did at Pizza Hut).
But the rest holds true. And your school experience is completely different to that of my niece and nephew.
Limes, the standard charge in London is 30p now.
I'm happy to pay it for spotless toilets. I'd be happier if it was free of course.
As an aside, Rome has virtually NO public toilets. You have to go into a bar or restaurant. My ex husband had a dicky tummy when we went, and refused to walk more than about 1/2 mile from the hotel. He hated Rome for making him feel uncomfortable. I hated him for ruining my trip to the Eternal City, which I'd dreamed about for years. It was a matter of months until we split up. And yes, he was paranoid, but yes I was a bitch.
The whole of life is monstrously different and scary and weird US:UK. The main problem is that one expects similarity because we use similar language, so it's even more of a horrible shock than if we had moved to a county on the same continent that spoke a different language. So say all expats -US and UK- I've ever interacted with.
This expat has to beg to differ...
of course there are differences between the UK and the US... language being listed among those differences but even allowing for those differences I find it immensely easier dealing with England and her differences than I do in dealing, even after 11 years here, with Switzerland and or France.
Nice breakdown, UT! There's one area here that is particularly insane. It's about 6 of those shopping centers you drove through, all surrounding a real shopping mall at the middle. Of course since all the "roads" are really parking lots, there are no street names or other directions. I have literally gotten lost inside the retail vastness before. It's worth noting for UK Dwellars that these little towns have names, too. We have Arbor Walk, the Domain, the Arboretum, Gateway...
On the other hand, when my car battery died, I found out that mall security covers the entire retail suburbs as well, and they came out and jumped my car for me, which was nice.
Thanks you guys! You know, I wanted to go into the Wegman's [supermarket] and document it too, because I really love that. But I chickened out realizing that everyone was going to look at me talking to this camera.
Maybe I can get J to film me, and then there would be support and it wouldn't be so difficult. Maybe I could get clearance from the store manager.
Tony, Do you have a Super Target near you? I think that might be a good one for the overseas dwellars to see.
Careful you don't get thrown out for videotaping on the premises. A lot of places don't allow it.
I still think you should do it, just pick a location that you don't normally shop at in case you ever want to go back. :)
This expat has to beg to differ...
of course there are differences between the UK and the US... language being listed among those differences but even allowing for those differences I find it immensely easier dealing with England and her differences than I do in dealing, even after 11 years here, with Switzerland and or France.
But you are a US expat. Of course Switzerland and France would be more different to you than England.
yeah, I'm sure I coulda grammarized that better......
On Wednesday I got an email from a friend asking me to please contact a Brit she had just met who was so desperately overwhelmed by culture shock, three weeks into her permanent move here. I called her immediately. She couldn't hear any Brit in my accent. We talked for a while, then met for a walk then coffee on Friday.
Whilst some things have changed since I've been gone, the essential differences remain the same. The stuff that causes the culture shock. And there are somethings that are totally personal. She's devastated by not being able to find ready-to-eat avocados. I don't even like them. On top of it, she's clinically depressed in my, her and her husband's non-expert opinion, but can't see anyone about it because they are still trying to sort out the health insurance.
Her son plays football for the high school. The one my daughter should have gone to but we opted out. Her daughter is in 8th grade. They struggle with what to wear to school every day because there is no uniform. This bit they knew. The shock side ..... there is a "uniform" that you must buy/wear for pretty much every other aspect of your life. I brought trainers/sneakers to to walk in. I wore jeans but that was a conscous decision for vanity -I would usually wear sweatpants/jogging bottoms. She walked in her cowboy boots and a dress. I remembered that I would have done that too, way back when. Walking is not really a vigorous exercise and does not require a uniform. Join an after school club? here's your t-shirt. Play a high school sport? pay $200 for the uniform. Family reunion? t-shirt. oh family reuinions.... lucky expats don't have to deal with those unless they married into it..... they can be something else. no Brits don't do that. at all. Except for this one family Sundae knows...... ;) :p Here, go to Cedar Point (=Alton Towers)/anywhere on a summer weekend and there are family reuinions by the shedload. Except they're not all together/united. But they are all wearing the same "Doofus family Reunion 2013: RIP Nanna Doofus, Welcome John Wayne Doofus III and K'nytelim Xageratin Doofus" t-shirts in lurid colors so they can spot each other at a distance. I digress. Second hand as new sporting goods and other leisure goods are a bargain here, because so many people go and buy the uniform/full kit and kaboodle before they've decided if they really like their new pastime. it's a belonging thing.
Which is the next difference she encountered. She's desperate and self-admittedly impatient to make friends. So everyone is telling her to join a church. Churches here are social clubs. Not just somewhere to worship and for old single women to fuss over the vicar and arrange flowers. She's a (Jewish) atheist whose culinary piece de resistance is pulled pork. yes, there is the JCC. But the Brit way of doing things -even for people desperate to make friends, is more to sneak in the side entrance and observe, pick out potential friends and slowly move in. No name tags, spotlight on the newbie, everybody meet maria, she's new in town and would like to make some new friends which can happen here. In general we're kinda reserved. (until we've lived here for 10 years. then we scare new brits as much as born-and-breds ;) ) My friend, who asked me to call her, is a lovely lady whose job it is to organise the "welcome newbie" things at the JCC. Fortunately, she' very empathetic and -bless her- realized that this was not going to work for our latest immigrant. hence the call to me.
So now I'm busy reliving and remembering all the differences. And how much more differnet the language is than you thing. Suddenly I became so aware of how American my speech is. Even if most Merkins can still hear the accent.
Pavement = road
sidewalk = pavement
hood/bonnet boot/trunk gas/petrol
squirl =squirrel
kids = children (unless you're northern &/or common ;) )
yard = garden
speed bump = sleeping policeman
escrow = ??????
lawyer = solicitor
buyer's agent = - - -
and that was the first 5 minutes......
crazy different.
Don't get me wrong, I love it here. I fit much better here than I ever did in the UK. But it's so diffferent you cannot imagine until you have done it. and it literally puts you in shock, because you think you know what to expect.
She's devastated by not being able to find ready-to-eat avocados.
What makes an avocado "ready-to-eat?" I mean... it sounds like all she's missing is a knife?
They're too hard, apparently. Don't ask me! nasty things.
Oh! You were talking about them being ripe and in season. I was imagining she must want little walk-up avocado kiosks on the street. She should move to Texas, we have them year-round.
Church is not a requirement for social networking, even here in the South. People use their kids as the social instigator--she should join the PTA at her kids' school.
right. her main problem is her kids are older and don't need her intervention/involvement so much. But that's how she met my friend -volunteering at the school store. She's doing the right things, but it's hard. And she is depressed which I imagine surpresses a will to "fight".
Beest has "adapt and survive" as his user sig -it's there for a reason. If you don't want/know how to adapt, you're in for a rough ride.
OK well once I got to the location I decided to make it a movie, on the spot, but I was not happy with the presentation. It's a mess. Nevertheless, here it is.
[YOUTUBE]zlZAY5vzu-o[/YOUTUBE]
Movie Tavern
Nice video!
Wonderful idea UT. A fun thread idea too.
Don't know where to post this so here it will go.
A male friend recently told me his generalization of women, which totally shocked and offended me. He told me I was too sheltered and not understand society. So, I’m putting this on here to get your viewpoints. He told me that men use money to get what they want and women use sex to get money (what they want). Honestly, what he’s describing makes women sound like whores. I told him how offended and insulted I felt upon hearing this. He said although there are exceptions, in general, women use sex to get money or materials. After our conversation, I did some reflection and realized I was in a way treated as such one way or another or one time or another. To clarify, I was propositioned and not actually had sex to receive anything. I never thought I’d be treated or viewed this way, especially from a friend. I’m rather hurt and disillusioned. Anyways, I just want to get this off my chest. One is to get your opinions and two is to put my feelings out there. That is all.
He is an asshole and needs a mental readjustment via a cuntpunt.
Obviously when you paint with a broad brush you get paint on places you don't intend to. I think your friend may not be the brain trust he might think he is. That being said, my own experience regarding the general differences between men and women stem from a time I spent as a portrait photographer at a dating service. The place was a membership only type place where men and women would fill out a full page "bio" with standard questions about education, occupation, religion, and so forth with the occupation listed in the upper right corner of the page. On the back of this bio page were 4 photos of the prospective date.
Without exception the women would go through the books of men's profiles by thumbing through the upper right corners scanning occupations until they found someone who was making "mad loot" as one of the women there put it. Then they'd send him an invitation. The men, again without exception would flip through the books of women's profiles from back to front, when they found an attractive woman they'd read her profile and send her an invite.
The short, fat, bald, rude men who were bankers, stock brokers, hedge fund managers, lawyers, and doctors got a lot of dates with very hot women. The guys who were polite and sincere but working in blue collar jobs didn't get many dates at all despite being handsome.
I really got to see how fucked up people can be when it comes to expectations and relationships.
Not that long ago women couldn't vote. Not that long before that, women couldn't even own property in many societies. Historically, men have controlled power and wealth.
Women's primary bargaining chip for security/survival has been sex and the promise of heirs that comes from it.
So while your friend may sound a little Neanderthalish, his premise is based on solid foundations.
I think that is a dynamic that is shifting a little bit. As a Dad, I'm more concerned that my girls be happy than rich. That means they have to like themselves and be, if not self-sufficient, at least able before partnering for life. My own relationship is far more equal than what you're describing. People choose their lives either consciously or by not choosing (insert Rush lyric). There are still girls who want to go the "whore" route and my daughters criticize them to no end, for not controlling their own lives, but living to be attached to some dumb jock at school. I think the best relationships look like partnerships and I've given my girls that expectation.
He is an asshole and needs a mental readjustment via a cuntpunt.
Hahahahahhaha.....Thank you, Classicman. This made me smile. :p:
So while your friend may sound a little Neanderthalish, his premise is based on solid foundations.
Thank you for yours and others' comment. I'm not really upset at my friend's viewpoint because he was just being honest while not being totally rude with me when he shared his opinions; I was just surprised. My friend also believes that in the family, the man leads and has the final decision and say. His idea of compromise in a relationship is that he will listen to his wife's opinions, then he will make his decision. I wished him luck on finding a woman although I did rudely tell him that I don't think he'll have any lasting relationships. :p:
The reason why I was so hurt is that I realized why I was treated in a certain why. I must've acted so inappropriately to be viewed so lowly. With an exception of one, I have never received gifts from a man that I didn't reciprocate accordingly. And to some, I gave the gifts and never received any back. Frankly, I usually give a gift back even with women.
Anyways, I've calmed down now. Actually, I waited until I was less upset to post the question. Well, at least I now know how many men generally view women, and I can act accordingly. If a particular man is just a jerk who doesn't know how to treat a woman right, then that's his damn fault.
Historically, attitude and actions get passed down father to son. Usually they are modified by each generation, but sometimes in cases like your friend, they are 100 years behind. It will prove to be his lose. It's not you Lola, it's him that's fucked up.
Oh, and smart, happy people like Griff, are slightly ahead of the curve.
Historically, attitude and actions get passed down father to son. Usually they are modified by each generation, but sometimes in cases like your friend, they are 100 years behind. It will prove to be his lose. It's not you Lola, it's him that's fucked up.
Oh, and smart, happy people like Griff, are slightly ahead of the curve.
He feels that way because he's had bad experiences with women in the past and is still surrounded by women who take what they can. And his "I'm the MAN" attitude is derived by his religious beliefs. Oh yeah....very true. Many of our conversations usually end with "we agree to disagree." Hey, at least he thinks I'm one of the few left who has integrity. That's why we're still good friends. :p:
I briefly dated a man who in conversation came across as a woman-hater, because he felt he'd been badly treated by his ex.
Outside of his long rambling monologues, he was reasonably normal and treated most of the women in his life with respect. Oh except that he had a breast fixation and honestly seemed to value a woman more as her cup size increased. He had a close female friend whom he genuinely seemed to adore, but sadly she was only a B cup. WTF?!
All a bit too nutty for my tastes.
I hope he found someone of a large enough cupsize (and preferably deaf) to make him happy.
the human brain groups objects in our environment based on our expirience and interactions with them. if your straight or tends towards it, everyone who has ever hurt you romantically is going to be from the oopposite gender. man-hating & women-hating is just a natural result of human wiring. you are you can either be very lucky in relationships, pretend it isn't happening in your brain for social expectation's sake (political correctness), or be aware of it enough to question any resulting assumptions before you use them to make a judgement call.
as for prefering good looking women, their have being many experiments showing that everyone does it: an attractive woman in distress is more likely to get help from both man and other women then someone who isn't.
there are even studies that use it as an economical symptom - attractive waiters. when the economy is good employers are less deductive about who they hire and are more likely to hire and advance better looking people (both males and females), but when it goes bad and they look at who's critical and who isn't, skills come at first place - and while it can easily correspond with attractive people - a lot of those that got their job simply for being attractive will be the first one to loose it. the result is a lot of attractive people in entry level service jobs, where attractiveness brings customers.
its just natural - society is made out of people that are more attracted to people who attract them - there's no need for a leap of logic, we're just much much shallower in instinct then society told us we are awe to be.
I don't care about carts. I've never paid much attention to them. They always work well enough.
Now what really grinds my gears are those reprobates that put every curly brace on a new line.
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I wouldn't shop somewhere if I had to pay a deposit to use a cart.
I don't have a problem with it. Aldi's carts are consistently in much better shape than Jewel or Dominicks (our other chain grocery stores). And there's never one blocking a parking space.
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bwaaaahahahhahahahaha!